FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT N ove m be r 2, 2006 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 11563 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 5 - 6 0 2 1 9 - C R - KA M U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s R I C H A R D O W E N B R O W N , a .k .a . D w ig h t W y n te r , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( N ove m b e r 2, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , D U B IN A an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: A p p e lla n t R ic h a r d O w e n B r o w n ap p e a ls h is c o n v ic tio n f o rc o n s p ir a c y to2

i m por tc oc a i ne , c ons pi r a c y t o pos s e s s w i th i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e c oc a i ne , a nd a tt e m pt t o pos s e s s w i th i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e c oc a i ne , i n vi ol a t i on of 21 U . S . C . §§ 963 a nd 8 4 6 . O n ap p e a l, B r o w n a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e rr e d in d e n y in g h is m o tio n to supp re ss ph ys i ca l evi dence s ei ze d from hi s gi rl fr i end’ s c arbecause the po l i ce l ac ked p robabl e c ause t o searc h the ca r. B row n further a rgues thatthe po l i ce exce eded the sc op e of aval i d i nv ent ory s earc h w hen they r ea d the cont ent s of a doc um e ntf

ound i n the c a r , thus c onve r t i ng i ti nt o a n i nve s t i ga t ory s e a r c h. “ A di s tr i c tc our t ’ s rul i ng on am ot i on t o s uppr e s s pr e s e nt s am i xe d que s t i on of l a w a nd f

a c t . T hi s C ourtr e vi e w s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s f i ndi ng of f a c t s unde rthe c le a r ly e rr o n e o u s s ta n d a r d . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s ap p lic a tio n o f th e la w to th o s e f

a c ts i s s ubj ec tt o d e nov o revi ew . ” U n ite d S ta te s v . Za

p a ta , 1 8 0 F .3 d 1 2 3 7 , 1 2 4 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) ( c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . “F u r th e r , w h e n c o n s id e r in g aru lin g o n am o tio n to s u p p r e s s , a ll f

a c ts a r e c o n s tru e d in th e lig h t m o s t f a v o r ab le to th e p r e v a ilin g p a r ty bel ow . ” U

ni te d State s v . B e r v aldi , 22 6 F . 3d 12 56 , 12 62 (11th C i r. 20 00 ). A pa r ty m ovi ng t o s uppr e s s e vi de nc e m us tf i r s ts how tha the ha s s t a ndi ng, c o n s is tin g o f

“ale g itim a te e x p e c ta tio n o f p r iv a c y ” in th e c a rb e in g s e a r c h e d . U ni ted Stat es v. Mi l ler , 821 F . 2d 546, 548 ( 11th C i r . 1987) . O n appe a l , the gove rnm e ntdoe s notdi s put e tha tB r ow n ha s s t a ndi ng t o c ha l l e nge the s e a r c h of the c a ra t is s u e , e v e n th o u g h h is g ir lf r ie n d o w n e d it. F u r th e rm o r e , th e r e c o r d r e f le c ts3

thatB row n h ad a r ea sonabl e e xp ec t at i on of pri vacyi n the ca r bec ause B row n h ad p e rm is s io n to d r iv e it. See U ni ted Stat es v. Mi l ler , 82 1 F . 2d 54 6, 54 8 (11 th C i r. 1987) ( hol di ng tha tadr i ve rof aborr ow e d c a rha d al e gi t i m a t e e xpe c t a t i on of pri vacyi n i t , and thu s, had st andi ng t o chal l enge a s earc h o f the ca r) . I n m os tc i r c um s t a nc e s , unl e s s the r e i s c ons e nt , pol i c e of f i c e r s m us tobt a i n a w a rr a n t s u p p o r te d b y p r o b ab le c au s e to ju s tif y as e a r c h u n d e rth e F o u r th A m e n d m e n t. U

