Opinion ID: 784276
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Events of April 18, 1999

Text: 3 John Luellen was Chief Inspector for the East Chicago Fire Department (ECFD) in April 1999; Mr. Luellen also was a supporter of Stephen Stiglich, a mayoral candidate who was challenging incumbent Robert Pastrick in the May 1999 East Chicago Democratic primary. 4 On April 18, 1999, Mr. Luellen picked up his girlfriend, Yvette Millender, who was attending a house party for local political candidates at the home of Lilly Branford-Brown. When Mr. Luellen arrived, there were only about five people left at the party. He stayed there for about fifteen minutes. 5 That evening, a confidential informant (CI) called the East Chicago Police Department (ECPD) and informed Lieutenant Ricardo Chavarria that Mr. Luellen was at a house party and he was getting people's absentee ballots. Chavarria Dep. (8/14/01) at 22. The CI named and described Mr. Luellen, his city-owned vehicle and the bag in which the ballots were placed. See id. at 38 & Ex.1. Lt. Chavarria had known the CI for several years and considered the CI to be reliable. 6 Lt. Chavarria contacted ECPD Chief, Frank Alcala, at home and related the information received from the informant. Chief Alcala referred Lt. Chavarria to Thomas Ryan, the ECPD's legal counsel who could better advise Lt. Chavarria concerning the legality of Mr. Luellen's actions. In a series of conversations, Ryan told Lt. Chavarria that he believed that the police had enough information to search Mr. Luellen's vehicle based on the mobile conveyance exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment. However, in order to escape inevitable criticism, Ryan also advised Lt. Chavarria to determine whether the city had a policy regarding its vehicles and whether there was another key for the city vehicle in question. While Lt. Chavarria was tracking down this information on the city's policy, he left two other officers, Louis Arcuri and William Jansky, at Mr. Luellen's home to conduct surveillance. 7 Lt. Chavarria spoke to Howard Vanselow, the assistant chief in charge of maintenance for the ECFD, who also was the acting chief while ECFD Chief, James Dawson, was out of town. Asst. Chief Vanselow told Lt. Chavarria that he (Vanselow) could get a key to the vehicle. Asst. Chief Vanselow later met Lt. Chavarria with the key at Mr. Luellen's residence. 1 8 Before Lt. Chavarria searched the trunk, he knocked on Mr. Luellen's door, but there was no response. Asst. Chief Vanselow then knocked as well; Mr. Luellen eventually opened his second-floor window. When Asst. Chief Vanselow informed Mr. Luellen that the trunk of the vehicle was going to be opened, Mr. Luellen responded that he was going to get in touch with his lawyer. 2 9 Asst. Chief Vanselow then opened the trunk at Lt. Chavarria's request. Inside the trunk was a bag labeled Lake County Voters Registration Board, which contained both sealed and unsealed absentee ballots. Lt. Chavarria then informed Mr. Luellen that they were confiscating the bag. 10 At the station, the contents of the bag were inventoried, and the inventory revealed several completed absentee ballots and several applications for absentee ballots. On the morning of April 19, 1999, the evidence was turned over to the Lake County Sheriff's Department so that it could conduct a more thorough criminal investigation.