Opinion ID: 780522
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether Hamlin Deprived Crockett and Greene of a Constitutional Right

Text: 22 We first address whether the plaintiffs have alleged facts that, viewed in the light most favorable to them, demonstrate that the defendant's conduct violated their constitutional rights. The federal constitutional right implicated here is the Fourth Amendment right to be arrested only upon probable cause. Pyles v. Raisor, 60 F.3d 1211, 1215 (6th Cir.1995); Donovan v. Thames, 105 F.3d 291, 297-98 (6th Cir.1997). Thus, we must address whether the evidence, when construed most favorably to Crockett and Greene, states a claim that Hamlin arrested them without probable cause. Pyles, 60 F.3d at 1215 (explaining § 1983 claim for wrongful arrest turns on whether officer had probable cause under the Fourth Amendment). 23 On appeal, Hamlin argues that probable cause existed for arresting Crockett and Greene and, for that reason, plaintiffs cannot show the deprivation of any federal right. Crockett and Greene reply that Hamlin's investigation was not thorough enough to establish probable cause. In support of their argument, they rely heavily on the fact that Hamlin did not interview them before he arrested them. After balancing these arguments, we conclude that probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene existed.
24 The Fourth Amendment states in pertinent part that no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. U.S. CONST. amend. IV. Today it is well established that any arrest without probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment. See Klein, 275 F.3d at 550; Gardenhire v. Schubert, 205 F.3d 303, 315 (6th Cir.2000); Ahlers v. Schebil, 188 F.3d 365, 370 (6th Cir.1999); see also Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 142-43, 99 S.Ct. 2689, 61 L.Ed.2d 433 (1979) (By virtue of its `incorporation' into the Fourteenth Amendment, the Fourth Amendment requires the States to provide a fair and reliable determination of probable cause as a condition for any significant pretrial restraint of liberty.) (citing Gerstein v. Pugh, 420 U.S. 103, 95 S.Ct. 854, 43 L.Ed.2d 54 (1975)). 25 For a police officer to have probable cause for arrest, there must be facts and circumstances within the officer's knowledge that are sufficient to warrant a prudent person, or one of reasonable caution, in believing, in the circumstances shown, that the suspect has committed, is committing or is about to commit an offense. Michigan v. DeFillippo, 443 U.S. 31, 37, 99 S.Ct. 2627, 61 L.Ed.2d 343 (1979); see also Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 91, 85 S.Ct. 223, 13 L.Ed.2d 142 (1964); Fridley v. Horrighs, 291 F.3d 867, 872 (6th Cir.2002); Klein, 275 F.3d at 550; Donovan, 105 F.3d at 298. Probable cause requires only the probability of criminal activity not some type of `prima facie' showing. Criss v. City of Kent, 867 F.2d 259, 262 (6th Cir.1988); see also United States v. Strickland, 144 F.3d 412, 415 (6th Cir.1998) (The Fourth Amendment, after all, necessitates an inquiry into probabilities, not certainty.). 26 The probability of criminal activity is assessed under a reasonableness standard based on an examination of all facts and circumstances within an officer's knowledge at the time of an arrest.  Estate of Dietrich v. Burrows, 167 F.3d 1007, 1012 (6th Cir.1999); see also Hunter v. Bryant, 502 U.S. 224, 228, 112 S.Ct. 534, 116 L.Ed.2d 589 (1991) ([T]he court should ask whether the agents acted reasonably under settled law in the circumstances, not whether another reasonable, or more reasonable, interpretation of the events can be constructed ... after the fact.); Klein, 275 F.3d at 550 (Probable cause is assessed `from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight[.]'); Gardenhire, 205 F.3d at 315; Strickland, 144 F.3d at 415 ([T]he Fourth Amendment does not require that a police officer know a crime occurred at the time the officer arrests or searches a suspect.). 27 Once an officer establishes probable cause, he or she is under no obligation to continue investigating and may instead pursue the arrest of a suspect. See Klein, 275 F.3d at 551 (But once a police officer has sufficient probable cause to arrest, he need not investigate further.); Ahlers, 188 F.3d at 371 (Once probable cause is established, an officer is under no duty to investigate further or to look for additional evidence which may exculpate the accused.); Criss, 867 F.2d at 263 (A policeman, however, is under no obligation to give any credence to a suspect's story nor should a plausible explanation in any sense require the officer to forego arrest pending further investigation if the facts as initially discovered provide probable cause.). 28 In the § 1983 context, the question of whether probable cause existed is left for the jury, unless there is only one reasonable determination possible. Pyles, 60 F.3d at 1215; see also Fridley, 291 F.3d at 872; Klein, 275 F.3d at 550; Gardenhire, 205 F.3d at 315. 29
