United States v. Mark A. McKinnellUnited States v. Mark A. McKinnell
This is an appeal from a conviction for using a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime,
I.
On July 5, 1987, Officer Patrick Hinkle of the Lenexa, Kansas, Police Department observed an automobile driving slowly through a residential neighborhood. Officer Hinkle radioed that vehicle’s license plate number to the police dispatcher, who informed him that there was an active arrest warrant for the car's owner, Mark A. McKinnell.
After Officer Hinkle stopped and approached the vehicle, he noticed that in the passenger compartment there was a large opaque plastic bag and a device, consisting of a tube connected to a bowl, that he recognized as being associated with the smoking of marijuana. Officer Hinkle arrested McKinnell, handcuffed him, and conducted a pat-down search that yielded eight small bags containing cocaine. The officer then returned to McKinnell’s vehicle and opened the white opaque plastic bag to find a quantity of cocaine and a roll of United States currency. Under the bag he found a loaded .41 magnum caliber revolver.
The Government indicted McKinnell on one count of using or carrying a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime in violation of
On March 28, 1988, McKinnell was tried in federal district court, and a jury returned a verdict of guilty on both counts of the superseding indictment. The court denied the defendant’s motion for a new trial and entered judgment against McKinnell. McKinnell appealed to this court.
II.
On appeal, McKinnell first contends that the trial court erred in failing to suppress evidence allegedly obtained in violation of his fourth amendment rights.
The fourth amendment to the United States Constitution protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures.”
McKinnell first argues that the exception to the warrant requirement relating to searches of automobiles incident to arrest does not apply here. Noting that “the scope of [a] search must be ‘strictly tied to and justified by’ the circumstances which rendered its initiation permissible,”
Belton,
In
Belton,
the Supreme Court made clear that the principles quoted in
Chimel
permit the police to search the passenger compartment of the automobile pursuant to a lawful custodial arrest of its occupant.
Id.
when a policeman has made a lawful custodial arrest of the occupant of an automobile, he may, as a contemporaneous incident of that arrest, search the passenger compartment of that automobile.
It follows from this conclusion that the police may also examine the contents of any containers found within the passenger compartment, for if the passenger compartment is within reach of the arres-tee, so also will containers in it be within his reach. Such a container may, of course, be searched whether it is open or closed, since the justification for the search is not that the arrestee has no privacy interest in the container, but that the lawful custodial arrest justifies the infringement of any privacy interest the arrestee may have.
Belton,
McKinnell was placed under lawful custodial arrest; therefore, the police were justified in searching the passenger compartment of his car and in seizing all the evidence obtained by means of that search. The police could also validly search the opaque bag found within the passenger compartment of his car.
McKinnell also attacks the inventory search of his car that occurred after im-poundment. He argues that the police cannot justify the search as a proper inventory search. In
South Dakota v. Opperman,
We need not decide whether the search of McKinnell’s car after its impoundment was a valid inventory search because we hold that this later search was valid on other grounds. As a general rule, a search incident to arrest is invalid if it “is remote in time or place from the arrest.”
Preston v. United States,
Here, the Lenexa police briefly searched the passenger compartment of McKinnell’s vehicle incident to a lawful arrest. The police found both a firearm and controlled substances. These valid discoveries gave the police probable cause to conduct an additional, thorough search of the defendant’s car. The police were justified in choosing to conduct this probable cause search at a later time in a protected and controlled environment. We hold that the trial court did not err in failing to suppress the evidence obtained in the searches of McKinnell’s car.
III.
McKinnell next contends that the trial court erred when it refused to dismiss count one of the superseding indictment— the count charging the defendant with using or carrying a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime — on the grounds of insufficient evidence. “Our standard for reviewing the sufficiency of evidence on criminal convictions is whether ‘[t]he evidence — both direct and circumstantial, together with the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom — is sufficient if, when taken in the light most favorable to the government, a reasonable jury could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.’ ”
United States v. Brandon,
Whoever, during and in relation to any crime of violence or drug trafficking crime (including a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime which provides for an enhanced punishment if committed by the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon or device) for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, uses or carries a firearm, shall, in addition to the punishment provided for such crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, be sentenced to imprisonment for five years....
Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute that substance is a valid predicate offense for
At oral argument, McKinnell also argued that the mere presence of his firearm under a shopping bag on the passenger’s seat next to him constituted insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction under
In their interpretation of the “uses” element of
IV.
McKinnell contends that his rights under the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, as amended in 1979,
The Speedy Trial Act establishes the applicable time limits for commencing trial in criminal cases.
United States v. Rojas-Contreras,
McKinnell first appeared on the original indictment on January 28, 1988 and appeared a second time for an omnibus hearing and arraignment on February 11, 1988. The grand jury returned the superseding indictment on February 24, 1988. McKin-nell appeared with counsel to address the superseding indictment on March 4, 1988. Trial commenced on March 28, 1988.
Based on these events, McKinnell contends that the thirty-day trial preparation period began to run on March 4 when he appeared on the superseding indictment. Because the trial commenced less than 30 days later, McKinnell contends that the trial court violated the clear language of
The Supreme Court addressed the relationship of superseding indictments to the provisions of the Speedy Trial Act in
Rojas-Contreras.