n ite d S ta te s v . M

a g lu ta , 41 8 F . 3d 11 66 , 11 82 (11th C i r. 20 05 ), ce rt. deni ed , 1 2 6 S . C t. 2 9 6 6 ( 2 0 0 6 ) . T h e r e a r e , h o w e v e r , s e v e r a l e x c e p tio n s to thi s rul e, i ncl ud i ng “ the aut om ob i l e e xcept i on , ” w hi ch al l ow s “ offi ce rs [t o] se ar ch a n y c o n ta in e rin a n o p e r a tio n a l c a rw ith o u t aw a rr a n t a s lo n g a s th e y h a v e p r o b ab le cause t o b el i eve thatthe cont ai ner hol ds evi dence of a c ri m e. ” Id . ( c i t i ng C al i f orni a v . A c e v e do , 500 U . S . 565, 579- 80, 111 S . C t . 1982, 1991, 114 L . E d. 2d 619 ( 1991) ) . “ P r obabl e c aus e f oras e a r c h e xi s t s w he n unde rthe t ot a l i ty of the c ir c u m s ta n c e s th e r e is af a irp r o b ab ility th a t c o n tr ab a n d o re v id e n c e o f ac r im e w ill be foun d i n a part i cul arpl ac e. ” Id . (quo t at i on s and ci t at i on s om i tt ed). “ In e xa m i ni ng the t ot a l i ty of the c i r c um s t a nc e s , ar e vi e w i ng c our tm us tgi ve due w ei gh tt o the offi ce r’ s e xp er i ence . ” U ni te d State s v . B r i

ggm an , 931 F . 2d 705, 709 (11th C i r. 19 91 ). F urtherm ore, i nv ent ory s earc hes, i n acc ordance w i th rea sonabl e pol i ce4

p o lic y , a r e a ls o p e rm is s ib le . C olor ado v . B e r t i ne 4 7 9 U .S . 3 6 7 , 3 7 4 , 1 0 7 S . C t. 73 8, 74 2, 93 L . E d. 2d 73 9 (19 87 ). A n i nv ent ory s earc h p erm i t s atho roug h searc h of pr ope r ty l a w f

ul l y i n pol i c e c us t ody , a s l ong a s tha ts e a r c h i s c ons i s t e ntw i th the p o lic e c a r e ta k in g f

u n c tio n . U

ni te d State s v . O ’B r

y ant , 7 7 5 F .2 d 1 5 2 8 , 1 5 3 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 5 ) . P r o b ab le c au s e is n o t r e q u ir e d to c o n d u c t av a lid in v e n to ry s e a r c h . I llin o is v . L a

fa y e tte , 462 U . S . 640, 643, 103 S . C t . 2605, 2608, 77 L . E d. 2d 65 ( 1 9 8 3 ) . I n th is c o n te x t, “th e le g itim a c y o f th e s e a r c h . . . tu rn s o n its re as on abl enes s i n l i gh tof the com m un i ty c ar et aki ng funct i on s thatal l ow i nv ent ory s e a r c he s . . . . [ T ] he r e a s onabl e ne s s of the i nve nt ory s e a r c h de pe nds on the part i cul arfa ct s and ci rc um st ance s. ” U ni te d State s v . L ai ng , 708 F . 2d 1568, 1571 (11th C i r. 19 83 ). W e have hel d that“ the m er e e xp ec t at i on of un coveri ng evi dence w i l l no tvi t i at e an o therw i se val i d i nv ent ory s earc h. ” U ni te d State s v . R obe rs on , 8 9 7 F .2 d 1 0 9 2 , 1 0 9 6 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 0 ) ( q u o ta tio n a n d c ita tio n o m itte d ) . B a s e d on the t ot a l i ty of

the e vi de nc e know n a tthe t i m e , w e c onc l ude f r om th e r e c o r d th a t au th o r itie s h a d ar e a s o n ab le b e lie f th a t B r o w n u s e d th e c a rto f a c i l i t a t e the drug tr a ns a c t i on a nd ar e a s onabl e be l i e f tha tthe y w oul d f

i nd drugs or o th e re v id e n c e o f

c r im in a l a c tiv ity in s id e th e c a r . T h u s , au th o r itie s h a d p r o b ab le c au s e to s e a r c h th e c a ra n d th e s e a r c h w a s p e rm is s ib le u n d e rth e “au to m o b ile e x c e p tio n ” to th e F o u r th A m e n d m e n t’s w a rr a n t r e q u ir e m e n t. See M a g lu ta , 4185

F . 3d at11 82 -83. W e do n otaddres s w hether autho ri t i es exce eded the sc op e of a va l i d i nve nt ory s e a r c h by r e a di ng the c ont e nt s of the s e i z e d doc um e nt s be c aus e the w a rr a nt l e s s s e ar c h of

C a r l i t a ’ s c a rw a s othe rw i s e s uppor t e d by pr obabl e c aus e , a nd th u s , th e d is tr ic t c o u r t d id n o t e rrin d e n y in g B r o w n ’s m o tio n to s u p p r e s s . A c c or di ngl y , w e a f

f i rm B r ow n’ s c onvi c t i on. AF F I RME D.