United States v. Merle Ellis Owens

CARRIGAN, District Judge.

Appellant, Merle Ellis Owens, appeals his conviction of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) (1982). Contending that his conviction was based on erroneous admission of evidence obtained in an unlawful search of his motel room that violated his Fourth Amendment rights, he asserts that his conviction must be reversed.

BACKGROUND

A detailed recitation of the facts is essential to understand Owens’ contentions because they turn on whether at the time his motel room was searched he still had a protected status in that room. On…