SMITH, Circuit Judge.
David McIntyre conditionally pleaded guilty to knowingly and intentionally manufacturing and attempting to manufacture 100 or more marijuana plants, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and 841(b)(1), reserving the right to appeal the district court's
On December 8, 2008, Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Investigator Jason Sears and Nebraska State Trooper Lueders
Later that day, Investigator Sears and Trooper Lueders drove to Narke's residence and inspected the trailer. It was empty. Narke declared his ignorance of anything being loaded on the trailer. With Narke's permission, the officers inspected the trailer and the buildings on the property and found nothing unusual.
On January 9, 2009, at 7:00 a.m., Investigator Sears and Cedar County Sheriff Larry Koranda drove past McIntyre's Crofton residence to determine whether there was a garage at the residence, and, if so, whether the garage could hold a pickup truck—an object in the missing-person investigation. They saw an Oldsmobile backed up to a garage door. When they returned to the residence at 1:00 p.m., the Oldsmobile was gone. The officers viewed the garage. Investigator Sears noticed a hanging shingle on the garage, a small hose protruding from under the garage door, and a strong odor of raw marijuana near the garage. Again, the odor of the marijuana caused Investigator Sears to suffer symptoms that he described as an allergic reaction. Subsequently, Investigator Sears retrieved McIntyre's arrest record and found two prior drug-related arrests from 1981 and 2003.
Based upon the smell of raw marijuana and McIntyre's criminal history, Investigator Sears decided to obtain and examine McIntyre's electricity usage records. He called the Cedar-Knox Public Power District and asked General Manager Daniel Leise for the electricity usage records for the Crofton residence. Leise informed Investigator Sears that he needed a subpoena to obtain the records. NSP Investigator Douglas Kelley contacted the Knox County Attorney and obtained a county attorney's subpoena for electricity usage records for the Crofton residence. After Investigator Sears presented Leise with
On January 14, 2009, Investigator Kelley applied for a thermal imaging warrant for the Crofton residence and submitted an affidavit in support of the warrant. In the search-warrant affidavit, Investigator Kelley cited Investigator Sears's allergic reaction to the smell of raw marijuana at both of McIntyre's residences, McIntyre's drug arrest history, the electrical usage record, the "tooter" observed in McIntyre's truck at the Fremont residence, and information about the use of thermal imaging in locating marijuana-growing operations. A Knox County judge issued the thermal imaging warrant the same day. That evening, Investigator Kelley executed the warrant. The warrant was returned to the court with a recording of thermal imagery showing more electrical usage in the garage than in the living areas of the Crofton residence.
On January 15, 2009, Investigator Kelley sought and obtained a second thermal imaging warrant for the Crofton residence. According to Investigator Kelley, he obtained the second warrant to compare readings from other residences in the area. Investigator Kelley testified that he told the issuing Knox County judge that he intended to obtain information from nearby homes for comparison purposes but did not include that information in the affidavit. This warrant was executed and returned with a recording of thermal imagery showing that greater heat was generated in the living areas in the neighboring residences than their accompanying garages.
Based on the information set forth in the thermal imaging search-warrant affidavits and the thermal imagery obtained as a result of the warrants, on January 16, 2009, Investigator Kelley sought and obtained a search warrant for the Crofton residence. In executing the warrant, officers discovered a marijuana-growing operation and seized it. That same day, a search warrant was also issued for McIntyre's Fremont residence, but officers found no evidence of illegality.
On appeal, McIntyre asserts that the district court erred by not suppressing (1) the county attorney subpoena, (2) thermal imaging search warrants, and (3) a search warrant of his Crofton residence.
"On appeal of a motion to suppress, we review the district court's legal conclusions de novo and factual findings for clear error." United States v. Frasher, 632 F.3d 450, 453 (8th Cir.2011).
McIntyre argues that the district court erred in not suppressing the subpoena duces tecum by which the NSP received electricity usage records for the Crofton residence. According to McIntyre, he had an expectation of privacy in those records because they contained intimate details about the interior of his home. Consequently, he maintains that investigators should have obtained these records via a search warrant. Additionally, McIntyre contends that he has a state statutorily-protected privacy interest in the electrical usage at his residence.
