Warrant Not Needed to Search Crawlspace After Hostage Situation

The arsenal of guns found in the crawlspace of Willie Cooks’s house after he was captured following a hostage situation didn’t need to be suppressed in his trial, the Eleventh Circuit said April 3.

The officers reasonably believed another hostage may have been hidden in the crawlspace, the opinion by Judge Kevin C. Newsom said.

When the officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Cooks, he barricaded himself in the house. The officers knew at least three other people were also in the house.

While negotiating with Cooks, the officers heard drilling coming from the house, and one of ...