Court Opinion

ID: 9463680
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:13:02.365329+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:13.664190
License: Public Domain

HEANEY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. In my judgment, the police did not have probable cause to break into the Easter home and arrest Joseph Easter without a warrant.
The Supreme Court has not yet decided “whether and under what circumstances an officer may enter a suspect’s home to make a warrantless arrest.” United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. 411, 418 n.6, 96 S.Ct. 820, 825 n.6, 46 L.Ed.2d 598 (1976). For the purpose of this dissent only, I assume that such a right exists under exigent circumstances. The question then is whether such circumstances were present here. Judge Harold Leventhal, in an exhaustive and scholarly opinion, Dorman v. United States, 140 U.S.App.D.C. 313, 435 F.2d 385 (1970), set forth the following factors which he considered relevant to that determination: (1) whether the offense involved violence; (2) whether the suspect was reasonably believed to be armed; (3) whether a clear, rather than a minimal, showing of probable cause to believe that the suspect committed the offense was made; (4) whether there was strong reason to believe that the suspect was in the premises being entered; (5) whether there was a likelihood that the suspect would escape if not swiftly apprehended; (6) whether the entry was peaceful rather than forcible; and (7) whether delay would be involved in seeking a warrant.
The most critical factor here is whether there was a clear showing of probable cause. In my judgment, probable cause was not shown unless we are prepared to ascribe reliability to everyone who claims to be a victim. This we cannot do unless we are to totally disregard the standard of reasonableness which has been the standard for determining if the Fourth Amendment has been violated.
The best discussion of the problem of the reliability of victims’ reports to the police is that set forth in Pendergrast v. United States, 135 U.S.App.D.C. 20, 416 F.2d 776, 785, cert. denied, 395 U.S. 926, 89 S.Ct. 1782, 23 L.Ed.2d 243 (1969). The Court there rejected an approach calling for the automatic acceptance of a victim’s complaint in favor of an approach which requires that the victim afford an officer credible *236grounds for believing that the offense was committed, and that there be an absence of circumstances materially impeaching the victim’s report. Here, the alleged victim, Victor, not only failed to reveal his full name and address to the police but also failed to disclose the circumstances of the alleged robbery. He even failed to state what had been taken from him. Nothing about his appearance or demeanor tended to support his accusation.1
Moreover, Victor’s report that the holdup took place in the middle of the day on a busy street corner and that the robbers drove directly to their home in a yellow Volkswagen and parked in front of their home is inherently unbelievable. Additionally, as this Court pointed out in United States v. Easter, 539 F.2d 663 (8th Cir. 1976), the record strongly suggests that Victor may have harbored animosity towards the defendant. These facts ought to have put the police on notice to not only question Victor more extensively but also to have questioned neighbors, who were out on their porches, before breaking into the Easter home.
Additionally, there is reason to doubt whether the police believed Victor or whether they took action for other reasons. They descended on the Easter house with several armed police officers and a helicopter gun ship. Upon entering the home, they first arrested Joseph Easter’s brother on a drug charge even though not a word about drugs had been spoken by Victor. Next, they thoroughly ransacked the bedroom in which Joseph Easter was found, an act which was unnecessary if their purpose was to arrest an armed robber.
Finally, there is no showing in this record that there was any reason why a warrant should not have been obtained. The police had the home surrounded, there was no danger of escape and the record does not indicate that contraband from the robbery was involved. Moreover, the record is devoid of evidence indicating a warrant could not have been promptly obtained.
In light of this record, no possible circumstances existed which justified the forcible entry into the Easter home and the defense motion to suppress should have been granted.

. In Pendergrast v. United States, 135 U.S.App.D.C. 20, 416 F.2d 776, cert. denied, 395 U.S. 926, 89 S.Ct. 1782, 23 L.Ed.2d 243 (1969), the victim’s bruised and bloody appearance corroborated his report of a beating and a robbery. In Trimble v. United States, 125 U.S.App.D.C. 173, 369 F.2d 950 (1966), the victim was seen pursuing two fleeing men and shouting for police assistance. In Nelson v. Moore, 470 F.2d 1192 (1st Cir. 1972), the rape victim’s story was corroborated by her physical appearance. In United States v. Anderson, 533 F.2d 1210 (D.C. Cir. 1976), the victim of an assault provided the officers with the full details of the circumstances surrounding the assault. In United States v. Traceski, 271 F.Supp. 883 (D.Conn.1967), the incident was reported by the President of the bank in which an unlawful act had been committed because another bank employee was in shock from the incident. McCreary v. Sigler, 406 F.2d 1264 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 395 U.S. 984, 89 S.Ct. 2149, 23 L.Ed.2d 773 (1969), and Coyne v. Watson, 282 F.Supp. 235 (S.D.Ohio 1967), aff’d, 392 F.2d 585 (6th Cir. 1968), cited by the majority, are cases in which the question of whether an affidavit in support of a search warrant was sufficient. Neither involved the victim of a crime.