10
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF GUAM
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
11
12
20 COMES NOW Defendant GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., through Defendant’s counsel, THE
21 VANDEVELD LAW OFFICES, P.C., Mr. Curtis C. Van de veld, Esq., to move the court to suppress
22 all the evidence obtained by police in this matter on the grounds of illegal seizure of the
23 person of Defendant and that the evidence was obtained in violation of Defendant’s
24 constitutional rights. As remedy, Defendant asks the court to dismiss the charges and this
25 case.
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 1
Criminal Case No. CR 16-00014
MOTION TO SUPPRESS ALL EVIDENCE
2 STATEMENT OF FACTS
5 (b)(1)(A)(viii).] See Indictment. The charge is based upon an arrest of Defendant by Guam
6 Police Department (“GPD”) Officers after contact with Defendant initiated by GPD Officer
8 statements for Babauta’s initial contact with Defendant, but in Babauta’s report provided in
11 Palmridge Hotel (parking lot) in Barrigada, and while motoring towards the
12 end of the parking lot from Route 8, I observed the silhouette of a male
13 individual situated at the driver’s door area of the vehicle, later described as:
15 GLP:93/ MNG7801
17 parked at a stall located towards the middle of the parking lot. As I came closer
18 to the vehicle. I noticed the suspicious mail, shutting the driver’s door and
19 dodging towards the rear of the vehicle. While coming alongside the vehicle, I
20 noticed what appeared to be the driver’s window shattered, but still held in
22 check of the suspicious male who walked from the rear towards the front
23 passenger side of the vehicle. I met then met with the individual at the front
2 telltale signs of being under the influence of some type of substance. He was
3 very animated with his hands and made in voluntary hand movements. He had
4 a lot of draw movement and grinding his teeth. I informed him that I noticed
5 the driver’s window to the vehicle to be cracked and asked if he own the
6 vehicle. He stated yes. I asked if I could see some sort of identification, to which
7 he took out his Guam Driver’s License from his wallet. He is identified to be:
8 Gregorio B. Cruz Jr
9 M/Gua/DOB: (redacted)-68
11 Unemployed
12 I asked if he had ever been arrested before. He replied yes for possession. I
18 suspected drug ice inside a small “slit” pocket at the right side of his shorts. I
20 asked if I can see his vehicle registration, to which he open the front passenger
21 door to the vehicle taking out the registration from the glove box. I noticed the
23 glancing from the open front passenger door, I noticed the drivers window to
24 the vehicle wasn’t cracked. I noticed the window tint was instead crumbling in
25 peeling. I told Gregorio that I was detaining him and asked if I can handcuff him.
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 3
Criminal Case No. CR 16-00014
MOTION TO SUPPRESS ALL EVIDENCE
2 Miranda rights via card, to which she understood and waved. I asked him if he
3 had any other drugs or firearms in his vehicle. He replied no. I asked if I can
5 situated atop the front passenger seat, so I asked if Gregorio own the backpack.
6 He replied yes. I asked if I can search the backpack and its contents. He agreed.
7 During my search of the backpack. I took out a brown color zipper pouch and
8 another black zippered pouch, upon searching the zipper pouches. I located too
9 large zip lock baggies filled with a Crystalline substance of the suspected drug
10 ice. Fearing that Gregorio might have accomplices around the area, I suspended
13 and that I don’t know if anyone else might be around the area. He responded to
14 my location. …
15 Babauta has a history of claiming consent to search without witness and without any
16 written consent form papers to support a consent search. In several cases, courts have found
17 that Babauta was not truthful in his claim of having obtained consent.
18 Defendant states that he did not give consent to Babauta for any search.
19 LEGAL ARGUMENTS
2 government has the burden of proving that an exception to the warrant requirement
3 applies.” U.S. v. Edwards, 242 F.3d 928, 937 (10th Cir. 2001).
4
“The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments are implicated in this case because
5
stopping an automobile and detaining its occupants constitute a seizure within the meaning
6
of those amendments even though the purpose of the stop is limited and the resulting
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detention quite brief.” Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 663 (1979). “Temporary detention
8
9 of individuals during the stop of an automobile by the police, even if only for a brief period
10 and for a limited purpose, constitutes a seizure of persons within the meaning of this
11 provision (Fourth Amendment).” Whren and Brown v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 809-10
12 (1996). “A traffic stop is analogous to a Terry stop in that, following the initial stop, the
13 subsequent detention cannot be excessively intrusive and must be reasonably related in
14
time to the investigation.” United States v. Wellman, 185 F.3d 651, 656 (6th Cir. 1999).
