United States v. Foster, No. 18-5673 (6th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseFoster was suspected of conspiring to illegally distribute methamphetamine in southeastern Tennessee. In searching garbage Foster had left on the curb, officers discovered materials indicating methamphetamine use and distribution. With Foster’s consent, agents searched Foster’s residence and discovered methamphetamine, materials used for distributing methamphetamine, and $2,000 in cash. Foster admitted his role in the methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy. Foster was charged under 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), & (b)(1)(C) & 846. Foster represented himself, with standby counsel. A prosecution witness, Agent Freeman, repeated informants’ out-of-court statements several times, largely without objection from Foster. After two particularly egregious exchanges, the court intervened. Freeman admitted during a sidebar that he had no personal knowledge of the events he had described. The prosecution argued that the statements did not violate the Confrontation Clause. The district court asked the parties to propose a curative jury instruction. Foster moved for a mistrial, arguing that no jury instruction would cure the error. The prosecutor requested that the trial continue but conceded that if the court believed a Confrontation Clause violation had occurred, a jury instruction likely would not cure the harm. The district court granted a mistrial but denied Foster's motion to dismiss the indictment. Foster pled guilty to count one. The Sixth Circuit affirmed. The district court correctly declared a mistrial but, because the prosecution did not intend to cause the mistrial, it rightly concluded that initiating a second trial did not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause.
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