By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
It didn’t take Judge David Faulkner long to rule on Kenan Neal’s motion to suppress evidence – not even one full day.
Faulkner rendered his decision later the same day he oversaw the hearing on the motion to quash the search warrant and any subsequent evidence stemming from its execution. Neal is scheduled to go to trial May 19 and 20 in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on multiple counts of possession of drugs and receiving stolen property.
Police recovered approximately $10,000 in cash, cocaine and guns stolen in Bucyrus when they search his home on North Henry Street in Crestline. One day earlier Neal and another person at the residence had been victims of two armed home invaders seeking cash and guns.
Only one of those men, Toi Pickens, has been captured. It was Pickens statement to police that his partner believed Neal had a large amount of cash and drugs in his Crestline home and that is why they went there to rob him. It was that statement and a long, ongoing investigation Crestline police officer Jeremy Moon used to secure the search warrant from then Municipal Court Judge Sean Leuthold.
Pickens has already been convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the home invasion that occurred in November of 2014.
Faulkner said in his ruling last Thursday that information Judge Sean Leuthold was given by Crestline police in issuing the search warrant was “sufficiently credible.” Faulkner also said Officer Moon acted in good faith.
Faulkner further cited the cases of U.S. versus Leon in 1984 and State versus Wilmouth in 1986 in making his decision.
Faulkner was asked to hear the suppression motion hearing because Judge Sean Leuthold signed off on the search warrant while he was the sitting Municipal Court judge at that time. Now the Common Pleas Court judge, it will be Leuthold who will hear the case against Neal should it go to trial as scheduled.