Opinion ID: 1742511
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: The Pretextual Arrest

Text: The officers who arrested Langley did so under the authority of a valid warrant. Thus, their subjective intent to examine defendant about the murder is not significant. Subjective intent alone ... does not make otherwise lawful conduct illegal or unconstitutional. Scott v. United States, 436 U.S. 128, 136, 98 S.Ct. 1717, 1723, 56 L.Ed.2d 168 (1978). The relevant principle of Scott is that so long as police do no more than they are objectively authorized and legally permitted to do, their motives in doing so are irrelevant and hence not subject to inquiry. United States v. Causey, 834 F.2d 1179, 1184 (5th Cir.1987) (citing Scott ). Like Langley, the defendant in Causey sought to have his confession suppressed because he was arrested under a warrant for one crime, but questioned about another. Causey, 834 F.2d at 1180. The Fifth Circuit noted that the rule of suppression exists to deter unlawful actions by police. Where nothing has been done that is objectively unlawful, the exclusionary rule has no application. Causey, 834 F.2d at 1185 (emphasis in original). Therefore, even though the police suspected that the defendant was involved in the disappearance of Jeremy Guillory, the arrest was nonetheless proper because they had an objective reason to arrest him for violation of his Georgia parole. See also Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 116 S.Ct. 1769, 135 L.Ed.2d 89 (1996) (allowing pretextual warrantless arrests based on probable cause). Finally on the suppression issue, when the defendant was arrested, the officers properly explained his Miranda rights to him. He indicated he understood his rights and confessed to killing Jeremy Guillory. He was subsequently advised of his rights no fewer than three more times, and he waived his rights each time. His confession was voluntary and untainted by any form of coercion or undue influence. There is, therefore, no basis for suppressing the confession or any other evidence seized pursuant to defendant's arrest.