Opinion ID: 1326554
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Pretrial Motion to Suppress Evidence.

Text: Black argues that the trial court erred in denying his pretrial motion to suppress all evidence gained by means of the warrantless search of Baumgardner's garage, including evidence subsequently seized pursuant to the search warrant. The basis for the motion was that Baumgardner had no authority to consent to the warrantless search. At the hearing on the motion, the evidence was conflicting. Baumgardner testified that he had rented the partially completed building to Black and was compensated by Black's completion of the construction; that he, the owner, possessed a key to the building only for the purpose of repairing the furnace; and that he had no authority to permit the officers to enter and did so only when they threatened to get a search warrant. The investigating officers, Rouse and Turner, testified that Baumgardner told them that he owned the building; that Black also used it because he had done some work on it; that when they asked Baumgardner for permission to search, he made a telephone call and then voluntarily unlocked the garage door and permitted them to enter. They denied that Baumgardner told them that he had no authority to permit them to search the premises. Baumgardner said that the building was approximately 30 feet by 40 feet in size, and that he kept therein his riding mower, forced-air heater, electric welder, and tiller. He testified that when the officers asked for permission to search the building, he discussed the request by telephone with Black's mother (Baumgardner's mother-in-law) and told her that there wasn't anything to do but let them in. Baumgardner said that he informed the officers that he had no right to do so but that he was going to let them enter. Testifying for her son, Black's mother stated that Baumgardner did call her and asked for advice, and she told him to do whatever he thought was right. Black did not testify at the suppression hearing. The burden is on the Commonwealth to prove the voluntariness of a consent to search, but whether the consent was voluntarily given is a question of fact to be determined from the totality of all the circumstances. Lowe v. Commonwealth, 218 Va. 670, 678, 239 S.E.2d 112, 117 (1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 930, 98 S.Ct. 1502, 55 L.Ed.2d 526 (1978), quoting from Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 227, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2047, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973). Moreover, the consent to search given by one with common authority over property is valid as against the absent, non-consenting person with whom the authority is shared. United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 170, 94 S.Ct. 988, 992, 39 L.Ed.2d 242 (1974). Viewing the record in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, as we must, we conclude that there was ample evidence that Baumgardner retained the right of access to his garage, that he exercised joint authority with Black over the premises, and that he had authority to consent and did voluntarily consent to the warrantless search. This evidence adequately supports the trial court's action in denying the motion to suppress.