Opinion ID: 174627
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence Presented at the Suppression Hearing

Text: The district court held hearings on the motion on April 26, 2007 and May 1, 2007. The government offered the testimony of two of the arresting officers, Kenneth Grubbs and Brian Stewart, as well as certain documentary evidence described below. Kimber did not testify.
Grubbs testified that at the time of the arrest in November 2006, the Alms Hill Apartments were owned by Downtown Property Management (“DPM”), a private entity, but acknowledged that he was “aware that the building ha[d] changed ownership three times since 2005.” Grubbs explained that when property owners “have problems with people trespassing on their property,” they place what is known as a “trespass letter” on file with the Cincinnati Police Department authorizing the police to “act as their agent[s] whenever [they] come onto their property.” The government placed into evidence a trespass letter signed by the manager of DPM reading, in relevant part: I, Kera Raminemi, being the owner or person in control of the premises located at 2525 Victory Parkway in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, do hereby name all sworn members of the Police Department as my agents for the limited purpose of enforcing criminal trespassing laws on the above property, which includes the land[,] all buildings and structures, walkways and parking lots. I agree to have prominently displayed on my property, signs notifying persons of my restrictions imposed upon entry onto my property. I hereby authorize any member of the Police Department to warn a person found to be in violation of the sign to leave the property. Any person who ignores said warning, or returns to the property -3- No. 07-4060 United States v. Kimber without proper permission, shall be subject to arrest by members of the Police Dept. with my permission and full support. . . .3 This authorization shall remain in effect until a written notice of revocation is provided. Grubbs testified that this letter “reflect[s] the most accurate correspondence from [DPM] to the Cincinnati Police Department.” However, as the court noted, the letter was dated January 31, 2007 – over two months after Kimber’s arrest. On cross-examination, Grubbs testified as follows: Q. Ha[d] there been any previous letters? A. From what I recall, yes, there ha[d] been. I personally don’t keep them in my possession. We have – well, they have a cop team, they call them cop team officers, who basically keep these letters on file in their office. Q. But you would not know if you had permission to be on the property on November 11th? A. I do. I am aware that I knew that we had permission to be on that property that particular day. Q. But this is not evidenced by this letter? A. By the date of this letter, it does not go back to the November date. Q. Okay. Now – THE COURT: Let me ask a question. Maybe I’m anticipating. Was there a letter that covered . . . November 11th, 2006? 3 There is no evidence in the record that any such sign was posted at the Alms Hill Apartments. Kimber argues that the posting of such a sign was a condition precedent to the grant of permission to enter the property, and that the alleged failure to post a sign thus rendered any trespass letter inoperative. He cites no legal authority for this argument, however, and in any event, he did not make it before the district court, so it is waived. -4- No. 07-4060 United States v. Kimber THE WITNESS: I am aware that, yes, there was a letter on file at the time, yes. THE COURT: And where is that letter? Why is this letter being offered then? Where’s the letter that covers the period? THE WITNESS: Well, I do know that periodically what our cop team officers do is they will go back to properties and businesses and basically renew a letter. I know that there have been problems, I’m aware of problems that have occurred over at the Hamilton County Courthouse where if a letter is older, that judges have not liked the letter being very old. They want an up-to-date letter. THE COURT: Well, we don’t have an up-to-date letter in this case, do we? THE WITNESS: Well, this letter – yes, it is dated after the date of the incident. THE COURT: So it is your word – are you aware, personally, that there was a letter in the file that covered this date of November 11th, ’06? THE WITNESS: I am aware of a letter. I can give you a little more explanation, if you would like. I’m also aware that security officers who are in charge of the property – the property has its own private security. I’ve been personally asked on numerous occasions within the last two years, I can go back, of them asking us to please come to the property, and they have a problem with trespassers.4 Stewart, meanwhile, testified as follows: A. The riffraff coming into the building was [a] problem, so we had a trespassing letter that was signed by the representative of the building to give us access to come in and arrest anyone who was there unlawfully. Q. Okay. Now, do you know if there was such a letter giving you permission to be there on file on November 11th, 2006? A. Yes, yes. 4 There is no evidence in the record that the private security company tasked with patrolling the building gave the officers open-ended permission to enter the property at will, or that the security company had the authority to grant such permission. -5- No. 07-4060 United States v. Kimber Q. Had you had any conversations with the private security element that also worked at that location? A. Yes. Q. Had they ever said anything to you about your presence at that location? A. That it was needed and they went on and gave us other information about other apartments in the building that were a problem. Subsequent to the hearing, but before the motion was decided, the government entered into the record a second trespass letter with materially identical operative language. This letter was dated April 15, 2004 – approximately two years and seven months before Kimber’s arrest. The letter identified the relevant property as the Alms Hill Apartments and was signed by “Candice Ratcliff.” It did not mention DPM and listed a different contact address and telephone number from the trespass letter from DPM.
Regarding the officers’ manner of entry, Grubbs testified: Q. And can you tell Your Honor how [the back door of the Alms Hill Apartments through which the officers entered] can be accessed? A. At the particular date and time, I would say about a week, a week prior to this particular night or so, myself and officers doing basically the same thing, trying to investigate the trespass complaints and complaints of drug activity, we were actually shown by an individual. We were trying to get in the door. It was locked and an individual came up and said here’s how you get in the door. And that individual turned and kicked the door at the bottom and then pulled the door open. Q. And were you able to access it without any kind of security card? A. Yes. -6- No. 07-4060 United States v. Kimber Meanwhile, Stewart testified that “[t]he door . . . is supposed to be secure and you’re supposed to use a pass card to gain entry through that door, [but f]or some odd reason, you can yank the door and it will open.”
Kimber entered into evidence sworn state-court complaints signed by Stewart that describe Kimber as residing at “2525 Victory Pkwy Apt 1008” – the address of the Alms Hill Apartments – as well as an Ohio non-driver identification card issued on June 12, 2006 identifying Kimber’s address as “2525 Victory Pkwy.”5 Grubbs testified that he himself never inquired as to Kimber’s residence, but that it “was . . . determined” through unspecified means that Kimber did not live at the Alms Hill Apartments, although his aunt did. Meanwhile, Stewart testified that at the scene, “Mr. Kimber, himself, verbally” gave 2525 Victory Parkway as his address, although Stewart said that Kimber did not give this information to him at that time; rather, he “th[ought Kimber] gave it to Officer Grubbs.” Stewart further testified that during an interview at the station-house, Kimber said that “he goes in and out of 2525 Victory, but he doesn’t live there.”6 5 To obtain an Ohio non-driver identification card, an applicant must present documents sufficient to establish the person’s “resident street address.” Ohio Department of Public Safety - Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Acceptable Documents List, http://publicsafety.ohio.gov /links/bmv2424.pdf (last accessed July 22, 2010). 6 While it is not competent “evidence,” Kimber’s sister gave an unsworn statement at Kimber’s sentencing hearing that he had lived at the Alms Hill Apartments for a year or more and that she had visited him there often. -7- No. 07-4060 United States v. Kimber