Mario Munguia-Zarate v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided December 4, 2018·No. 05-17-00265-CR·Published

Opinion

AFFIRM; and Opinion Filed December 4, 2018.

In The

Court of Appeals

Fifth District of Texas at Dallas

No. 05-17-00265-CR

No. 05-17-00266-CR

MARIO MUNGUIA-ZARATE, Appellant V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 2 Dallas County, Texas

Trial Court Cause Nos. F-13-23773-I, F-13-23774-I

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Before Justices Bridges, Francis, and Lang-Miers Opinion by Justice Lang-Miers Appellant Mario Munguia-Zarate was charged in two related cases with (1) possession of

cocaine with intent to deliver and (2) possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Prior to trial, appellant filed a pre-trial motion to suppress what he claimed was illegally obtained evidence. After conducting a hearing, and taking the arguments made and the authorities relied on by the parties under advisement, the trial court denied the motion to suppress. Then appellant entered pleas of guilty to both offenses, waived a jury, and judicially confessed to the offenses. Pursuant to a plea-bargain agreement, the trial court sentenced appellant to confinement for ten years in both cases, but suspended punishment and put appellant on community supervision for ten years in both cases. In the methamphetamine case the trial court also assessed a fine of $3000.

In four issues, appellant challenges the denial of the motion to suppress and argues he was denied his right to confrontation. We affirm.

The Hearing on the Motion to Suppress Evidence Adduced On January 28, 2013, the Garland police received a call that a Hispanic male in a black Suburban, license plate AR09290, was selling drugs in the parking lot of a strip mall at 3460 West Walnut Street in Garland, Texas. Three Garland police officers – Aristina Lyda, Jesse Kohls, and Curtis Russell – were dispatched to that location.

Lyda testified that when she arrived at the location she saw the Suburban parked in a parking spot in the lot. There was a Hispanic male, who Lyda identified as appellant, in the driver’s seat of the Suburban. There was no one else in the vehicle.

Lyda testified that she has some background in Spanish and was capable of basic communications:

I took Spanish in high school, community college, high school, community college, intermediate certificate through the police academy. I worked in our jail for four years, so I had to learn some Spanish and speak some Spanish in the jail, and then also just basic patrol experience working day to day activities.

Lyda was not, however, fluent in Spanish.

Lyda approached the Suburban on driver’s side and spoke with appellant in Spanish.1 She asked appellant what he was doing; appellant replied that he was waiting for his wife, who was in a store. Lyda next asked for identification; appellant produced his driver’s license.

Lyda then asked appellant to exit his vehicle and come to the back of the vehicle. Lyda explained that she did this because she was short and could not see into the vehicle; she considered

1 Lyda testified that she may have spoken to appellant in English at some point, but she could not be sure.

this a security issue for her safety. Appellant complied with her request. Lyda again asked appellant what he was doing, and appellant again replied that he was waiting for his wife.

Lyda asked appellant if she could look in his vehicle. Lyda testified that she asked to look in Suburban because of the narcotics complaint. Appellant indicated that he did not understand what Lyda was asking. Lyda testified that up until that point appellant had understood all of her questions.

Lyda admitted, on cross-examination, that she did not witness appellant doing anything illegal at the time she approached the vehicle. Lyda also testified that appellant was not free to leave because the police had not finished the investigation into the narcotics complaint.

During the time that Lyda was speaking with appellant, Kohls was on the passenger side of vehicle as the “cover officer” to make sure the driver was not reaching for a weapon. 2 Kohls testified that Lyda first spoke English, then Spanish to appellant. They had a conversation in Spanish but, because Kohls does not speak Spanish, Kohls could not understand it. Kohls also did not hear much of the conversation because he was on the other side of the car. Kohls testified, however, that Lyda and appellant seemed to be communicating back and forth. Kohls saw appellant give Lyda his identification when she asked for it.

Russell arrived to find Kohls and Lyda talking to appellant at the back of the vehicle.

Russell testified that he did not see appellant doing anything illegal. Russell testified that appellant was not under arrest at this time and was free to leave.

Lyda explained to Russell that appellant didn’t speak English and a translator was needed.

Kohls testified that the call notes reflected that the officers tried to find a Spanish speaking officer but one was not available. As Kohls testified: “If we have a problem and we attempt to find a

2 Kohls did not recall seeing anything illegal in plain view in vehicle. There was no evidence of any weapon being found either on appellant’s person or in the Suburban.

Spanish speaking officer and there’s not one available, we’re going to find somebody that can help translate [for] us so we can solve that problem.”

Russell saw a taqueria in the parking lot. He went there and found Juan Mendoza, a Hispanic male. Mendoza told Russell that he spoke both Spanish and English. Russell was able to communicate with Mendoza in fluent English.

Russell described what he told Mendoza the police needed from him: “I told . . . (Mendoza)

. . . that we were dispatched there on a narcotic complaint so he understood why I needed him to translate. I explained to him that I needed him to translate a consent to search the suspect’s vehicle.” Mendoza said he understood. Russell then gave Mendoza a card with the Miranda3 warnings written both in English and in Spanish. Mendoza read the Spanish part of the Miranda warning off the card to appellant.

Russell testified that appellant seemed to understand the Miranda warnings that Mendoza gave him. Appellant waived his rights and agreed to talk to Mendoza. When asked for consent to search, appellant “said there was nothing illegal in the car, he was just there waiting for his wife.”

Russell asked Mendoza to explain again to appellant that the police were asking for consent to search the vehicle. Mendoza read that part again and this time appellant agreed, though he said again that there was nothing illegal in his vehicle. Russell heard appellant say “si,” which he knew was “yes” in Spanish.4 Appellant gave his consent to Mendoza who, in turn, communicated appellant’s consent to Russell. It never appeared to Russell that appellant did not understand Mendoza.

3 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966); see also TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. art. 38.22 §2(a).

4 Russell testified that he was taught basic Spanish at the police academy and can understand some Spanish.

Russell testified that he pointed at appellant’s vehicle and said “si?” Appellant shook his head and said “yes.” Russell understood appellant to be agreeing that the police could search his vehicle.

Russell testified that, other than the fact that Mendoza was the person he contacted that day to translate, he did not know Mendoza. This was the only instance in which Russell had used Mendoza as a translator. Russell testified that he did not know where Mendoza was from, did not know his educational background, and did not know if he had a criminal record. As a practical matter, Russell did not know exactly what Mendoza had said to appellant.

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