15
The United States’ Supreme Court recently made unquestionably clear the duty to
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limit a seizure of a person without a warrant limited to the basis for the initial seizure and
17
not engage in general searches, saying,
18
[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
A seizure for a traffic violation justifies a police investigation of
19
that violation. “[A] relatively brief encounter,” a routine traffic stop is “more
20 analogous to a so-called ‘Terry stop’ ... than to a formal arrest.” Knowles v. Iowa,
525 U.S. 113, 117, 119 S.Ct. 484, 142 L.Ed.2d 492 (1998) (quoting Berkemer v.
21 McCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 439, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 82 L.Ed.2d 317 (1984), in turn
citing Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968)). See also
22 Arizona v. Johnson, 555 U.S. 323, 330, 129 S.Ct. 781, 172 L.Ed.2d 694 (2009).
Like a Terry stop, the tolerable duration of police inquiries in the traffic-stop
23 context is determined by the seizure’s “mission”—to address the traffic
violation that warranted the stop, Caballes, 543 U.S., at 407, 125 S.Ct. 834
24
and attend to related safety concerns, infra, at 1619 – 1620. See also United
25 States v. Sharpe, 470 U.S. 675, 685, 105 S.Ct. 1568, 84 L.Ed.2d 605 (1985);
Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491, 500, 103 S.Ct. 1319, 75 L.Ed.2d 229 (1983)
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 5
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MOTION TO SUPPRESS ALL EVIDENCE
20 The facts as stated by Officer Babauta, though the truthfulness of those assertions is
21 contested, demonstrate that no warrant existed at the time of the actions reported by Officer
23 warrant requirement exists. The facts asserted by Babauta, even if true indicate that
24
25 1
The Opinion in Rodriguez was decided and published before the events of this matter occurred.
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2 seizure of a person, even temporary in nature must have sufficient legal support. There was
3 no reasonable suspicion of criminal activity afoot that served as the basis for the stop of
4
Defendant by Babauta. All the observations reported by Babauta are completely consistent
5
with legal conduct. Only to support his wrongful behavior does Babauta refer to Defendant
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as “suspicious person.” As the initial seizure was wrongful, the evidence that flows from it is
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likewise wrongful.
8
Not only did Babauta lack a legal basis for the seizure of Defendant, his concocted
9
10 reasons fail to meet the standard of reasonable suspicion. Even it the court determines that
11 Babauta had reasonable suspicion, Babauta engaged in general search activity rather than
12 pursue an inquiry into his asserted appropriate investigation and instead began a general
13 search on the basis of hunches. This the United States’ Constitution does not allow.
14
The U.S. Supreme Court established the basic requirements for detaining a driver
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after a traffic stop in its decision in United States v. Brignoni-Ponce, (United States v.
16
Brignoni-Ponce, 422 U.S. 873 (1975)) … holding that any questioning must relate to the
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purpose of the vehicle stop, and in Florida v. Royer, (Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491 (1983))
18
… holding that the detention must be temporary and unintrusive.” U.S. v. Rojas-Milan, 234
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20 F.3d 464, 469-70 (9th Cir. 2000). In Illinois v. Caballes, while predicting the holding in U.S.
21 v. Rodriguez, supra, the court addressed the limits of a temporary stop saying,
22 “Here, the initial seizure of respondent when he was stopped on the highway was
based on probable cause, and was concededly lawful. It is nevertheless clear that a
23 seizure that is lawful at its inception can violate the Fourth Amendment if its
manner of execution unreasonably infringes interests protected by the
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Constitution. United States v. Jacobsen, 466 U.S. 109, 124 (1984). A seizure that is
25 justified solely by the interest of issuing a warning ticket to the driver can become
unlawful if it is prolonged beyond the time reasonably required to complete that
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 7
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8 Babauta never acted to investigate any grounds of his suspicion, if any, until after
9
having engaged in a general search. He didn’t ask for proof of identification or registration
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until after he engaged in a general search, which Babauta claims was based on consent.
