Government opposes move to block evidence in Warren mail carrier - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to allow evidence collected from cellphones and license plate records in the case of a murdered Warren postal worker.

Kaprise Sledge and his father, Thomas Sledge, face charges for the March 2024 shooting of Jonte Davis. Davis was killed while delivering mail in his postal truck. Prosecutors say the younger Sledge owned a gray pickup truck seen at the scene of the crime.

Defense attorneys recently asked the court to throw out evidence gathered from cell towers and the defendant's personal phones. They argued that the government overstepped its bounds by collecting data on many people at once and that the seizure of Sledge’s phones during a traffic stop was improper.

The government’s 32-page response argues that investigators followed the law at every step. Prosecutors stated that a federal agent obtained a legal warrant to see which phones were near the shooting and where the suspect's truck was later found. They noted that the data was limited to a small area and a short amount of time to protect the privacy of people not involved in the crime.

Regarding the cellphones, prosecutors said the devices were taken legally after Sledge was stopped for driving 63 mph in a 35-mph zone. They said officers smelled marijuana and arrested Sledge for reckless driving. A warrant to search the contents of those phones was obtained the next day.

The government also defended the use of a traffic camera image that helped identify the truck. They argued that drivers do not have an expectation of privacy for their license plates while on public roads.

U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent has not yet ruled on whether the evidence can be used. The trial is currently scheduled for August 17, 2026.