March 22nd, 2021

United States v. Norbert

Docket: 20-60106
Opinion Date: March 16, 2021
Judge: W. Eugene Davis
Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of defendant's motion to suppress evidence that was critical to establish the Government's charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The district court determined that police officers did not have reasonable suspicion to conduct the investigatory stop of defendant, and thus the gun and statements to police were suppressed as fruits of the poisonous tree. The court concluded that the district court did not err in finding that the officers did not have reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigatory stop. In this case, the district court found that the informant's tip lacked credibility and reliability because the caller did not provide her name or phone number and had no history of reliable reports of criminal activity, and the police officers did not attempt to contact the management at the Millsaps Apartments to determine who made the phone call.

Read Opinion