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Babauta cannot be trusted in his assertions of being granted consent. Too many times,
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Officer Babauta has been the subject of numerous motions to suppress based on contests
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that he obtained consent to search by Defendants who assert that Babauta simply ignored
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15 their rights to protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Babauta’s lack of
25 prefer to refuse.” Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429, 438, 111 S. Ct. 2382, 115, L. E. 2d 389
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 8
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2 always bears the burden of proof to establish the existence of effective consent.” U.S. v. Reid,
3 226 F. 3d 1020, 1025 (9th Cir. 2000). “The question of whether consent to search is
4
voluntary and knowing is a question of fact could be determined from the totality of the
5
circumstances. … Moreover, the burden of establishing the validity of the consent is upon
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the government.” U.S. v. Abdullah, 162 F.3d 897, 902(6th Cir. 1998). “Because the
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government often asserts that a defendant consented in cases where police have some
8
9 evidence of illicit activity, but lack probable cause to arrest or search … We carefully
10 examine the government’s claim that a defendant consented. Moreover, we note that not
11 any type of consent will suffice, but instead, only consent that is, unequivocally, specifically,
12 and intelligently given, uncontaminated by any duress or coercion.” U.S. v. Worley, 193 F.3d
13 380, 386 (6th Cir. 1999). “Consent must be proved by clear and positive testimony, and, to
14
be voluntary, it must be unequivocal, specific, and intelligently given, uncontaminated by
15
any duress or coercion. … The defendant’s knowledge of his right to refuse to consent is a
16
factor, but the government need not prove that the defendant had such knowledge to
17
establish the consent was voluntary.” U.S. v. Ervin, 155 F.3d 818, 823 (6ht Cir. 1998). “This
18
court considers the following five factors in determining whether a person has freely
19
20 consented to a search: (1) whether the defendant was in custody2; (2) whether the arresting
21
22 2
Consistent with the higher authority of the United States’ Supreme Court, the Guam
23 Supreme Court has said in relation to seizure/detention by arrest,
A. Lawful Arrest.
24 1. Definition of “arrested”
25 [18] We first examine whether Cundiff was arrested at N. Perino St.. Guam
law defines an arrest as follows: “An arrest is made by an actual restraint of
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 9
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2
the person, or by submission to the custody of the person making the arrest.
3 The person arrested may be subjected to such restraint as is reasonable for
4 his arrest and detention.” 8 GCA § 20.10 (2005). Both Officer Atoigue and
Officer Ascura testified that Cundiff was not arrested until he was at the
5 police precinct, and they repeatedly characterized their control over
Cundiff as merely detention for questioning. The testimony they gave at the
6
suppression hearing, however, contradict their assertions.
7 a. “Actual restraint”
[19] Despite the officers’ testimony and belief that they had only detained
8 Cundiff, a review of their actions at North Perino Street shows that there
9 was “actual restraint” of Cundiff, as defined by 8 GCA § 20.10. Officer
Ascura testified that after “August ... was instructed to lay on the ground,
10 [Office Ascura] quickly replaced him in hand restraints (sic).”2 Tr. at 18
11 (Cont’d Mot. to Suppress, May 27, 2006). Similarly, Officer Atoigue testified
that when the man who came out of the bedroom of the North Perino Street
12 residence “said he was August,” then another officer “secured him in
handcuffs.” Tr. at 28 (Mot. to Suppress, May 26, 2006). The officers’
13
testimonies concur that Cundiff had been placed in handcuffs at the North
14 Perino Street residence. Their testimony reveals that Cundiff was actually
restrained and thus, was indeed arrested in accordance with the definition
15
set forth in 8 GCA § 20.10.
16 b. A person’s belief that he is “not free to leave”
*5 [20] As discussed above, physical restraint has been interpreted as an
17 arrest. Sibron v. New York, 392 U.S. 40 (1968). “When the policeman grabbed
18 [the suspect] by the collar,” [the officer] abruptly ‘seized’ him and curtailed
his freedom of movement....” Id. at 67. Testimony that Cundiff was not
19 under arrest is belied by the fact that he was handcuffed at North Perino
Street; this physical restraint of Cundiff “curtailed his freedom of
20
movement.” Id.
21 [21] An arrest may also occur even if police have not formally arrested the
person, or if there is no physical restraint. The United States Supreme Court
22
has long held that “[a] person has been ‘seized’ within the meaning of the
23 Fourth Amendment only if, in view of all of the circumstances surrounding
the incident, a reasonable person would have believed that he was not free
24 to leave.” United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 554 (1980).
25 [22] The facts of instant case parallel the facts in Dunaway v. New York, 442
U.S. 200 (1979), where police, without probable cause, took the defendant
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 10
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2
into custody, transported him to the police station and detained him for
3 interrogation. Id. at 216. The Court held that the police officers’ actions were
4 unconstitutional, and held that “detention for custodial interrogation-
regardless of its label-intrudes so severely on interests protected by the
5 Fourth Amendment ... [that such] trigger[s] the traditional safeguards
against illegal arrest.” Id .
