97 results for 'cat:"Drug Offender" AND cat:"Firearms"'.
Per curiam, the circuit finds the district court improperly convicted defendant by guilty plea for being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm. Police were dispatched in response to a report of a fight involving a firearm. During a search of the residence, officers found multiple stashes of marijuana, as well as multiple firearms. Defendant was mirandized but agreed to talk with an ATF agent. Defendant admitted to firearm possession and drug use, though he had a medical marijuana card from New Mexico. The court erroneously invoked historical laws disarming dangerous groups to uphold the facial constitutionality of its cited statute, while it also relied on several cases but did not scrutinize the analysis done by the courts. Vacated.
Court: 5th Circuit, Judge: Per curiam, Filed On: May 15, 2024, Case #: 23-50525, Categories: Constitution, drug Offender, firearms
J. Johnson finds that the trial court should not have granted defendant's motion to suppress evidence related to possession of drugs. In this case, the police officers had reasonable suspicion to stop defendant based on his suspicious behavior of attempting to hide from officers, with a bulge in his waistband, while at a parade. Further, the officers were not required to determine whether defendant had a concealed permit for his gun because concealed firearms are not permitted on a parade route. Reversed.
Court: Louisiana Court Of Appeal, Judge: Johnson, Filed On: May 10, 2024, Case #: 2024-K-0158, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Hoffman finds that defendant's conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm did not violate his Second Amendment rights. The law is related to the government's reasonable goal of keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. Meanwhile, the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to suppress because the affidavit used to secure a search warrant included specific information about the property provided by a reliable informant and was also based on surveillance of the property. Affirmed.
Court: Ohio Court Of Appeals, Judge: Hoffman, Filed On: May 6, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1827, Categories: Constitution, drug Offender, firearms
J. Corrigan finds that the trial court should have suppressed the methamphetamine and revolver police found in defendant's car as the products of an unlawful search. His presence in a high crime area at night, ducking out of sight, fiddling with his shoes and refusing to acknowledge police officers are factors that police are not required to ignore. But they were not acts of outright evasion and did not combine to support an articulable and reasonable suspicion that he was involved in illegal conduct. Reversed.
Court: California Supreme Court, Judge: Corrigan, Filed On: May 2, 2024, Case #: S267522, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
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J. Chehardy finds that defendant was properly convicted of possession of a firearm while in possession of marijuana. In this case, defendant acknowledged ownership of the car, the gun found underneath the driver’s seat, and the marijuana. The state was not required to establish a nexus between defendant’s simultaneous possession of the gun and drugs. Also, both the gun and drugs were within defendant’s reach and were in defendant’s control at the time of the stop. Affirmed.
Court: Louisiana Court Of Appeal, Judge: Chehardy, Filed On: April 24, 2024, Case #: 23-KA-446, Categories: drug Offender, firearms
J. Stras finds a lower court properly charged a defendant with possession of a firearm while under the influence of drugs and for shooting his drug dealer. The defendant argued that his conviction should be tossed out based on his Second Amendment right to carry a firearm. However, the government sufficiently showed in court that his constitutional rights do not provide him relief based on his past drug use and history of violence. Affirmed.
Court: 8th Circuit, Judge: Stras, Filed On: April 17, 2024, Case #: 23-1114, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Assault
J. Thyer finds the trial court properly convicted defendant for trafficking fentanyl, theft, and other drug and firearms charges. Following a traffic stop, dashcam video shows defendant was acting nervously when asked about potential illegal items that might be in the vehicle. Sufficient evidence shows that though defendant was not seen in actual or constructive possession of drugs found in her daughter’s shorts, she admitted to constructive possession. Affirmed.
Court: Arkansas Court Of Appeals, Judge: Thyer , Filed On: April 17, 2024, Case #: CR-23-562, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Zachary finds that the trial court properly declined to suppress evidence discovered in defendant's vehicle based on a tip that a handgun had been observed in plain view of a Dodge Charger parked near various nightclubs because the fact that industrial hemp has been legalized did not diminish the significance of the contention that police detected the odor of marijuana while approaching the vehicle. Affirmed.
Court: North Carolina Court of Appeals, Judge: Zachary, Filed On: April 16, 2024, Case #: COA23-568, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Wilkinson finds the lower court properly convicted the defendant of various crimes related to drug trafficking, including two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. While executing a search warrant of the defendant's apartment, police found a noteworthy collection of drugs and drug paraphernalia: copious quantities of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, in addition to packaging supplies, cutting materials, scales, sifters and blending equipment to go along with six firearms. The defendant disputes a section of jury instructions on the firearm charges, claiming the instruction that he is guilty of using the gun in furtherance if the distribution of drugs and the common sense recognition that drug dealing is a dangerous and violent enterprise may support an inference that the defendant’s possession of a firearm was to facilitate drug dealing. There is no false legal premise in these instructions as the jurors were told that the dangerous and violent nature of drug dealing was “a common sense recognition.” But the jurors were then advised that the province of common sense was fully their own. Affirmed.