30 Crockett and Greene were arrested for the offense of complicity in a first degree rape. Under Kentucky law, first degree rape of persons capable of consent is defined as sexual intercourse with another person by forcible compulsion. KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 510.040(1)(a) (Banks-Baldwin 2002). Kentucky Revised Statute § 502.020 provides two separate and distinct theories under which a person may be an accomplice to a crime: `complicity to the act' under subsection (1) of the statute, which applies when the principal actor's conduct constitutes the criminal offense, and `complicity to the result' under subsection (2) of the statute, which applies when the result of the principal's conduct constitutes the criminal offense. Tharp v. Commonwealth, 40 S.W.3d 356, 360 (Ky. 2001); see also KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 502.020(1) & (2) (Banks-Baldwin 2002). 31 This case implicates the complicity to the act prong of accomplice liability, and not the complicity to the result prong. As the Kentucky Supreme Court made clear in Tharp, complicity to the act applies when the principal actor's conduct constitutes the criminal offense. 40 S.W.3d at 360. Under the allegations here, Bostic, by holding Doe down, and Shannon, by raping her, intentionally engaged in conduct that constitutes a criminal offense. Thus, if Crockett and Greene were accomplices, their liability would be premised directly on Shannon and Bostic's conduct. There is no basis for applying the complicity to the result prong here. Under Kentucky law, complicity to the result occurs when an unintended consequence of a person's actions constitutes a criminal offense. See Ky.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 502.020 cmt.; see also Tharp, 40 S.W.3d at 360-61. Because there were no unintended consequences associated with the rape and facilitation of the rape here, there could be no basis for holding Crockett and Greene liable under a complicity in the result theory. 32 Accomplice liability for rape under complicity to the act prong, requires proof that the defendant engaged in one of three forms of conduct: (a) the solicitation, command, or conspiracy with another person to commit rape; (b) the aiding, counseling, or attempt to aid such person in planning or committing the rape; or (c) the failure to make a proper effort to prevent the rape where the person has the legal duty to prevent the rape. See KY.REV.STAT. ANN. §§ 502.020(1) & 510.040(1)(a) (Banks-Baldwin 2002). Additionally, complicity to the act accomplice liability, unlike complicity in the result liability, requires specific intent. Compare KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 502.020(1) (requiring action with the intention of promoting or facilitating the commission of the offense), and KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 502.020 cmt. (To be guilty under subsection (1) for a crime committed by another, a defendant must have specifically intended to promote or facilitate the commission of that offense.), with KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 502.020(2) (requiring only action with the kind of culpability with respect to the result that is sufficient for the commission of the offense). A person acts with the intentional mental state under Kentucky law, when his conscious objective is to cause that result or to engage in that conduct. KY.REV.STAT. ANN. § 501.020(1). 33 Of course, [p]robable cause does not require the same type of specific evidence of each element of the offense as would be needed to support a conviction. Adams v. Williams, 407 U.S. 143, 149, 92 S.Ct. 1921, 32 L.Ed.2d 612 (1972). In order to have probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene, Hamlin reasonably had to believe that plaintiffs aided, counseled, or attempted to aid Shannon and Bostic in planning or committing the rape and that plaintiffs specifically intended to promote or facilitate the commission of the rape. 34
35 We must evaluate whether Hamlin properly concluded that there was probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene for complicity to commit rape at the time the arrest warrants were drafted. At this time, Hamlin had conducted several hours of investigation in which he personally interviewed the alleged victim, Doe, and an eyewitness, Roe. Hamlin had reviewed their versions of the events that had taken place earlier that evening numerous times. Hamlin also relied on reports from Cumberland officials. In addition, Hamlin consulted with the County Attorney, Kersey, who had himself interviewed Doe and Roe and who eventually drafted the affidavit that Hamlin signed. Hamlin had not interviewed Crockett or Greene; nor had Hamlin interviewed the others present in Bostic's dorm room at the time of the alleged rape. Hamlin also did not have the benefit of the written statements of Doe, Roe, Crockett or Greene, which were drafted later that night. 36 Hamlin's reliance on the statements of the victim and an eyewitness alone may be sufficient to establish probable cause. See Ahlers, 188 F.3d at 370 (An eyewitness identification will constitute sufficient probable cause `unless, at the time of the arrest, there is an apparent reason for the officer to believe that the eyewitness `was lying ... [in]accurate ... or ... mistaken.''). Hamlin relied on both Roe's and Doe's description of the events. Notably, in interviewing Roe about Doe's alleged rape, Hamlin learned that Crockett and Greene had prevented Roe from approaching Doe even though Roe struggled to free herself and told them that Doe was no longer laughing. Hamlin also relied on Doe's repeated statement to him: I can't believe DuShon [Greene] and Torre [Crockett]. They were my friends; they were my friends. In addition to the statements of Doe and Roe in making the determination that probable cause existed, Hamlin relied on the advice of County Attorney Kersey and Kersey's understanding of what Doe and Roe claimed happened. 37 Based on this information, Hamlin reasonably believed that Crockett and Greene aided, counseled, or attempted to aid Shannon and Bostic in planning or committing the rape and that plaintiffs possessed the specific intent to promote or facilitate the commission of the rape. Hamlin was not required to interview Crockett or Greene. Once probable cause is established, as it was here, an officer is under no duty to investigate further or to look for additional evidence which may exculpate the accused. Ahlers, 188 F.3d at 371. 