"The touchstone of Fourth Amendment analysis is whether a person has a constitutionally protected reasonable expectation of privacy." California v. Ciraolo, 476 U.S. 207, 211, 106 S.Ct. 1809, 90 L.Ed.2d 210 (1986) (quotation and citation omitted). The Supreme Court
United States v. Miller, 425 U.S. 435, 443, 96 S.Ct. 1619, 48 L.Ed.2d 71 (1976) (holding that bank depositor has no legitimate expectation of privacy in copies of checks and deposit slips retained by his bank); cf. Couch v. United States, 409 U.S. 322, 335, 93 S.Ct. 611, 34 L.Ed.2d 548 (1973) ("[T]here can be little expectation of privacy where records are handed to an accountant, knowing that mandatory disclosure of much of the information therein is required in an income tax return."); Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735, 744, 99 S.Ct. 2577, 61 L.Ed.2d 220 (1979) (holding that "[w]hen [defendant] used his phone, [he] voluntarily conveyed numerical information to the telephone company and `exposed' that information to its equipment in the ordinary course of business").
Here, Investigator Sears served the Cedar-Knox Public Power District—a third party—with the county attorney subpoena. "Because it is well-settled that `the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the obtaining of information revealed to a third party and conveyed by him to Government authorities[,]' [McIntyre's] claim[] fail[s]." United States v. Hamilton, 434 F.Supp.2d 974, 979 (D.Or.2006) (holding defendant lacked reasonable expectation of privacy in his utility records, meaning law enforcement officer did not need probable cause to obtain records because information contained in the records was voluntarily revealed by defendant to utility company, a third-party recipient) (quoting Miller, 425 U.S. at 443, 96 S.Ct. 1619).
Id. at 980. We reject McIntyre's argument and conclude that
Id.; see also United States v. Porco, 842 F.Supp. 1393, 1398 (D.Wyo.1994) (rejecting defendants' argument that "they had an expectation of privacy in the records of their electrical usage kept by Rural Electric because Rural Electric would not voluntarily disclose a person's electric usage" because "the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the obtaining of information revealed to a third party and conveyed by the third party to government authorities, even if the information is revealed to the third party confidentially and on the assumption that it will be used only for limited purposes"); Samson v. State, 919 P.2d 171, 173 (Alaska Ct.App.1996) (finding no reasonable expectation of privacy in power consumption utility records).
Additionally, McIntyre argues that he has a statutorily-protected privacy interest in his electrical usage at his Crofton residence under Nebraska Revised Statute § 70-101. According to McIntyre, authorities also "breached the very process [they] cited as authority in [their] efforts to obtain the records"—Nebraska Revised Statute § 25-1273. He argues that the government failed to demonstrate that any of the discovery rules authorized discovery from a nonparty in this case, as required by § 25-1273.
Here, Knox County Attorney John Thomas issued the subpoena duces tecum, under the purported authority of § 25-1273, commanding Cedar-Knox Public Power District to provide "[a] true and complete copy of all electricity usage records and reports" for the Crofton residence. (Emphasis added.) McIntyre argues that he has a statutorily-protected interest in these usage records under § 70-101, which provides:
(Emphasis added.)
As the district court explained, McIntyre's "argument that § 70-101 provides
We also reject McIntyre's argument that the subpoena was deficient because it was not served in compliance with § 25-1273 or Nebraska Rule of Civil Discovery 34A. As the district court explained, "[r]egardless of these issues, the county attorney has subpoena power, under the circumstances present here, pursuant to Neb.Rev.Stat. § 86-2,112." Id. at 1033. Section 86-2, 112 states that "any county attorney may . . . require the production of records . . . which constitute or contain evidence relevant or material to the investigation or enforcement of the laws of this state when it reasonably appears that such action is necessary and proper."
And, even if state law was violated, "state law violations do not necessarily offend the Federal Constitution." United States v. Burtton, 599 F.3d 823, 828 (8th Cir.2010) (quotation and citation omitted). "Thus, when a federal court must decide whether to exclude evidence obtained through an arrest, search, or seizure by state officers, the appropriate inquiry is whether the arrest, search, or seizure violated the Federal Constitution, not whether the arrest, search, or seizure violated state law." Id. (quotation and citation omitted). For the reasons set forth supra in Part A.1, we hold that no Fourth Amendment violation occurred.
