United States v. Gonzales

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FEB 13 2002
TENTH CIRCUIT PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
No. 01-3117
v. (D.C. No. 00-CR-10102-01-MLB)
(D. Kansas)
RENE R. GONZALES,
Defendant-Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before SEYMOUR, ALARCON, ** and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
Rene R. Gonzales entered a conditional plea of guilty to count one of an
indictment charging unlawful possession with intent to distribute
methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. He
appeals the denial of his motion to suppress evidence. We affirm.
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
**
The Honorable Arthur L. Alarcon, United States Circuit Judge, United
States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sitting by designation.
While patrolling I-70 west of Colby, Kansas, on the afternoon of July 16,
2000, state highway patrol sergeant Terry Kummer observed the car driven by Mr.
Gonzales twice cross the fog line by approximately two feet within a one-mile
span. After pulling the car over and inspecting Mr. Gonzales’ license and rental
car agreement and briefly conversing with the driver, Sergeant Kummer, issued a
warning ticket and stated “have a safe trip.” At that point, Kummer admittedly
had no intention of allowing Gonzales to leave the scene.
Within seconds, Sergeant Kummer resumed his conversation with Mr. Gonzales,
stating “Can I ask you a few questions?” Gonzales answered in the affirmative,
with Kummer then inquiring whether the driver was carrying any guns or
weapons. Mr. Gonzales answered “no,” and then opened the vehicle’s trunk lid
with the remote release when Kummer asked to search the trunk space. Having
found no contraband in this area, Sergeant Kummer pointed toward the passenger
side of the vehicle, asking “Mind if I look over there?” Without a discernable
response from Mr. Gonzales, at least as was evident from the videotape recording
of the incident, Kummer walked around the car. He opened the car’s rear,
passenger-side door after Mr. Gonzales unlocked it, either manually by reaching
over the seat or by using the remote release.
Sergeant Kummer opened the lid to a cooler located in the back seat.
Conversing with Mr. Gonzales about the contents of the cooler while
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simultaneously rummaging through it, Sergeant Kummer located a plastic
container, which he opened. In it he discovered what he believed to be an illegal
substance. He placed Mr. Gonzales under arrest.
Mr. Gonzales was indicted for possession of methamphetamine with intent
to distribute. The district court denied his motion to suppress the evidence
obtained from the vehicle search as well as his motion for reconsideration. He
then entered a conditional plea of guilty to count one of the indictment and was
sentenced to an 87-month term of imprisonment.
On appeal, Mr. Gonzales asserts that the district court erred in failing to
suppress evidence obtained from the traffic stop on the following grounds: the
initial stop was unjustified; even if the stop was justified, the continued detention
and questioning exceeded the permissible scope of the stop; and there was no
“objectively reasonable and articulable suspicion” sufficient to justify the
continued detention.
We review factual findings from the denial of a criminal defendant’s
motion to suppress evidence for clear error, viewing the evidence in the light
most favorable to the government. See United States v. Gordon, 173 F.3d 761,
765 (10 th Cir. 1999). We review de novo questions of law, including ultimate
determinations of reasonableness. See id.Addressing the first argument raised on appeal, we find no error in the
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district court’s determination that the initial stop of Mr. Gonzales’ vehicle was
justified. A traffic stop constitutes a “seizure” within the meaning of the Fourth
Amendment and is therefore subject to the “reasonableness” requirement. See
Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 653 (1979). This requirement is met if the
officer has either probable cause to believe that a traffic violation was committed
by the motorist, or a reasonable articulable suspicion that the driver violated the
jurisdiction’s traffic regulations. See United States v. Ozbirn, 189 F.3d 1194,
1197 (10 th Cir. 1999). After hearing the testimony, the district court found
Sergeant Kummer’s testimony to be both credible and sufficient to either support
probable cause to stop Mr. Gonzales’ car, or alternatively, to provide a reasonable
articulable suspicion for the stop. We see no error in this determination.
Nor are we persuaded the district court erred in determining that Mr.
Gonzales voluntarily consented to the continued detention and questioning, as
well as to the search of his vehicle and its contents. Once a driver has produced a
valid driver’s license and vehicle registration, an officer conducting a routine
traffic stop is prohibited from continuing to detain the motorist, subject to two
exceptions. See United States v. Gonzalez-Lerma, 14 F.3d 1479, 1483 (10 th Cir.
1994) (internal citations omitted). Applicable to this case is the exception created
when the encounter between the officer and the citizen becomes consensual. See
id. Correctly applying a totality of the circumstances test, the district court found
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that the initial stop had become a “consensual encounter” between Mr. Gonzales
and Sergeant Kummer. The evidence supports that conclusion.
Finally, we find no error in the district court’s determination that Mr.
Gonzales voluntarily consented to the search of his automobile. In general, a
warrantless search is permissible when the acting officer obtains valid consent to
perform the search in question. See Florida v. Jimeno, 500 U.S. 248, 250-51
(1991). The scope of this search is limited by the scope of the consent given, and
is assessed according to an objective standard of reasonableness. See id at 251-
252. Under this standard, a suspect’s general consent to search an area is deemed
to extend to a search of any containers within that area that could hold
contraband, unless the suspect has limited the scope of the search consented to or
has withdrawn consent to the search. See id. A defendant’s failure to limit or
withdraw the consent indicates the search was performed in accordance with the
consent given. See United States v. Gordon, 173 F.3d at 766.
Applying these principles to the facts of this case supports our conclusion
that the search of the cooler and its plastic container did not exceed the scope of
Mr. Gonzales’ consent. The warrantless search of the vehicle was justified by
Mr. Gonzales’ voluntarily consent to it. The district court’s findings establish
that under an objective standard, Gonzales’ general consent to search would
include areas of the automobile in which weapons or drugs could be found.
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Sergeant Kummer asked Gonzales if he was carrying any of these items, and
immediately after Gonzales answered “no,” Kummer asked to inspect the trunk.
Mr. Gonzales answered affirmatively by opening the trunk lid with the remote
release. Clearly this search would reasonably be understood to be for the items
just mentioned by Sergeant Kummer.
Mr. Gonzales did not expressly or impliedly limit the bounds of the search,
nor did he clearly object to the search once Sergeant Kummer asked to extend it
to the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle. Gonzales again failed to object
to the continued search once Kummer had gained access to the back seat, opened
the cooler, rummaged through it, and then opened a container within the cooler.
Under an objective standard of reasonableness, these extended searches did not
exceed the boundaries of Gonzales’ original consent, because all the areas
searched were within the areas consented to, namely the passenger compartment
of the vehicle, and they were all capable of containing contraband.
For the foregoing reasons, Mr. Gonzales’ conviction and sentence are
AFFIRMED.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Stephanie K. Seymour
Circuit Judge
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