United States v. Mesa

MEMORANDUM **

Alexander Untalan Mesa appeals from the District Court’s denial of his motion to suppress the evidence seized during a traffic stop on March 12, 2005. Mr. Mesa contends that the evidence seized should be suppressed because the police officers lacked reasonable suspicion to support the traffic stop, and the extent of the detention and search violated the Fourth Amendment. We affirm because we conclude that Officer Jesse Manila of the Guam Police Department had reasonable suspicion to stop Mr. Mesa’s vehicle, and that the additional line of questioning did not prolong the original traffic stop.

I

A

On March 12, 2005, Officer Jesse Manila and Officer Jason Ortiola of the Guam Police Department, while conducting a routine traffic patrol, observed Mr. Mesa’s pickup truck “swerving in and out of [its] lane,” and “swerving onto the median [emergency] lane.” The brake lights of *682 the pickup truck turned on and off as it swerved. Officer Manila also testified that in making a left turn “[t]he vehicle continued to move, as ... it turned, the light turned red....” Based on these observations, the officers stopped the pickup truck.

As Officer Manila approached the pickup…