United States v. Mark Anthony Trent

── United States v. Mark Anthony Trent ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Date: May 07, 2026 Category: General NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION File Name: 26a0207n.06 No. 25-5770 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT FILED May 07, 2026 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) KELLY L. STEPHENS, Clerk ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED v. ) STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR ) THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MARK ANTHONY TRENT, ) TENNESSEE Defendant-Appellant. ) ) OPINION ) Before: McKEAGUE, READLER, and BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM. Mark Anthony Trent appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence. As set forth below, we affirm the district court’s order denying his suppression motion. I. Beginning in November 2023, law enforcement officers received information from interviews with cooperating codefendants and other informants as well as from recorded jail calls that Shaundra Hamilton was traveling to Georgia to obtain large quantities of methamphetamine for distribution in northeast Tennessee. Based on that information, officers obtained a warrant to “ping” the location of Hamilton’s cell phone and conducted surveillance at her residence in Kingsport, Tennessee. On March 3, 2024, pings from Hamilton’s cell phone indicated that she traveled to the Atlanta area for a short period of time and then came straight back—a “turn-and-burn” trip. That evening, a black Ford Expedition arrived at Hamilton’s residence; officers identified Trent as the No. 25-5770, United States v. Trent renter of that vehicle. Criminal history checks revealed that both Trent and Hamilton had prior drug charges. Officers saw Trent and Hamilton leave her residence in the Ford Expedition on March 12, 2024. Trent and Hamilton traveled through Tennessee on Interstate 75 to the Atlanta area and then came straight back via a different route through North Carolina on Interstate 26. Special Agent John Bulla with Homeland Security Investigations, who was following the Ford Expedition, communicated with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) about initiating a traffic stop once the vehicle entered Tennessee and positioning a canine unit in the area. Around 2:00 a.m. on March 13, 2024, Lieutenant William Ford with the SCSO stopped the Ford Expedition for speeding, crossing the fog line, and having an illegal license plate cover. After speaking with Hamilton, the passenger, and Trent, the driver, and gathering identification and vehicle information from them, Lieutenant Ford returned to his cruiser, called for the canine unit, ran a records check through the National Crime Information Center, and wrote a warning citation for the traffic violations. Upon learning from dispatch that Trent and Hamilton were “clear,” Lieutenant Ford finished writing the citation and then exited his cruiser around 2:10 a.m. When he saw the canine unit pass on the other side of the interstate, Lieutenant Ford placed the citation and other documents on the hood of his cruiser and approached the Ford Expedition to ask Trent and Hamilton for consent to search the vehicle; they declined. Around 2:11 a.m., the canine unit arrived. Lieutenan