United States v. Freeman, No. 11-2658 (7th Cir. 2012)
Annotate this CaseFreeman and Garner were caught in a sting operation that used known drug associates as cooperating informants. Freeman and Garner showed up at the appointed time and place for the staged drug transaction in a minivan matching the description given by an informant. They remained at the scene for only a few minutes. As they drove away, police initiated a traffic stop. A search of the men and the van did not turn up any drugs, but the police arrested them. When Freeman was booked into the jail, he was strip-searched, revealing a bag of crack cocaine concealed between his buttocks. He was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and sentenced as a career drug offender to 30 years in prison. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. The police had credible information about Freeman’s drug-trafficking habits from the cooperating informants, and his activities just prior to his arrest coincided perfectly with details of the undercover operation, supplying probable cause to arrest. Based on his criminal history, the specific grounds for his arrest, and his fidgeting in his seat, there was adequate justification for a strip search. Freeman’s sentence was at the bottom of the properly calculated guidelines range.
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