United States v. McBean

697 F. Supp. 495, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11048, 1987 WL 49082
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedNovember 18, 1987
DocketCR487-97
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 697 F. Supp. 495 (United States v. McBean) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. McBean, 697 F. Supp. 495, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11048, 1987 WL 49082 (S.D. Ga. 1987).

Opinion

ORDER

EDENFIELD, District Judge.

Before the Court in this criminal action is defendant’s motion to suppress certain evidence obtained pursuant to a warrantless search of an automobile.

On November 5, 1987 the Court received evidence and heard arguments with reference to defendant’s motion to suppress. The findings of fact, and a number of legal conclusions were made and ruled upon *496 from the bench. A final issue was left unresolved, to be briefed by the parties. The Court’s ruling on that issue is the basis of this Order. The Court’s verbal order of November 5 will not be reiterated in full herein. However, for purposes of background, a brief summary is provided.

This case involves the stop and subsequent search of a vehicle driven by Gavin Anthony McBean. The stop and search was conducted by the ubiquitous Georgia State Trooper, B.E. Hodges (“Hodges”).

At 3:53 A.M. on October 7, 1987, Hodges was parked in the median of 1-95 at about the 101 mile post. Hodges observed a car, heading north, traveling too closely behind a tractor-trailer. Hodges pulled out and followed the car with intent to stop the driver for what was a traffic violation and otherwise an unsafe driving pattern. Before engaging his police lights, Hodges noticed some weaving of the car. Hodges pulled the car over and approached the driver.

A video camera is installed in Hodges’ vehicle. Just prior to stopping the car, Hodges began taping the events that were to follow. The VCR tape was tendered into evidence at the hearing, and, in many respects, speaks for itself. A viewing of the tape demonstrates that Hodges, after casually chatting with McBean, issued warning citations to the driver for tailgating and weaving. Hodges then asked McBean for permission to search his vehicle. Permission was orally given. Hodges obtained a written consent form and asked the defendant if he could read. The defendant replied that he could read; however, when presented with the waiver, the defendant signed it without a scan. Hodges then explained to the defendant what he had signed, and read the form 1 out loud.

Hodges began his search, and, when he reached the trunk, found a closed luggage bag. Hodges zipped open the bag and found within some sixty pounds of marijuana.

The Court found at the hearing that Hodges’ initial stop of defendant’s vehicle was not pretextual, thus not at odds with United States v. Smith, 799 F.2d 704, 708 (11th Cir.1986). In Smith a state trooper stopped a car without any reasonable justification, thereby violating the fourth amendment. There, the Circuit Court found that the stop of the vehicle was based on a hunch that drugs would be found, because the car, and its occupants, fit an “1-95 drug courier profile.” In the case sub judice there was no indication that there was enough time or enough light to allow Hodges adequately to view and conclude that the vehicle and its driver fit a “drug courier profile.” The Court credited Trooper Hodges’ testimony that his determination to stop the vehicle came at the time he noticed the unsafe tailgating. No “profile” could have been identified at that time. The stop of the defendant was based on an identifiable and particularized reason and, therefore, did not offend the fourth amendment.

The Court also held that the consent given by the defendant was voluntarily rendered. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); United States v. Phillips, 664 F.2d 971 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981). There was no sign of coercive police procedure, nor was there evidence of a language or other communication barrier between the defendant and the trooper. The fact that the defendant, after being given the opportunity to read the waiver, signed it without reading it, is of little significance. Trooper Hodges explained clearly, after the signing, that the defendant had the right to refuse the search, and that his signing signified that no coercion of any type was being used against him. As the Court noted at the hearing, to have required Hodges effectively to tear up the old waiver and have the defendant sign a new one, after reading it the second time, would have been to place form over substance. The defendant voluntarily signed, and was obviously ready to do so; he had already rendered a voluntary verbal waiver before the written waiver was ever produced. Moreover, the verbal *497 exchange after the signing of the written waiver purged any taint in the voluntariness of the consent that could be said to have existed by virtue of defendant’s failure to read. The consent was voluntary.

The final issue, left unresolved at the hearing, was whether the consent given by the defendant was wide enough in scope to have included the closed suitcase, located in the trunk. 2 It should be made clear at the outset that, although this case involves the warrantless search of a container found in an automobile, the Court is not faced with a Carroll/Ross situation. Carroll v. U.S., 267 U.S. 132, 45 S.Ct. 280, 69 L.Ed. 543 (1925), provides that, when there is probable cause to search a vehicle, the mobility of the vehicle will provide exigent circumstances, thereby precluding an official’s need to obtain a warrant before searching the car. U.S. v. Ross, 456 U.S. 798, 102 S.Ct. 2157, 72 L.Ed.2d 572 (1982) expands Carroll by holding that, when officials have probable cause to search a vehicle, all containers and receptacles within the car that could possibly contain the object of the search, are, like the ear itself, subject to the warrantless search under exigent circumstances.

The instant case is not one based on probable cause, 3 but, rather, based on the “consent exception” to the fourth amendment. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1972). Specifically, the Court is here concerned with the scope of the consent, for “[i]f a search is conducted pursuant to a consent, any part of the search not within the bounds of the consent is unlawful.” United States v. White, 541 F.Supp. 1114 (N.D.Ill.1982) (citing Honig v. United States, 208 F.2d 916 (8th Cir.1953)).

United States v. Kapperman, 764 F.2d 786 (11th Cir.1985) is the predicate case, and that upon which the government relies. One facet of Kapperman is squarely on point: The driver of a car signed a written consent, authorizing a search of his vehicle. Kapperman, a passenger in the car having standing to challenge the search, contended that the waiver did not authorize the police to open discreet containers found inside the car.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
697 F. Supp. 495, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11048, 1987 WL 49082, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mcbean-gasd-1987.