Dad, who was owner of building, gave consent to search desk
Facts On June 25, 2020, law enforcement from the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call. A woman had emerged from the woods near the caller’s residence in distress, covered with bruises, cuts, and scratch marks. When law enforcement arrived at the residence, the woman said Jesse Lee Robinson had assaulted her. The […]
Police did not conduct a fourth amendment search of a tent when subject was trespassing
Facts Caleb Parkerson was sleeping in a tent under a San Antonio overpass where there were other unhoused persons. The property belongs to the Texas Department of Transportation and is marked with numerous “No Trespassing” signs. The San Antonio Police Department regularly conducts “cleanups” of these encampments and arrests anyone who has previously been warned […]
Improper interrogation but harmless error
Facts Brothers Dustin Gray and Austin Brookshire were driving in a car with their friend Willie Jones in the early morning hours of July 6, 2020, when Brookshire turned around from the front passenger seat and fatally shot Willie, who was sitting in the backseat listening to music with headphones. Earlier that evening, on July […]
No standing to contest search when subject abandons truck
Facts On December 3, 2020, San Antonio Police Department Officers David Below and James Van Kirk responded to a report of a “black male in a red pickup truck” pointing a firearm at another male at the M&M Mart, a gas station. When the officers arrived, they saw a black male sitting in the driver’s […]
Probable cause to arrest is different from probable cause to search
Facts On April 29, 2023, Ricky Wilson was allegedly eating at a Waffle House when a verbal altercation broke out with another customer. During the dispute, Wilson opened his backpack and pulled out a green pistol fitted with a drum magazine, placing the victim in fear for his life. The victim later identified Wilson’s vehicle […]
Subject voluntarily made statement and did not make unambiguous request for counsel
Facts In April 2017, Detective Michael Suitor with the Corinth Police Department responded to the home of Shomarick Payne. Payne had been shot in the back of the head, his pants were partially pulled down, and the pant pockets were turned inside out. The house appeared to have been ransacked. A 9 mm shell casing […]