Opinion ID: 877860
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the search of defendant's vehicle

Text: The defendant contends his consent to search his truck was involuntary because the officers failed to inform him of his right to refuse consent and therefore he could not intelligently give his consent. The United States Supreme Court has expressly rejected such an argument in Schneckloth v. Bustamonte (1973), 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854, and we see no reason to impose a stricter standard under our own constitution. The voluntariness of consent is a question of fact, to be determined from the totality of the circumstances. The defendant's knowledge of his right to refuse the search is not controlling, but it is a factor to be taken into account. Bustamonte, supra. The defendant also contends that the presence of five police officers was so inordinately coercive that the defendant's consent was not truly voluntary. The defendant's offer to smoke any marijuana found in his vehicle belies his claim that he was intimidated by the presence of the officers because he opened the tool box to facilitate the search. Not a scrap of evidence suggests that defendant's consent was coerced. The totality of the circumstance clearly establishes the defendant's voluntary consent to the search of his vehicle.