United States v. Yusuf D. Reeves
Opinion
Opinion
Wright, J.
A jury convicted Yusuf D. Reeves of being a felon in possession of a handgun. 18 U.S.C. § 922 (g)(1). He was sentenced to a term in prison and three years of supervised release. We consider in this opinion his argument that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence taken from a briefcase found in his car after a traffic stop. We affirm. Reeves raises other issues that we dispose of in a separate, unpublished Memorandum disposition.
JURISDICTION
The district court had original jurisdiction. 18 U.S.C. § 3231 . We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 .
I. FACTS
The district court’s Order Denying Motion to Suppress, published in United States v. Reeves, 798 F.Supp. 1459 (E.D.Wash.1992), discusses the factual background at length. We summarize the judge’s factual findings.
United States Border Patrol Officer Paul Erni was in uniform, driving a marked United States Border Patrol car and patrolling for illegal aliens on interstate highway 1-90 near Medical Lake, Washington. He observed Reeves driving a Chevrolet Citation, wearing a shower cap and talking on a cellular phone. Officer Erni considered the circumstances somewhat suspicious of drug…