Opinion ID: 77991
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 406 Clay Street

Text: Local law enforcement made several attempts over the years to stop the activities observed in and around the Clay Street home. On March 18, 1998, the Mobile Police Department (MPD) executed a search warrant at the Clay Street home, and recovered crack cocaine, nine prescription pill bottles, assorted pills including valium and morphine, and drug paraphernalia. Several months later, following a controlled buy of morphine by a confidential informant at the Clay Street home, an MPD Officer executed a search warrant on October 1, 1998, and found a plethora of pills in a zippered bag in Lucious' bosom. Morphine pills, assorted paraphernalia, a pistol and crack cocaine were also found inside the home. Present during the second search were several Co-Defendants, but not Appellants. The MPD returned to the Clay Street home on December 29, 1999, to execute yet another warrant in search of prescription drugs. This time Westry was present. The officers found four unknown pills and several bottles of lortab and valium prescribed for Westry and Lucious. On May 22, 2001, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) returned to the Clay Street home to execute a search warrant following a controlled buy. Officers found two small baggies (one containing miscellaneous pills, one containing two small rocks), a glass pipe thrown out beside a bathroom window, a bag containing a pill bottle, U.S. currency, prescription bottles, glass smoking devices, and other miscellaneous pill bottles with assorted pills. The MCSO participated in another search at the Clay Street home on August 5, 2002. Money and pills were recovered, and Lucious was arrested. On September 27, 2002, MPD Narcotics Officer Patrick McKean made his first of several undercover drug purchases at the Clay Street home, wearing a concealed microphone and street clothes. Many of the ensuing drug transactions were captured on audiotape and were played to the jury. [4] He purchased two oxycontin pills from Defendant, Rose Westry (Rose), and returned approximately four hours later to purchase two more oxycontin pills from her. The following night, on September 28, 2002, Officer McKean returned to the Clay Street home and bought four oxycontin pills from Shannon Jones (Jones), Lucious' granddaughter, and a key witness for the government at trial. During that drug transaction, Leonard Westry (Leonard) was present. Two days later, on September 30, 2002, Officer McKean returned, buying two oxycontin pills from Rose. Again, on October 7, 2002, Officer McKean returned, buying three morphine tablets from Rose. On October 8, 2002, Officer McKean bought drugs from Jones, first at the Clay Street home and, after taking her in his car around the block to the 456 Maple Street home, he obtained more pills retrieved from that house. On the night of October 11, 2002, Officer McKean made an undercover buy from Woodyard, who flagged down the officer as he cruised through the neighborhood in his vehicle, after the officer had not found anyone at the Clay Street home. Woodyard offered to sell, and later Officer McKean purchased two oxycontin pills from Woodyard. During the transaction Woodyard yelled back at the Clay Street home to see if they had anything and was observed by McKean walking toward that house. Woodyard again flagged down Officer McKean on October 12, 2002, asking the officer if he had been served. When Officer McKean responded that no one was down there, Woodyard told the officer to hit the block and come back in a minute. When the officer returned, he saw Woodyard coming out of the front yard of the Clay Street home, and Woodyard told the officer he had two oxycontin pills. Officer McKean purchased three dilaudid pills from Rose on October 16, 2002 at the Clay Street home after she informed him she was out of oxycontin. He bought four methadone pills and one morphine pill from Jones after picking her up at the Clay Street home on October 22, 2002. After the sale, Woodyard stopped the officer and asked him if they took care of [him] or if [he] got served. The officer responded that Shannon had taken care of him. Woodyard told the officer to return before nine, that Woodyard would be standing right there, and that the cost would be $30 apiece. On November 13, 2002, Officer McKean made contact with Rose outside the Clay Street home, was told to make the block, and upon his subsequent return, purchased two oxycontin tablets and crack cocaine. He observed her coming and going from the yard at the Clay Street home. The next day, November 14, Officer McKean purchased an oxycontin pill from Jones and two oxycontin pills from Rose. Rose was also able to obtain crack cocaine from Defendant, Ashir Zuniga (Zuniga), who was also in the yard. Zuniga was married to Defendant, Christina Marie Hogue (Hogue), and the latter also testified for the government at trial, following a written plea agreement with the government. Officer McKean returned on November 18, 2002, purchasing one oxycontin pill from Rose. Rose refused to discount the purchase price, as suggested by the officer, to cover reimbursement for a prior deal where the officer had overpaid her, indicating the drugs were not hers to discount. Rose, as well as Jones, would obtain drugs from others to sell to Officer McKean whenever the women did not have them to sell. Officer McKean also bought oxycontin tablets from Rose on November 22 at the Clay Street home. MCSO Deputy Jason Powers went to the Clay Street home, including conducting drive-by surveillance, approximately eight to ten times. Every time he rode by, he observed one or more persons on the porch or in front of the residence; he would see females walking to the vehicles, spend maybe 10 to 15 seconds, turn around and walk back into the yard. In his role assisting with the pole camera, on November 22, 2002, Deputy Powers reported that a white male was observed leaving the Clay Street home. When approached by Deputy Powers, the subject threw down a matchbox containing a morphine pill. Officer McKean made another undercover buy from Jones on December 13, 2002 at the Clay Street home. The same day, Princeton Westry and Tammy Perryman were arrested following participation by a confidential informant, who indicated Princeton Westry was associated with the Clay Street residence. On January 10, 2003, Officer McKean, accompanied by an informant, planned to buy drugs from Lucious inside the Clay Street home. Before he could enter, he was approached by Woodyard, who had two morphine tablets. Officer McKean requested four pills, and after receiving payment, Woodyard entered the Clay Street home and shortly thereafter returned with the other two pills. In April 2005, an MPD officer made undercover drug buys from the Clay Street home, capturing the transactions on video camera. The officer bought oxycontin from Defendant, Samuel Beckham (Beckham), at the Clay Street home on April 14, 20, and 25, 2005. Beckham, too, testified at the trial for the government. MPD Corporal Joseph Wolfe was assigned to the Street Level Interdiction and Drug Enforcement detail in 1999 as a Task Force Officer, and went to the Clay Street home, one of the MPD hot spots, nearly every day on drug-related calls. Beginning September 2002, Wolfe became personally involved in an investigation of the Clay Street home, in an attempt to curtail the drug activity that was going on there. Using confidential informants and undercover police officers, 23 undercover buys took place at the Clay Street home and the Boykin Towers apartment. In October 2003, following execution of a search warrant, arrests on state charges, [5] and renewed drug activity after the individuals hit the streets again, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was contacted and opened an investigation. Officer Wolfe was assigned to the DEA as a Task Force Officer. The DEA orchestrated a series of undercover buys from December 2004 to April 2005. In June 2005, following more undercover transactions, law enforcement returned to the Clay Street home, executing search warrants and federal arrest warrants. Drug evidence, including hydrocodone, oxycodone and drug paraphernalia were recovered. Police also recovered a loaded Rossi .38 caliber revolver that had been reported stolen.