United States v. Watson

Defendant was convicted by a jury of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a felon. On appeal, defendant challenged the district court's denial of his motion to suppress because his incriminating statement was the product of an illegal detention. The court held that defendant's three-hour detention constituted an unlawful custodial arrest in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights; the taint of the unlawful custodial arrest was not purged by the two Miranda warnings provided during his detention or by any intervening circumstance; and the erroneous admission of defendant's statement was not harmless error. Accordingly, the court vacated the convictions and remanded to the district court. View "United States v. Watson" on Justia Law