McIntyre also argues that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress the thermal imaging search warrants and request for a Franks
"We review the denial of a Franks hearing for abuse of discretion." United States v. Kattaria, 553 F.3d 1171, 1177 (8th Cir. 2009) (en banc) (per curiam).
United States v. Mashek, 606 F.3d 922, 928 (8th Cir.2010) (emphasis added). In determining if "an affiant's statements were made with reckless disregard for the truth," the test "is whether, after viewing all the evidence, the affiant must have entertained serious doubts as to the truth of his statements or had obvious reasons to doubt the accuracy of the information he reported." United States v. Butler, 594 F.3d 955, 961 (8th Cir.2010). "A showing of deliberate or reckless falsehood is not lightly met." Id. (quotation and citation omitted).
Here, the alleged falsehoods "do not meet the `substantial preliminary showing' required by Franks." United States v. Crissler, 539 F.3d 831, 834 (8th Cir.2008). First, as to the utility record's inaccurate accounting of the November 2008 usage, there is no evidence to support a finding that Investigator Sears and Investigator Kelley had reason to believe or knew that the report that Cedar-Knox Public Power District provided to them erroneously combined November 2008 and December 2008 usage. McIntyre has failed to show that the investigators "had obvious reasons to doubt the accuracy of the information" that the public utility company provided to them. Butler, 594 F.3d at 961.
Second, as to Investigator Kelley's reference to "reports" and records" in the affidavit when, in fact, he only had a one-page report, to the extent that this statement is inaccurate, there is no evidence that Investigator Kelley deliberately or recklessly made the statement or that the statement was material. See Mashek, 606 F.3d at 928. The number of documents or pages in the utility usage report mattered little to the merit of the affidavit. Furthermore, the one-page report that the Cedar-Knox Public Power District provided was a summation of over three years of kilowatt usage.
Therefore, we hold that the district court did not err in failing to grant McIntyre's request for a Franks hearing and accordingly need not address whether the remaining portions of the supporting affidavit would support a probable cause finding. United States v. Curry, 911 F.2d 72, 76 (8th Cir.1990) ("We need not address this second issue because, with respect to both alleged falsehoods, [the defendant's] offers of proof were insufficient to meet the first Franks requirement.").
Finally, McIntyre argues that the search warrant for his Crofton residence is "fruit of the poisonous tree" stemming from the county attorney subpoena and thermal imaging warrants. According to McIntyre, "[t]he affidavit and resulting search warrant for the Crofton residence was the culmination of the subpoena for electrical records and the thermal warrants. Removing or excising either of the proceeding [sic] investigative tools defeats the crescendo of probable cause established by the previous warrants and/or subpoena."
McIntyre's assertion that the district court erred by declining to suppress the search warrant of his Crofton residence is based on his arguments that the district court should have suppressed the county attorney subpoena and thermal imaging
And, our independent review of the record confirms that the search warrant for the Crofton residence was supported by probable cause.
United States v. McArthur, 573 F.3d 608, 613 (8th Cir.2009).
Here, considering the totality of the circumstances, probable cause existed to issue the search warrant for the Crofton residence. First, the supporting affidavit set forth Investigator Sears's encounter with McIntyre on December 8, 2008, at the Fremont residence where Investigator Sears saw a pen tube—a "tooter" believed to be used to ingest controlled substances—in the ash tray of McIntyre's vehicle. While at the Fremont residence, Investigator Sears observed McIntyre's unusual and extremely nervous behavior and smelled raw marijuana at the residence. Second, the affidavit reported that on January 9, 2009, Investigator Sears smelled a strong odor of raw marijuana outside the garage of the Crofton residence and saw a small hose coming out from under the garage door. Third, the affidavit recounts Investigator Kelley's discovery of McIntyre's previous drug arrests. Fourth, the affidavit explains that Investigator Sears obtained the electricity usage records for the Crofton residence, which was "unusually high for [a] person that lived at the residence continuously." Finally, the affidavit recounts Investigator Kelley's knowledge, from training and experience, that "thermal imagery i[s] an investigative tool used by law enforcement to assist in the detection of indoor marijuana grow operations, whereas grow operations produce large amounts of heat from the grow lights." The affidavit then explains that the two thermal imagery readings of the Crofton residence showed, respectively, a higher heat signature emanating from the garage area than from the living quarters of the home and from comparable residences in McIntyre's neighborhood.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court.