Opinion ID: 768725
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Arrest Warrant Application, Arrest, and Initiation of Suit

Text: 12 Russo met with a prosecutor and reviewed the facts before the two of them sought a search warrant from Superior Court Judge Dilts. Through his responses to the questions of the prosecutor, Russo informed Judge Dilts that two witnesses had described the robber as a light skinned black male six-three to six-five. He did not tell him that Wilson's driver's abstract stated that he was 5'11, or that his criminal history report stated that he was 5'10. Russo also represented that he had created a photographic array as a result of the physical descriptions. This is contrary to what the record indicates, which is that those making the photo array had the photograph of Wilson, but were never told of the victims' descriptions of the robber. He told the judge that the owner of the florist shop unequivocally picked Wilson out of a photo lineup. He did not tell him that the other witness had failed to identify Wilson as the robber when shown the same photo array. Russo stated that an employee of a nearby dentist's office who recognized Wilson had seen him around three o'clock. He did not inform the judge that she had stated that she saw Wilson around 3:30, by which time the robber was already in the shop. 13 We also note that Russo answered the prosecutor's questions as if he had been there himself, suggesting that he had been the primary investigator and interviewer at the scene of the crime. He did not tell the judge that, in the photo array, Wilson looked ethnically different from the others. 2 Russo also did not inform the judge that height and weight were not indicated on the photo lineup. 14 On the basis of Russo's testimony, Judge Dilts issued a warrant of arrest and to search for evidence. Russo executed the warrant the evening of February 6. Wilson was incarcerated for a month, after which the Somerset Grand Jury refused to indict him. Thereafter, he brought this suit against Russo, Woroniecki, and the Franklin Township Police Department under 42 U.S.C. S 1983, alleging that his Fourth, Fourteenth, and Fifth Amendment rights were violated, as well as his rights under the New Jersey Constitution, and the New Jersey common law. The defendants moved for summary judgment, and the District Court granted the motion. 3 Wilson appealed.