Opinion ID: 2973350
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Arion Holton’s Testimony

Text: According to Holton’s testimony at the hearing, the officers did not simply enter the open front door on the first floor, but rather used Dillard’s keys, obtained during his arrest, to unlock the door and enter the apartment unannounced. While lying in bed, Holton heard voices in the living room. She got out of bed and found five or six officers in her dining room. The officers, with guns drawn, ordered her to put her hands in the air. One officer told her that she was going to jail for ten years, that she was going to have her baby in jail, and that the government would take her daughter. Another officer said that if Holton did not cooperate they would take her to jail, but if she signed a consent form they would leave her alone. An officer also told her that if she did not sign the consent form the officers would stay until they obtained a warrant. Seated at the dining room table and surrounded by several officers, Holton signed the consent form. Holton testified that she signed the form only to avoid being arrested. She also testified that she signed the form without reading it or having it read to her by the officers. Although she acknowledged making the written statement, she maintained that the officers ordered her to write the statement and told her specifically what to include. Holton denied ever having observed any drugs or drug activity in her apartment. She testified that she never smelled the odor of cocaine. She did not see any crack on the bar in the dining room or on top of the kitchen cabinet because she was sitting at the table and her back was turned away from the kitchen when the officers discovered the drugs. Although she was seated at the dining room table when she signed the consent form, Holton denies ever seeing the marijuana, scale, or plastic bags on the table.