38 Certainly Hamlin's conclusion that Crockett and Greene possessed the requisite mental state was not mandated by the information available to him. It is possible to infer that in restraining Roe, Crockett and Greene did not intend to aid Shannon and Bostic — especially with the benefit of hindsight. For example, Hamlin knew that the alleged rape was not obvious to everyone in the room because Roe did not learn of the alleged rape until she and Doe had left the dorm room. However, we must address only whether Hamlin's conclusion was permissible under the circumstances. We find that it was. From the information available to Hamlin, it is certainly possible to infer that Crockett and Greene intended to aid the alleged rape. They had opportunities to plan with Shannon and Bostic to assist the alleged rape. They also could have known more about Shannon and Bostic's intentions than Roe did. In sum, the facts available to Hamlin were sufficient to give rise to the conclusion that there was a reasonable probability that the plaintiffs had committed the offense of complicity to commit rape. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, no reasonable jury could find that Hamlin had lacked probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene. Because there was probable cause for their arrest, Crockett and Greene cannot satisfy the first prong of the qualified immunity analysis: that Hamlin violated their constitutional right not to be arrested without probable cause. 39 B. Whether a Reasonable Officer Would Believe that Officer Hamlin Had Violated Crockett and Greene's Clearly Established Constitutional Rights 40 Even assuming that probable cause did not exist for the arrests of Crockett and Greene, Hamlin would be entitled to qualified immunity unless a reasonable officer would know that Hamlin's alleged conduct violated a clearly established federal right. Anderson, 483 U.S. at 640, 107 S.Ct. 3034; Noble v. Schmitt, 87 F.3d 157, 161 (6th Cir.1996). Where clearly established law is violated, qualified immunity is inappropriate because a reasonably competent public official should know the law governing his conduct. Harlow, 457 U.S. at 818-19, 102 S.Ct. 2727. 41 Whether the right at issue was clearly established will turn on the particularized circumstances of the case. Anderson, 483 U.S. at 640, 107 S.Ct. 3034; Centanni v. Eight Unknown Officers, 15 F.3d 587, 589-90, 592 (6th Cir.1994). The Supreme Court has limited the application of the clearly established law requirement, by explaining that: 42 The contours of the right must be sufficiently clear that a reasonable official would understand that what he is doing violates that right. This is not to say that an official action is protected by qualified immunity unless the very action in question has previously been held unlawful ... but it is to say that in the light of pre-existing law the unlawfulness must be apparent. 43 Anderson, 483 U.S. at 640, 107 S.Ct. 3034. Thus, our inquiry must focus on whether a reasonable officer would believe, as Hamlin did, that, based upon the statements of Doe and Roe and the advice of Kersey, probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene for complicity to commit rape existed. We find that a reasonable officer would possess such a belief. At the broadest level, [i]t is clearly established that an arrest without probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment. Donovan, 105 F.3d at 297-98. Further particularizing the contours of the Fourth Amendment right as we are required to do by Anderson, it is clearly established that reliance on the account of an eyewitness is sufficient to established probable cause. Ahlers, 188 F.3d at 370. Hamlin's reliance on the advice of an attorney further supports the reasonableness of Hamlin's belief that probable cause existed. Ultimately, the arrest was sanctioned by a judge who agreed that probable cause existed and issued an arrest warrant based on Hamlin and Kersey's affidavit. 44 The warrant application drafted by Kersey and signed by Hamlin, although minimal, was not barren of indicia of probable cause. Only where the warrant application is so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render official belief in its existence unreasonable ... will the shield of qualified immunity be lost. Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335, 344-45, 106 S.Ct. 1092, 89 L.Ed.2d 271 (1986). There is no evidence that Hamlin or Kersey knowingly made material misstatements in the arrest warrant application. See Hill v. McIntyre, 884 F.2d 271, 275 (6th Cir.1989) (An action under § 1983 does lie against an officer who obtains an invalid search warrant by making, in his affidavit, material false statements either knowingly or in reckless disregard for the truth.); Hutsell v. Sayre, 5 F.3d 996, 1003 (6th Cir.1993); see also Ahlers, 188 F.3d at 371 (noting that police officers may not make hasty, unsubstantiated arrests with impunity). Moreover, the fact that Crockett and Greene were never indicted for the crime of arrest does not invalidate Hamlin's finding that probable cause to arrest them existed. See Stone v. Powell, 428 U.S. 465, 540-41, 96 S.Ct. 3037, 49 L.Ed.2d 1067 (citing Pierson, 386 U.S. at 555, 87 S.Ct. 1213; Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974)). 45 Hamlin conducted a sufficient investigation by personally interviewing Doe and Roe and relying on the advice of Kersey. From this investigation Hamlin was able to properly determine that probable cause to arrest Crockett and Greene existed. Later, in ordering the arrest, Hamlin relied upon the judicially-approved warrant. Accordingly, Hamlin is entitled to qualified immunity for his conduct in arresting Crockett and Greene.