Opinion ID: 1194670
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Consent to Search the Truck

Text: Assuming that Figueroa-Espana did have a protected Fourth Amendment interest, his challenge would be short-lived, as the district court properly found that he consented to the search. The Fourth Amendment accommodates warrantless searches when law enforcement officials receive voluntary consent to search. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 219, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); United States v. Sandoval-Vasquez, 435 F.3d 739, 744 (7th Cir.2006). The government bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that consent was freely and voluntarily given. Sandoval-Vasquez, 435 F.3d at 744. Whether consent is voluntary is a question of fact, dependent upon the totality of the circumstances. Schneckloth, 412 U.S. at 227, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854; Sandoval-Vasquez, 435 F.3d at 744. We review a district court's finding that a defendant voluntarily consented to a search for clear error. United States v. Santiago, 428 F.3d 699, 704 (7th Cir.2005). In reviewing the court's finding, we must recall that a determination of voluntariness does not ride on the presence or absence of a single controlling factor. United States v. Johnson, 495 F.3d 536, 541 (7th Cir.2007) (citation omitted). Among the factors to be considered are: (1) the person's age, intelligence, and education; (2) whether he was advised of his constitutional rights; (3) how long he was detained before he gave his consent; (4) whether his consent was immediate, or was prompted by repeated requests by the authorities; (5) whether any physical coercion was used; and (6) whether the individual was in police custody when he gave his consent. Santiago, 428 F.3d at 704-05. The government presented ample evidence to demonstrate that Figueroa-Espana freely and voluntarily consented to the search of his truck. The troopers did not coerce him, physically or otherwise, to agree to the search. His consent was immediate, prompted by a single question by Trooper Wildauer. Trooper Wildauer informed Figueroa-Espana that he was not required to allow the search of the truck, but Figueroa-Espana consented anyway. Nothing in the record suggests that his age (forty-one) or intelligence rendered him unable to understand or comprehend the questions regarding consent. Considering the totality of the circumstances surrounding Figueroa-Espana's consent, we cannot say the district court clearly erred in finding that consent was voluntarily and freely given. Figueroa-Espana focuses on the insufficiency of Trooper Wildauer's Spanish-speaking skills in seeking consent. The district court observed the videotape and concluded that though Officer Wildauer's Spanish was accented and flawed, Figueroa-Espana understood the questions and responded accordingly. Officer Wildauer testified that he could sufficiently communicate with Figueroa-Espana on the key issues, and the district court found this testimony credible. The district court almost entirely discredited Figueroa-Espana's testimony on this matter; Figueroa-Espana stated in an affidavit filed for the suppression hearing that [f]rom the time of my stop until I was taken to the police station, the officers spoke to me only in English. Unfortunately for Figueroa-Espana, the video and audio recording of the encounter belied this statement. Determinations on the credibility of witnesses are the purview of the district court, United States v. Fields, 371 F.3d 910, 914 (7th Cir.2004), and we see no reason to disturb the district court's findings here. Figueroa-Espana finally contends that any consent given to the troopers was insufficient to purge the taint of what he argues was an illegal seizure of his person, see Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590, 603-04, 95 S.Ct. 2254, 45 L.Ed.2d 416 (1975); United States v. Green, 111 F.3d 515, 521 (7th Cir.1997); we have already concluded that the activation of the siren and subsequent questions asked by Trooper Wildauer were lawful, therefore this principle does not apply. See Sandoval-Vasquez, 435 F.3d at 745.