United States v. Jackson

── United States v. Jackson ── Case No.: 24-1505 Court: Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Date: April 07, 2026 Category: General Appellate Case: 24-1505 Document: 43-1 Date Filed: 04/07/2026 Page: 1 FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT April 7, 2026 _________________________________ Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. No. 24-1505 (D.C. No. 1:23-CR-00360-REB-1) JVAN JACKSON, a/k/a Jay Van Jackson, (D. Colo.) III, a/k/a “Little Jay”, Defendant - Appellant. _________________________________ ORDER AND JUDGMENT * _________________________________ Before BACHARACH, MORITZ, and FEDERICO, Circuit Judges. _________________________________ Jvan Jackson appeals the district court’s order denying his motion to suppress evidence discovered in three separate warrantless vehicle searches. We affirm. Jackson lacks Fourth Amendment standing to challenge the first search. Turning to the second search, officers had reasonable suspicion to stop Jackson’s vehicle and, upon observing drug paraphernalia in plain view, probable cause to search it. And for After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined * unanimously to honor the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. But it may be cited for its persuasive value. See Fed. R. App. P. 32.1(a); 10th Cir. R. 32.1(A).  Appellate Case: 24-1505 Document: 43-1 Date Filed: 04/07/2026 Page: 2 the third challenged search, officers had probable cause to search Jackson’s vehicle for evidence of drug distribution. Background In February 2023, Denver police were alerted to possible illegal drug distribution involving a silver Cadillac routinely parked in a specific spot in a particular apartment complex’s garage. Investigators learned that Jackson lived in the complex and owned the Cadillac. Between March 13 and 16, officers surveilled the Cadillac in the garage. On at least two occasions, they observed suspected associates of Jackson operating vehicles that had been reported stolen. The three warrantless vehicle searches at issue followed, on March 16, March 31, and April 18. We describe the circumstances of each search below; for now, it suffices to say that officers discovered incriminating evidence during each search. A grand jury indicted Jackson on three drug crimes. After the district court denied Jackson’s motion to suppress, he pleaded guilty to one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. The district court sentenced him to 168 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Jackson’s plea agreement reserved the right to appeal the suppression order, and he appeals accordingly. Analysis “When reviewing the district court’s denial of a motion to suppress, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the government and accept the district court’s factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous.” United States v. Tolbert, 92 F.4th 1265, 1273 (1