Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 , the court has determined that this opinionshould not * be publishe d and is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNITED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHEFIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 09- 30093 Su m m ar yC al endar

UN I TE D S TA TE S OF AM ERI CA, P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l ee

v. NAT HANI ELS I NGL ET ON , D e fe nda nt
- Appe l l ant

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f ort he W es t er n D i st r i c tof Loui si ana U SD C N o. 2: 07- C R

- 20102- 1

B ef ore B E N AV ID E S , P R A D O an d S O U T H W IC K , C i rcui tJu dg es. P E R C U R IA M: * Aj u ry f ou n d N athan i elSingl et on gu i l t y of b e in ga fe l on i n possess i on of a f i r ear m ( C ountO ne) , pos se ss i on w i t h i nt entt o di st r ibut e a ppro xi m at ely 39. 25 gr am s o f c o c ai ne ( Count Tw o ) , and po s s e s s i o n o f a f i r e ar m dur i ng a dr ug t r af f i c ki ng c r i m e ( C ountTh r ee ) , i n vi ol a ti on o f 18 U
. S. C

. §§ 922 ( g) ( 1) & 924 (c) ( 1) (A)(i) an d 21 U
. S

. C

. § 841(a) ( 1) , af t er pol i ce r ecovered dru gs, pa r ap he r nali a, a nd al o ad e d ha ndg un f r o m hi s ve hi c l e dur i ng a t r af f i c s t o p. The di s t r i c tc o ur ti m po s e d c o nc ur r e nt1 20

- m o nt h pr i s o n t e r m s f o rCount s O ne a nd United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D April22, 2010 Lyle W . Cayce Clerk Case: 09-30093 Document: 00511089101 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/22/2010N o. 09- 30093

2 Tw o , a l o n g w i t h ac o ns e c ut ive6 0- m o nth pr i s o n t e r m f o rCountThr e e . The di st ri ctcourt al so i m poseda t ot alof f ive years of

sup ervi sed rel ease. Si n gl et on a p p e a ls h is co n v ic tio n a n ds e n te n c e , co n te n d in gth a t t h e d is tr ic t co u r t e r r e din
o v e r r u lin gh is m o tio n to s u p p r e s s th e e v id e n c e b e c a u s e th e r e w a s n o p r o b a b le
c aus e t o pr o l o ng hi s de t e nt i o n. O n appealof

t he deni alof

a m ot i on t o suppr es s, w e r evi ew fac t ualf i ndi ngs fo rc l e a re r r o ra n dl e g a lc o n c l u s i o n s o n F o u r t h Ame n d m e n ti s s u e s , i n c l u di ng dete r m i nat i o ns r e ga r di ng r e as o nab l e s us pi c i o n a nd p r o babl e c aus e , deno vo. Un ited S ta tes v. Za v a la , 541 F
. 3d562 , 573

- 74 ( 5th Ci r . 2 00 8)

. “A fac t ualf i ndi ng i s not cl earl y erroneou s as l on g as i ti s pl au sibl e i n l i gh t o f t h e rec ord as a
w h ole. ” Un i t ed S t ate s v. Ja cqu i n ot , 258 F
. 3d 423 , 427 ( 5th C i r. 200 1)

. E vi den ce is v ie w e dint h e l ig h t m o s t fa v o r a b le to th e p r e v a ilin gp a r ty
. Uni t e d S t at e s v. Ibarra , 4 93 F. 3d5 26 , 5 30 ( 5th Ci r . 2 00 7)

. Al li nfe r e nces ar e i ndul ge d i n t he fa v o ro f th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e n ia l o f t h e s u p p r e s s io n m o tio n . Uni t e d S t at e s v. Po lk , 1 1 8 F .3d2 8 6 , 2 9 6 (5t h C ir. 1 9 9 7 ). G reatdeference i s given t o t h e di st ri ct
c our t ’ s abil i t y t o o bs erve t he dem eanorof th e w i tn ess es and j udge c r edibi l i t y. SeeUni t e d S t at e sv. G i bbs , 4 2 1 F .3d3 5 2 , 3 5 7 (5t h C ir. 2 0 0 5 ). W hen t he purpo se s of a v al i d t r af

f i cs t op h a ve be en c om pl et ed and an of f i cer h as ei t h er verif

i ed or di spel l ed hi s i n i t i al susp i ci on s, t h e detenti on m u st al soend “unl es s th ere i s addi t i onalr eas onabl e s uspi c i on s upport ed by
a rti cu l a b l e facts. ” Uni t e d St at e sv . Es t r ada , 4 5 9 F .3d6 2 7 , 6 3 1 (5 th C ir. 2 0 0 6 ). R eason able susp i ci on t o conti n u e a t raf f i c s t op exi st s w h en t h e “ detai n i n g of f i cer ca n po i n t t o sp ecif

i c an dar tic u la b l e facts th a t, w h en tak en toge th er w i th
r a tio n a l in fe r e n c e s fr o m th o s e fa cts, rea son ab lyw a r r a n t t h e s e a r c h a n ds e iz u r e .” I d. W e deter m i n e reasonab l en ess by exa m i n i n g t h e t o t al i t y of t h e circum st an ces e x is tin ga tt h e t i m e o f th e s to p . Uni t e d St at e sv . Br igha m , 382 F. 3d 500, 508 ( 5th Ci r . 200 4) ( e n b anc)

. M o r e o ve r , i n m ak i ng a r e as o nab l e ne s s de t e r m i nat i o n, w e a f f or d due w ei ghtt o the fac t ualin feren ces and deduc t i ons dr aw n by l aw Case: 09-30093 Document: 00511089101 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/22/2010N o. 09- 30093