6
[23] Here, Officers Atoigue and Ascura testified that Cundiff was not
7 arrested until he was at the police precinct. However, Officer Ascura
testified that once Cundiff was handcuffed, Cundiff was not free to leave.
8 See Tr. at 18 (Cont’d Mot. to Suppress). Officer Atoigue also testified that:
9 “Ever since [Cundiff] was secured and identified, he was not allowed to go
anywhere. He was detained.” Tr. at 17 (Mot to Suppress). It is undisputed
10 that Cundiff was placed in handcuffs, placed in a police vehicle, and
11 escorted to the police station, where he was interrogated by Officer
Atoigue. From the officers’ testimonies, a reasonable person in Cundiff’s
12 position would believe that he was not free to leave, either from the North
Perino Street residence or from the police station.
13
[24] We agree with the trial court that the arrest in this case occurred at the
14 moment Cundiff was physically restrained when placed in handcuffs at the
North Perino Street residence. The prosecutor even conceded this during
15
the hearing on the motion to suppress, stating that Cundiff “was basically
16 arrested because he was restrained.” Tr. at 37 (Cont’d Mot to Suppress). It is
undisputed that the officers did not obtain a warrant to arrest Cundiff.
17 2. Probable Cause
18 [25] Having determined that Cundiff was arrested at North Perino Street,
we must next examine whether there was probable cause to support the
19 arrest. Without probable cause, the officers’ conduct is unconstitutional. See
Dunaway, 442 U.S. 200.
20
*6 [26] It is undisputed that the police officers did not obtain a warrant to
21 arrest Cundiff. A search or seizure made without a warrant is per se
unreasonable unless it falls within the specifically established and well
22
delineated exceptions. Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 357 (1967). The
23 Court has articulated the following rule when examining the
constitutionality of the police officers’ search or arrest in a situation as here:
24 The constitutional validity of the search in this case, then, must depend
25 upon the constitutional validity of the [defendant’s] arrest. Whether that
arrest was constitutionally valid depends in turn upon whether, at the moment the
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2 defendant was told he had the right not consent; and (5) whether the defendant was told
3 that a search warrant could be obtained.” U.S. v. Cormier, 220 F.3d 1103, 1112 (9th Cir.
4
2001). “Consent by a defendant or a third party is tainted with the evidence indicates that it
5
stemmed from the prior illegal government action. … [W]here, as here, the police confront a
6
person with contraband that they have illegally found, the subsequent consent to search his
7
fruit of the government action.” U.S. v. Oaxaca, 233 F.3d 1154 (9th Cir. 2000).
8
3. Suppression is the only appropriate remedy.
9
10 “In order to make effective the fundamental constitutional guarantees of sanctity of the
11 home and in violability of the person … this Court held nearly half a century ago that evidence
12 seized during an unlawful search, could not constitute proof against the victim of the search. The
13 exclusionary prohibition extends as well to the indirect as the direct products of such invasions.”
14 Wong Sun v. U.S., 371 U.S. 471, 484, 83, S. Ct. 407, 9 L. Ed. 2d 441 (1963). “[T]estimony as to
15
matters observed during an unlawful invasion has been excluded in order to enforce the basic
16
17
18 arrest was made, the officers had probable cause to make it-whether at that moment
the facts and circumstances within their knowledge and of which they had
19
reasonably trustworthy information were sufficient to warrant a prudent man in
20 believing that the [defendant] had committed or was committing an offense.
Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 91 (1964) (emphasis added).
21
[27] Determining the existence of probable cause requires determining
22 whether officers had “reasonably trustworthy information.” We do not
believe, based on the evidence adduced at the suppression hearing, that the
23 People have satisfied its burden to prove that the officers had probable
24 cause to arrest Cundiff.
People v. Cundiff, 2006 Guam 12.
25
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THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, Plaintiff v. GREGORIO B. CRUZ, Jr., Defendant Page 12
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2 the doors of the federal courts to any use of evidence unconstitutionally obtained.” Wong Sun,
3 supra, at 485-86. “[T]he exclusionary rule also prohibits the introduction of derivative evidence,
4
both tangible and testimonial, that is the product of the primary evidence, or that is otherwise
5
acquired as an indirect result of the unlawful search, up to the point at which the connection with
6
the unlawful search becomes so attenuated as to dissipate the taint.” Murray v. U.S., 487 U.S.
7
533, 536-37, 108 S. Ct. 2529, 101 L. Ed. 2d 472 (1988).
8
CONCLISION
9
The evidence in this matter should be suppressed and the case dismissed.
10