United States v. Randy Lee Ewain

KLEINFELD, Circuit Judge:

This appeal raises issues involving search and seizure, and construction of a provision in the mail theft statute.

I. FACTS

Ewain, the husband of a former postal employee, came under suspicion by a postal inspector for mail theft and by a state narcotics detective for selling methamphetamine. Both lines of suspicion arose as a consequence of a fistfight Ewain had with his roommate. The roommate moved out and told a postal inspector Ewain was making counterfeit mailbox keys and trading them for methamphetamine. The postal inspector told a state narcotics detective, who…