United States of America v. Jeffrey L. Scales

Knoxville, Tennessee criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession of heroin,

marijuana, and other evidence related to drug trafficking.



"It is a basic principle of the Fourth Amendment that for a search warrant to issue there

must be probable cause.” United States v. Laughton, 409 F.3d 744, 747 (6th Cir. 2005). "An issuing

judge may find probable cause to issue a search warrant when 'there is a fair probability that

contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place.'” United States v. Williams,

544 F.3d 683, 686 (6th Cir. 2008) (quoting Laughton, 409 F.3d at 747); see also United States v.

Sanders, 106 F.4th 455, 461 (6th Cir. 2024) (en banc). For there to be probable cause, the

circumstances must indicate a "nexus between the place to be searched and the evidence sought”—

that is, "a substantial basis” for concluding that evidence of illegal activity will be found in a

particular place. United States v. Carpenter, 360 F.3d 591, 594 (6th Cir. 2004) (en banc) (citations

omitted).

Affirmed