Court: 4th Circuit, Judge: Wilkinson, Filed On: April 10, 2024, Case #: 23-4222, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Jury Instructions
[Consolidated.] J. Nalbandian finds the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to suppress evidence of drugs and a loaded gun found during the search of his girlfriend's car. He failed to establish an expectation of privacy when he was detained in the passenger seat of her car. Defendant did not own and was not driving the vehicle at the time of his arrest, and actually told the officers several times he was not driving prior to the search, all of which prevented him from proving he had control over the vehicle. Affirmed.
Court: 6th Circuit, Judge: Nalbandian, Filed On: April 10, 2024, Case #: 22-1432, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Stone finds that defendant was properly convicted of possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and illegal carrying of weapons while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. In this case, the police properly stopped defendant as he was walking into a gas station convenience store because the officers observed him with an assault rifle in his pant leg. Further, there were recent robberies in the area and a concern that defendant was committing a robbery. Affirmed.
Court: Louisiana Court Of Appeal, Judge: Stone, Filed On: April 10, 2024, Case #: 55,581-KA, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Thompson finds that defendant was properly resentenced to the same maximum sentences on each of his five counts related to drug and gun convictions. The sentences are within the statutory range, and the record shows that defendant had a long and continued history of criminal activity and convictions spanning over 30 years. Further, defendant was arrested for the charges he is currently appealing while he was already on parole. Affirmed.
Court: Louisiana Court Of Appeal, Judge: Thompson , Filed On: April 10, 2024, Case #: 55,592-KA, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Sentencing
J. Riedmann finds the district court properly convicted defendant for simultaneous firearm and drug possession. Drug task force officers discovered the items in defendant's apartment during a warranted search. Defendant sought to challenge the conviction on speedy trial grounds, though she has acknowledged the continuance time period was properly excluded. Her claims of ineffective assistance based on her counsel's having caused that error are without merit. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Riedmann , Filed On: April 2, 2024, Case #: A-23-475, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Speedy Trial
J. Smith finds a lower court properly denied a defendant's motion to suppress evidence located in his vehicle during a traffic stop for equipment violations. The defendant argued that authorities improperly obtained a warrant to search his residence, which resulted in the discovery of cash, cocaine, and a loaded firearm. However, the government sufficiently showed in court that police officers were entitled to enter his home after he called an associate from his cell phone while sitting in the back of a patrol car and directed him to hide his drugs, which was captured on a dash cam. Affirmed.
Court: 8th Circuit, Judge: Smith, Filed On: March 28, 2024, Case #: 23-1412, Categories: drug Offender, Evidence, firearms
J. Brunner finds the trial court made all required findings before it imposed consecutive sentences for defendant's convictions on drug and gun charges, including a recitation of his extensive criminal history that involved 36 arrests and his refusal to accept responsibility for his conduct. Furthermore, the consecutive sentences were necessary to protect the public from future harm. Affirmed.
Court: Ohio Supreme Court, Judge: Brunner, Filed On: March 27, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1083, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Sentencing
J. Smith finds the district court properly convicted defendant for charges related to an armed robbery of a drug house, during which three people were non-fatally shot. Defendant says the court improperly accepted his plea, with the sentencing report cross-referencing attempted murder. The court properly accepted the plea and sufficiently explained its sentencing calculation. However, the attempted-murder cross-reference without considering questions of self-defense is clear error. Affirmed in part.
Court: 5th Circuit, Judge: Smith , Filed On: March 21, 2024, Case #: 23-30149, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Sentencing
J. Bishop finds the trial court properly convicted defendant for firearm possession, theft and fleeing based on sufficient evidence. After the officer made contact with defendant for having been parked on the side of the road for more than 24 hours, defendant was found to be in possession of marijuana, leading to his noncooperation when the officer tried to detain him. Defendant ran, stealing two vehicles during his attempt to elude the officer. He was eventually subdued, and multiple firearms were later found in his vehicle pursuant to a search warrant. Affirmed.
Court: Nebraska Court Of Appeals, Judge: Bishop , Filed On: March 19, 2024, Case #: A-23-065, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Escape
J. Pipkin finds that the trial court properly denied defendant's motion for a new trial on his convictions for firearm offenses, theft by receiving stolen property, dog fighting and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Sufficient evidence was presented to support defendant's drug and theft convictions. The trial court correctly denied defendant's motion to suppress evidence discovered during a search of his home. A trash pull performed by law enforcement was not improper. The seizure of firearms, body armor and bullets during the search of defendant's home was authorized because those items were found while police were searching for drugs and items used in the sale of marijuana. Affirmed.
