Opinion ID: 797828
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Consent Pursuant to an Illegal Detention

Text: 43 Finally, Raul Stevens asserts that even if he did consent to the search, his consent was not voluntary if it was given pursuant to an illegal detention. Consent to search may, but does not necessarily, dissipate the taint of a fourth amendment violation. Chavez-Villarreal, 3 F.3d at 127. Raul Stevens asserts in conclusory fashion that he was illegally detained and that there were no intervening circumstances between his illegal detention and his statement of consent to remove the taint of the illegal detention. The reasonableness of a traffic stop is a conclusion of law, Harrison, 918 F.2d at 473, and because Raul Stevens raised the legitimacy of the traffic stop below, our review is de novo, Chavez-Villarreal, 3 F.3d at 126. 44 The reasonableness of traffic stops and investigative detentions of motorists who are suspected of criminal activity is analyzed under the framework established in Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). See United States v. Sharpe, 470 U.S. 675, 682, 105 S.Ct. 1568, 84 L.Ed.2d 605 (1985) (applying Terry analysis to stop of vehicles suspected of transporting drugs); Harrison, 918 F.2d at 472 (applying Terry analysis to night-time stop of vehicle driving without lights after it was observed driving away from rural airstrip where airplane suspected of carrying illegal drugs had landed); United States v. Valadez, 267 F.3d 395, 397-98 (5th Cir.2001) (applying Terry analysis to stop of vehicle for two suspected traffic violations). Under Terry, we determine the reasonableness of an investigative stop by examining: (1) whether the officer's action of stopping the vehicle was justified at its inception, and (2) whether the officer's actions were reasonably related in scope to the circumstances that justified the stop. Terry, 392 U.S. at 19-20, 88 S.Ct. 1868; Valadez, 267 F.3d at 398. 45 Raul Stevens raises two arguments for why his detention was illegal. Raul Stevens first articulates that his detention was unlawful because the initial traffic stop based on the illegal lane change was pretextual. But it is well established that [s]o long as a traffic law infraction that would have objectively justified the stop had taken place, the fact that the police officer may have made the stop for a reason other than the occurrence of the traffic infraction is irrelevant for purposes of the Fourth Amendment. Goodwin v. Johnson, 132 F.3d 162, 173 (5th Cir.1998) (emphasis added) (citing Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 116 S.Ct. 1769, 135 L.Ed.2d 89 (1996)). The district court credited Agent Gentry's testimony and concluded that the traffic stop was objectively reasonable because Raul Stevens made an illegal lane change. The record supports this conclusion, and at oral argument Raul Stevens admitted that he did not dispute that he changed lanes illegally. Therefore, his first argument has no merit. 46 Second, at oral argument, Raul Stevens argued that his detention became unreasonable (and therefore illegal) under Terry 's second prong because the basis for the traffic stop was the illegal lane change but the subsequent actions of the officers were not reasonably related to the illegal lane change justifying the stop. His argument, however, ignores the district court's conclusion that the stop was independently valid under Terry because officers were aware of sufficient articulable facts to form a reasonable suspicion that the Expedition was involved in criminal activity apart from the illegal lane change. Giving a pretextual traffic violation as the reason for a stop does not invalidate an otherwise justified stop. Cf. Harrison, 918 F.2d at 472 (stopping vehicle for articulated reasons of driving above speed limit and without lights not illegal where officer independently had reasonable suspicion that vehicle was trafficking drugs). Important to our decision is the fact that Raul Stevens does not argue under Terry 's first prong that officers did not have reasonable suspicion to justify the stop based on their surveillance of the Dana house and the meetings between Espinosa, Alejandro Stevens, and the informant. Even more important is the fact that he does not argue under Terry 's second prong that the subsequent actions of the officers exceeded the scope of this independent justification for stopping the vehicle. Inadequately briefed issues are deemed abandoned. Charles, 469 F.3d at 408 (citing Dardar, 985 F.2d at 831). 47 Concluding that none of Raul Stevens's arguments for suppression is availing, we affirm the district court's denial of his motion to suppress.