United States v. Orozco-Rivas

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedApril 21, 2020
Docket19-6074
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Orozco-Rivas (United States v. Orozco-Rivas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Orozco-Rivas, (10th Cir. 2020).

Opinion

FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT April 21, 2020 _________________________________ Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v. No. 19-6074 (D.C. No. 5:17-CR-00049-F-1) SHASEL SARA OROZCO-RIVAS, (W.D. Okla.)

Defendant - Appellant. _________________________________

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* _________________________________

Before HARTZ, MURPHY, and MATHESON, Circuit Judges. _________________________________

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Brandon Bussey stopped Shasel Sara Orozco-

Rivas’s pickup truck for a traffic violation. He questioned Ms. Orozco, then detained her

for about an hour pending the arrival of a drug-sniffing dog. The dog alerted at the bed

of the truck, where officers found approximately eight pounds of methamphetamine. Ms.

Orozco pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50

grams or more of methamphetamine. She pled on the condition that she could appeal the

* After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. district court’s denial of her motion to suppress the methamphetamine as evidence. The

court rejected her contentions that (1) Trooper Bussey lacked reasonable suspicion to

detain her, and (2) the detention was unreasonably long. Exercising jurisdiction under 28

U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background1

The Stop

Trooper Bussey, while driving his patrol car on Interstate 40 in Beckham County,

Oklahoma, saw Ms. Orozco and her passenger, Juan Carlos Vargas, pass in a pickup

truck. As the truck passed, Trooper Bussey saw Ms. Orozco look in his direction and put

her hand over her face. He perceived her to be “shocked.” ROA, Vol. 2 at 19. He also

believed the truck was too close to the car ahead, in violation of Oklahoma Highway

Safety Code Title 47 § 11-310.

The highway had two lanes going the same direction, but one was closed and

marked off with cones for construction. Trooper Bussey pulled into the closed lane and

pursued Ms. Orozco, then entered the left lane behind the truck and turned on his

1 We take the following facts from the suppression hearing and video of the stop.

2 emergency lights.2 As he trailed the truck, he saw the passenger, Mr. Vargas, turn and

look back at him three or four times before returning to his seat.

Approximately one minute and 48 seconds—and about one mile—after Trooper

Bussey turned on his lights, Ms. Orozco activated her right turn signal and hazard lights.

Dft. Ex. 1 at 1:00-2:48. She pulled between the cones into the closed lane and then onto

the shoulder where she stopped.

Trooper Bussey stopped behind Ms. Orozco and approached the passenger side of

the truck. As he passed the truck bed, he saw a spare tire and a stroller. He also noticed a

small white wheel inside a tire that was too wide for the rim of the wheel and that

appeared too small for the truck.

When Trooper Bussey reached the passenger window, Ms. Orozco was in the

driver seat and Mr. Vargas was in the passenger seat. He asked Ms. Orozco for her

license, and Mr. Vargas said, “She don’t, but I fell asleep.” ROA, Vol. 2 at 16.

Trooper Bussey testified that Mr. Vargas was sweating profusely, with beads of

sweat on his forehead, cheek, and neck, despite the air conditioner running at “full blast.”

Id. at 25. He said he could see Mr. Vargas’s heart pounding and his stomach “bounc[ing]

around.” Id. at 25. Mr. Vargas told Trooper Bussey he had a migraine and was sick from

eating food from Panda Express.

2 Trooper Bussey’s patrol car camera recorded the events beginning one minute before he flashed his lights. We cite the video, which was entered into evidence as “Defendant’s Exhibit No. 1,” as “Dft. Ex. 1 at x:xx-x:xx.”

3 Ms. Orozco’s Questioning Trooper Bussey asked Ms. Orozco to come back to his patrol car. As she exited

the truck and walked to the patrol car, he noted the stroller and asked if she had kids. She

explained they were at her mother’s house and that she and Mr. Vargas were driving to

her uncle’s ranch to help clean up.

When Ms. Orozco and Trooper Bussey reached the patrol car, they sat in the front

seats. Trooper Bussey ran checks on the truck’s license plate and on Ms. Orozco’s and

Mr. Vargas’s criminal histories. As the checks were pending, he told Ms. Orozco that he

would issue her a courtesy warning and let her and Mr. Vargas go.

Trooper Bussey asked Ms. Orozco for the location of her uncle’s ranch. She

hesitated and then described the place as “something with ‘Will’” in the name. Dft. Ex. 1

at 5:44-5:47. She said it was past Amarillo. He asked for her uncle’s name. Ms. Orozco

hesitated and then responded, “well we always call him, um, uncle.” Id. at 8:37-8:40.

Trooper Bussey left Ms. Orozco in his patrol car and returned to the passenger

side of the truck. He asked Mr. Vargas about their destination, and Mr. Vargas replied

that it was in Amarillo but he did not know exactly where. He said he and Ms. Orozco

were visiting friends, but then clarified that he meant “friends and family.” ROA, Vol. 2

at 36. He explained they were going to “build a fence for [Ms. Orozco’s] friends.” Id.

Trooper Bussey testified that Mr. Vargas was still sweating profusely.

4 Trooper Bussey returned to his patrol car to wait for the criminal history checks.

They revealed that Mr. Vargas had no criminal history and Ms. Orozco had an arrest but

no conviction.

Post-Stop Detention After Trooper Bussey returned Ms. Orozco’s license to her and she started to leave

the patrol car, he asked if she had time for more questions. She said “yes -- or yeah.” Id.

at 37. He then told her to shut the car door and asked whether there was anything illegal

in the truck. She said there was not. When he asked for consent to search the truck, Ms.

Orozco replied that he would need consent from Mr. Vargas because Mr. Vargas owned

the truck.

Trooper Bussey told Ms. Orozco to stay in the patrol car. He approached the

passenger side of the truck and asked Mr. Vargas for consent to search. Mr. Vargas

consented and exited the truck, but then told Trooper Bussey he would not consent

without a warrant. Trooper Bussey asked if he could get a dog to sniff the car, and Mr.

Vargas did not answer. Trooper Bussey handcuffed Mr. Vargas, returned to his patrol

car, and called the sheriff’s office to bring a drug-sniffing dog.

Dog-Alert After calling the sheriff’s office, Trooper Bussey called his headquarters to make

the official request for a drug-sniffing dog. He testified that the dog had to come from

Custer County, where it lived. The dog arrived 51 minutes after Trooper Bussey’s call.

It alerted at the truck within five minutes.

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