AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The case involves an appeal against a district court memorandum opinion that reversed a metropolitan court suppression order. The appeal questions the reasonable suspicion held by a police officer, Officer Justin Jones, to conduct an investigation based on information relayed by another officer, Officer Harvey Johnson, who was barred from testifying due to a discovery sanction.

Procedural History

• District Court of Bernalillo County: Reversed a metropolitan court suppression order.

Parties' Submissions

• Defendant-Appellant: Argued that the district court misapplied the standard of review by not favoring the metropolitan court judgment, asserting that the district court disregarded reasonable inferences which supported the suppression order.
• Plaintiff-Appellee: [Not applicable or not found]

Legal Issues

• Whether a police officer was aware of facts establishing reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigation despite relying on the first-hand knowledge of another officer who was not permitted to testify.

Disposition

• The judgment of the district court remanding the case to the metropolitan court for further proceedings was affirmed.

Reasons

• J. Miles Hanisee, Chief Judge, with Megan P. Duffy, Judge, and Zachary A. Ives, Judge, concurring: The court found the defendant's arguments unconvincing, noting a lack of specific errors in fact or law pointed out by the defendant regarding the district court's memorandum opinion. The court observed that the district court's inference from undisputed evidence was not contested by the defendant with any contrary inference made by the metropolitan court. The appellate court concluded that the metropolitan court's belief requiring Officer Johnson's testimony to establish facts at issue was a legal mistake, not a factual one, and that the district court correctly reversed this error (paras 1-5).