Opinion ID: 811527
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Stanley’s Arrest

Text: On May 20, 2011, Officer George Eugene, a police officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department, was on routine patrol in Miami, Florida, in his marked police car. Officer Eugene observed Stanley holding the waistband of his shorts with his right hand, as Stanley walked in a grassy area alongside the road. As Officer Eugene’s police car approached, Stanley pulled a cell phone out of his left pocket, put it toward his ear, and began talking. Stanley continued to hold onto his waistband and, while driving by Stanley, Officer Eugene noticed a bulge in Stanley’s pants. In his police car, Officer Eugene pulled alongside Stanley and asked to speak to him. Stanley immediately began running, continuing to hold his waistband. Officer Eugene followed Stanley in his police car until Officer Eugene was forced to leave the car and pursue Stanley on foot. Officer Eugene saw Stanley run behind a house and jump over a chain-link fence into another 2 Case: 12-12414 Date Filed: 11/07/2012 Page: 3 of 9 backyard. Officer Eugene followed. Stanley then ran toward a wooden fence on the far side of the backyard and stood on an air-conditioning unit in order to climb the wooden fence. As Stanley climbed down on the other side of the wooden fence, Officer Eugene, who was now standing on the air conditioning unit, saw a gun and cell phone fall from Stanley’s person. After Stanley fell to the ground on the other side of the fence, Stanley continued running and tossed a gun magazine back toward the fence. Stanley then jumped over another fence and was attacked by two dogs. Officer Eugene helped Stanley back over that fence and arrested him. A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Stanley with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(e)(1). He pleaded not guilty and proceeded to trial.