Court: Georgia Court of Appeals, Judge: Pipkin, Filed On: March 15, 2024, Case #: A23A1412, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Pritzker finds that the lower court properly declined to suppress pills and a handgun discovered during a traffic stop in defendant's trial for drug and weapon possession. Officers possessed reasonable suspicion to ask defendant to empty his pockets because both the driver of the vehicle and defendant inconsistently answered police inquiries about their activities, and each of them had known connections to narcotics. Affirmed.
Court: New York Appellate Divisions, Judge: Pritzker, Filed On: February 29, 2024, Case #: 112813, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
J. Thompson finds that the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to suppress drug evidence found during a search of his residence by a parole officer while he was living with a parolee. In this case, the parole officer had the authority to conduct a visit with her parolee and observed the marijuana candy when she entered the home. However, the officer did not have the authority to search the entire home without a warrant, including defendant's bedroom and other areas, and the officer did not testify to having observed the firearms in plain view. Therefore, defendant's motion to suppress gun evidence should have been granted. Affirmed in part.
Court: Louisiana Court Of Appeal, Judge: Thompson, Filed On: February 28, 2024, Case #: 55,427-KW, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Search
Per curiam, the circuit finds the district court properly convicted defendant for drug trafficking. Though defendant admitted to having a gun at his residence when asked before he was Mirandized, the public safety questioning exception applies. The subject was also brought up in court by defendant even though the prosecution had not mentioned it. Affirmed.
Court: 5th Circuit, Judge: Per curiam, Filed On: February 26, 2024, Case #: 22-11007, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Miranda
J. Harris finds the trial court erred in only dismissing some of the charges remaining against defendant after a jury found him not guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon, which he was charged with after running from police officers investigating an area where shots had been heard. The trial court properly dismissed two other firearms charges against defendant, but it should have also dismissed charges of cocaine possession and resisting an officer without violence because of their close relation to all of the other charges stemming from the same acts. The case is remanded for the trial court to dismiss defendant's remaining charges. Reversed.
Court: Florida Courts Of Appeal, Judge: Harris, Filed On: February 23, 2024, Case #: 23-0221, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Resisting Arrest
J. Benton finds a lower court properly sentenced a defendant to 123 months in prison and three years probation for distributing cocaine. The defendant, who signed a plea agreement, argued that his sentence is unreasonable. However, the government presented sufficient evidence in court that it varied upward based on his criminal history and a previous arrest for possessing cocaine alongside a loaded firearm. Affirmed.
Court: 8th Circuit, Judge: Benton, Filed On: February 6, 2024, Case #: 23-1514, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Sentencing
J. Graves finds the district court properly sentenced defendant on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Defendant was on parole when, during an unemployed period, he relapsed into taking drugs and gambling. An acquaintance made during that time was approached by an ATF confidential informant, and the associate brokered a deal for the informant to purchase a firearm from defendant. Though defendant had retained employment, quit doing drugs and began spending more time with his family before his arrest, he has not shown how his prior years of drug dealing and gang participation were erroneously used as sentencing enhancements. Furthermore, defendant's sentence of 63 months in prison is within guidelines. Affirmed.
Court: 5th Circuit, Judge: Graves , Filed On: January 31, 2024, Case #: 23-10167, Categories: drug Offender, firearms, Sentencing
J. Lawrence finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant on drug-trafficking charges, as well as possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and criminal forfeiture of property. Contrary to defendant's argument on appeal, the state's "immunity statutes do not apply in this case." Affirmed.
Court: Maine Supreme Court, Judge: Lawrence, Filed On: January 30, 2024, Case #: 2024ME12, Categories: drug Offender, firearms
J. Colloton finds a lower court properly sentenced a defendant to 280 months in prison for possession of a firearm and meth, which police discovered in a boot under the seat of his vehicle. The defendant argued that the lower court erred in admitting testimony concerning his arrest and a conviction in 2016. However, the government sufficiently showed in court that the evidence presented was relevant and that the defendant knowingly used a firearm to traffic drugs. Affirmed.
Court: 8th Circuit, Judge: Colloton, Filed On: January 29, 2024, Case #: 22-3424, Categories: drug Offender, Evidence, firearms
J. Walker finds the lower court properly denied the defendant's motion to suppress evidence stemming from the execution of a search warrant. The police had probable cause to search his residence because an accomplice to his firearms and drug selling told them they would find a plethora of evidence at his house following a post-arrest interview. Affirmed.
Court: 4th Circuit, Judge: Walker, Filed On: January 25, 2024, Case #: 22-4088, Categories: drug Offender, Evidence, firearms