The Court rejected the argument that a superseding indictment begins a new thirty day period under
The statute clearly fixes the beginning point for the trial preparation period as the first appearance through counsel. It does not refer to the date of the indictment, much less to the date of any superseding indictment. Given this unambiguous language, we have no choice but to conclude that Congress did not intend that the 30-day trial preparation period begin to run from the date of filing of a superseding indictment.
Id.
at 234,
The Court emphasized, however, that it did not hold “that a defendant must always be compelled to go to trial less than 30
The Act itself places broad discretion in the District Court to grant a continuance when necessary to allow further preparation.Section 3161(h)(8) authorizes the trial judge to grant a continuance if “the ends of justice served by taking such action outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.” The authority of the District Court to grant an “ends of justice” continuance should take care of any case in which the Government seeks a superseding indictment which operates to prejudice a defendant.
Id. McKinnell did not seek an “ends of justice” continuance.
If, therefore, McKinnell has any right under the Speedy Trial Act to a dismissal, that right must derive from section 3162(a)(2), which governs the maximum time that may elapse between indictment and trial:
If a defendant is not brought to trial within the time limit required bysection 3161(c) as extended bysection 3161(h) , the information or indictment shall be dismissed on motion of the defendant. ... Failure of the defendant to move for dismissal prior to trial or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo conten-dere shall constitute a waiver of the right to dismissal under this section.
V.
McKinnell asserts that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence testimony that related to a prior criminal act by the defendant for the purpose of showing intent. We review the trial court’s decision under an abuse of discretion standard.
United States v. Record,
At trial, the Government introduced the testimony of a former undercover narcotics officer of the Overland Park, Kansas, Police Department. The witness testified that he had purchased cocaine from McKin-nell in an undercover transaction less than two months prior to McKinnell’s arrest in this case. The Government informed the trial court that it was offering the evidence in order to prove intent pursuant to
Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident.
We have long recognized the admissibility of previous wrongs and crimes in the context of narcotics violations, especially when the prior activity was close in time, highly probative, and similar to the activity with which the defendant is charged.
See Record,
VI. ‘
Finally, McKinnell argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a mistrial based upon improper rebuttal testimony. At trial, McKinnell testified that by the time of his arrest he had developed a voracious appetite for cocaine and that all the cocaine seized by the police was for his personal use. McKinnell stated that he had not sold and had no intention of selling the cocaine. As rebuttal testimony, the Government called a Lenexa police officer who had interviewed McKinnell while he was in custody. The officer testified that McKinnell told him that he sold cocaine to his friends. The officer also testified that McKinnell refused to supply the officer with the names of his customers, associates, or supplier. McKinnell moved for a mistrial based on the admission of this testimony.
McKinnell contends that the testimony contained alleged admissions obtained after he stated that he did not wish to speak with the police until he met with a lawyer. McKinnell argues that the police violated his rights under the fifth and fourteenth amendments to the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Const. amends. V, XIV, by continuing to question him without a lawyer.
See Miranda v. Arizona,
The Supreme Court has clearly held that evidence obtained in violation of a defendant's
Miranda
rights is not admissible as substantive evidence on the issue of a defendant’s guilt but may be admitted as impeachment evidence. “The shield provided by
Miranda
cannot be perverted into a license to use perjury by way of a defense, free from the risk of confrontation with prior inconsistent utterances.”
Harris v. New York,
McKinnell further contends that the part of the rebuttal testimony concerning his refusal to supply the police with names was improper because it referred to the silence that followed McKinnell’s invocation of his
Miranda
rights. We agree. The Supreme Court has made it clear that a defendant’s silence at the time of arrest and following the
Miranda
warnings may not be used for impeachment purposes.
See Doyle v. Ohio,
The Government counters that McKinnell merely stated that he did not want to answer the questions, not that he was invoking his right to remain silent. It was not necessary, however, that McKinnell continually reassert his rights. He had already stated that he wished to remain silent until he spoke with an attorney. The police could not reinitiate the interrogation and then comment at trial on McKinnell’s constitutional right to remain silent.
See Edwards,
Once we find a violation of a defendant’s constitutional rights, the conviction can stand only if we are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the error was harmless.
See Chapman v. California,
VII.
We hold that the trial court did not err in its refusal to suppress the evidence obtained in the searches of McKinnell’s automobile, that sufficient evidence existed to support McKinnell’s conviction on count one of the superseding indictment, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of prior criminal activity, and that McKinnell is not entitled to a reversal on the basis of any violation of his constitutional rights. We AFFIRM.
Notes
. The Belton Court noted that:
"Container” here denotes any object capable of holding another object. It thus includes closed or open glove compartments, consoles, or other receptacles located anywhere within the passenger compartment, as well as luggage, boxes, bags, clothing, and the like. Our holding encompasses only the interior of the passenger compartment of an automobile and does not encompass the trunk.
Belton,
. The court also noted that both the legislative history of the Speedy Trial Act and the contrasting language of