3 e nf o r c e m en toff

i c e r s , w hi c h a r e b as e d o n t he i rc o l l e c t ivee xp e r i e nc e a nd
s p e c ia liz e dtr a in in g . I d. at507. T est i m on y f

rom t h e sup pressi on hea ri n g reveal ed that C orporalA u drey C raw f ord cond u ct ed a l egal sto p , pu rsuan tt o T er ry v. O h io , 3 9 2 U .S

. 1 (19 6 8 ), af t er w i t n essi n g S i n gl et on com m i ta t ra f f i c vi ol ati on . D u ri n g t h e course of che ck in g S i n gl et on ’ s li cense, regi st rat i on , an d i n suran ce, C orporalC raw f ord observed S i n gl et on reach i n g u n der t h e driver’ s s eat. Th e of f i cer asked Singl et on t o st op and t o pl ace h i s h an ds i n pl ai n si gh t
. S i n gl et on ref u sed an d co n t i n u ed t o reach un der t h e seat
. Fea ri n g t h at th ere m ay be a w e ap on i n t h e veh i cl e, C o r p o r a l C r a w fo r dth e n , la w fu lly , a s k e dS in g le to n to s te p o u t of th e v e h ic le
. S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. Iba rra- S an chez , 199 F. 3d 753, 761 ( 5t h C i r . 1999) (not i ng t hat
onc e ave hi c l e h a s b ee n l aw f ul l y s t opped f

ora t r af

f i cvi ol at i on, an of

f i c erm ay order t h e driver out of t h e veh i cl e pen di n g com pl et i on of t h e T err y sto p ). C orporalC ra w f

ord observed that, up on exi t i n g t h e veh i cl e, Singl et on t hre w s om eth i n g ou tof t he pas se ngers i de w i ndow
. W hen as ked w hathe had t hro w n, Si n gleton i m pl ausibly de ni ed havi ng t hro w n anyt hi ng. Corpo r al Cr a wf o r d t h e n e s c o r t e d S i n g l e t o n t o t h e b u m p e r o f t h e v e h i c l e whe r e he
c o nduc t e d a n o f

f i c e rs af e t y pa tdo w n s e ar c h, w hi c h r e ve al e d $ 28 00 i n c as h, a nd
con t i n u ed to qu est i on Singl et on on the i t em t h row n out of t h e w i n dow
. M ere q u estion i n g is ne i th er a sea rch n or a seizu re w i th i n th e m ea n i n g of th e F ou rth A m e n d m e n t. S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. S h ab azz , 9 9 3 F .2d4 3 1 , 4 3 6 (5t h C ir. 1 9 9 3 ). O t h er of

f i cers arrivedon the scene w i t h i n the m i n u t e an d qu i ckl y l ocat ed
a cl ear p l astic baggie contai n i n g a w h i t e roc k-li ke su bstance bel i evedt o be cr ack
c o c a in e . T h e b a g g ie w a s d is c o v e r e d in th e g r a s s y a r e a n e x t to S in g le to n ’ s v e h ic le i n t h e gen eralvi ci n i t y of w h ere t h e i t em C orporalC raw f ord ha d seen Singl et on t h row w ou l d h ave been expected to la n d . Si n gl et on w as t h en pl aced u n der
ar r e s t , a nd the r e s ul t i ng s e ar c h o f hi s v e hi c l e r e v e a l e da n o th e rb ag gi e c o nt ai ni ng aw h ite r o c k -lik e s u b s ta n c e u n d e r n e a th th e d r iv e r ’ s s e a t, alo a d e dh a n d g u n in th e c e n te r c o n s o le , a n do th e rd r u gp a r a p h e r n a liainth e tr u n k
. S ee Un i t ed S t ate s Case: 09-30093 Document: 00511089101 Page: 3 Date Filed: 04/22/2010N o. 09- 30093

4 v. Henry , 3 72 F. 3d7 14, 7 16 ( 5th Ci r . 2 00 4) (no t i ng t hatc o nt r ab andf r o m t he tr u n k o f th e v e h ic le w a s p r o p e r ly s e iz e d b e c a u s e o ffic e r h a d a r tic u la b le
reasona bl e suspi ci on of il l egal act ivi t y t h rough ou tdu rat i on of t raf f i c s t op ba sed on t he def

endant ’ s nervous nes s, i nabi l i t y t op r o vi d eb a s icinf o r m a ti o n, and baggy
c lo t h in gin a d d i t i o n t o t h e d is c o v e r yo f fa k e id e n t if ic a t io n in th e d e fe n d a n t ’s
so ck ). C or por alC r aw f or d w as never abl e t o ver if y hi s i ni t i als uspi c i ons orr es olve t h e ori gin a l p u rpose of t h e t raf

f i c s t op, an d throug h ou tt h e st op, Singl et on c o n t in u e dto p r o v id e n e w , in d e p e n d e n tr e a s o n s to j u s t if yC o r p o r a l C r a w fo r d ’s
r e as o nab l e s us pi ci o n t o pr o l o ng t he de t e nt i o n. Bas e d o n t he t o t ali t y o f t he
c ir c u m s ta n c e s a n dth e tim in ga n ds e q u e n c e o f e v e n ts , th e d is tr ic t co u r t p r o p e r ly concl u dedt h at C orporalC raw f ord ha d reason able susp i ci on t o detai n Singl et on b a s e do n s p e c ifica n da r tic u la b le fa c ts th a t d e v e lo p e dd u r in gth e s t o p . S ee Est r ada , 459 F. 3d 627, 631 ;Br igha m , 3 82 F. 3da t5 07

- 08. Ac c o r di ngly, t he j u d g me n ti s A F F I RMED. Case: 09-30093 Document: 00511089101 Page: 4 Date Filed: 04/22/2010