United States v. Robert Potter, Christopher Howard, and Mary Kay Lindstroth, Defendants

Christopher Howard and Robert Potter conditionally pled guilty to manufacturing methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 (a)(1); Mary Kay Lindstroth conditionally pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 . All three defendants reserved their right to appeal the order of the district court denying their motion to suppress evidence against them. We affirm the district court.

FACTS

Stuart E. Till, an agent of the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement (BNE) of the California Department of Justice, on February 26, 1986 filed an affidavit as the basis for seeking two search warrants. Till indicated that he had been in police work involving narcotics for 11 years, almost seven of them with the BNE; that he had attended a number of courses of study focused on the investigation of the manufacture and distribution of narcotics; that he had participated in the investigation of fifty drug laboratories; and that he had been involved in the dismantling of more than 25 secret methamphetamine laboratories. In connection with the warrants he sought Till had relied on information given him by BNE agents Matt Campoy and J.P. Johnston. The information set out in…