United States v. Cotter, Cr. No. 9673.
| Decision Date | 23 September 1948 |
| Docket Number | Cr. No. 9673. |
| Citation | 80 F. Supp. 590 |
| Parties | UNITED STATES v. COTTER. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Virginia |
George R. Humrickhouse, U. S. Atty., of Richmond, Va., and John P. Harper, Asst. U. S. Atty., of Norfolk, Va., for plaintiff.
Russell T. Bradford, of Norfolk, Va., for defendant.
Indicted for the felonious removal and concealment of 100 gallons of distilled spirits with intent to defraud the United States of its excise, 26 U.S.C.A. § 3321, the defendant seasonably moved to suppress all the evidence, including the spirits and the containers, as well as the relating testimony of the officers, on the ground that it had been obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Counsel for the Government and for the defendant requested that the motion be heard as a part of the trial of the case on its merits, and thereupon the defendant was arraigned, pleaded not guilty and went to trial before the Court with a jury waived. The prosecution and the defense frankly stated that if the challenged evidence was admissible the defendant should be found guilty, but if not admitted the case was insufficient for a conviction.
At the trial the motion to suppress was urged to all the evidence and testimony adduced, the Court reserved decision on the motion, and the parties have now briefed the question.
The search, seizure and arrest were made by Perry Downing, an officer of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board of the State of Virginia charged with enforcement of the State liquor dispensing laws. Downing had theretofore from time to time operated with the Federal officers, and while he kept his "main files" in the State office, some papers and daily reports he also kept in the offices of the Federal Alcohol Tax Unit of Norfolk. On occasion previous to the instant arrest he had discussed with the Federal officers the reputed bootleggers in the Norfolk area, and with them he had listed the numbers of suspicious automobiles, including the defendant's. He was in the habit of riding with the Federal officers through this territory and had pointed out to them Quint Cotter and his place of residence. In fine, he and the Federal officers had generally worked together a co-operation not undesirable.
About 1 o'clock on the morning of January 9, 1948, Downing was sitting in his automobile with the Chief of Police of South Norfolk, on a public highway in Norfolk County, Virginia where he had gone at the instance of the Chief to assist in an investigation to be had at a later hour. On observing two automobiles approaching, he turned his car so that its lights would shine across the road and reveal the identity of the cars. One of them he recognized as the defendant's car and the defendant its driver.
Nothing save Cotter's reputation as a bootlegger gave rise to any suspicion or cause to believe he was then violating any law, State or Federal. Nevertheless, Downing immediately pursued the Cotter car and the latter fled. The officer sounded his siren to call upon Cotter to stop, but the chase continued for four or five miles, passing through a village and across a railroad track, with the cars reaching a speed of 90 miles per hour. Cotter attempted to elude his pursuer by forcing him off the road as well as by sudden application of his brakes to cause a rear-end collision.
During the chase the Chief of Police fired his pistol at the rear tires of the Cotter car with apparent success, for the defendant's car developed a flat tire, turned abruptly to the left, went up in the air and rolled over on its side. Cotter jumped from the car and was forthwith apprehended, bleeding from the head and soaked with corn whiskey.
In the wrecked automobile were found twelve (12) bags containing several broken 5-gallon jugs and eight 5-gallon jugs full of untaxed whiskey, Cotter admitting that he had 100 gallons aboard.
Officer Downing immediately took Cotter to Norfolk for medical attention, refused the request of the defendant to be turned over to the State authorities, but instead called only the Federal officers and surrendered Cotter to them, some time after 1 o'clock in the morning. One of the Federal officers went with Downing to the wrecked car. Subsequently it was brought to Norfolk at the direction of the Federal authorities, stored as a Federal seizure and later confiscated by the United States through the Alcohol Tax Unit. This prosecution followed.
Downing denies that...
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