By: Associated Press//May 3, 2012//
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A federal judge is declining to sanction prosecutors for failing to disclose the use of GPS devices to track an Iowa drug suspect.
U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett on Tuesday ruled that he erred last month when he found that Drug Enforcement Agent David Jensen acted in “bad faith” when he did not mention extensive GPS tracking in reports about the investigation of Angel Amaya.
Bennett said he is persuaded Jensen had been instructed by a supervisor years ago not to mention GPS devices in reports and that DEA policy on disclosure was “somewhat confusing.” He said any mistake by Jensen “was an honest one” and not an attempt to hide evidence.
Bennett said he doesn’t need to impose sanctions to ensure future compliance because DEA policy has changed.