Opinion ID: 710261
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Motions to Suppress Evidence Seized During Vehicle Searches

Text: 73 Appellants Lipp and Boyle each allege violations of the Fourth Amendment in the admission of certain items of evidence at trial. Lipp argues that the district court should have granted his motion to suppress evidence found during a September 16, 1990 search of his truck. Similarly, Boyle argues that the district court erroneously denied her pretrial motion to suppress all evidence seized after the police stopped and searched her Suburban on September 17, 1990. We review the factual findings underlying the district court's denial of a motion to suppress evidence for clear error. United States v. Flores, 48 F.3d 467, 468 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 116 S.Ct. 122, 133 L.Ed.2d 72 (1995). However, the ultimate determination of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is a legal question which we review de novo. Id. 74
75 Lipp challenges the district court's ruling that the evidentiary items seized from his truck were admissible as fruits of a consensual search. Lipp contends that although he consented to a search of the passenger cab of his truck, his consent did not extend to the rear camper shell area. Thus, Lipp argues, the evidence seized from the rear of the truck--marijuana seeds, residue, processed marijuana, camouflage netting, a 9 mm handgun, and a machete--should have been excluded at trial. 76 The scope of a consent search is limited by the breadth of the consent given. United States v. Pena, 920 F.2d 1509, 1514 (10th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1207, 111 S.Ct. 2802, 115 L.Ed.2d 975 (1991). In the instant case, Lipp was pulled over for a defective license plate light. Trooper Weigel issued Lipp a warning and then asked Lipp for permission to search the car for guns or contraband. Lipp replied, Yeah, go ahead and look if you want. After searching the passenger cab and finding some knives, trash bags and a set of brass knuckles, Trooper Weigel opened up the camper shell and conducted a search of the truck's bed. At no time during this search did Lipp object or attempt to confine the scope of the search. In denying Lipp's suppression motion, the trial judge found that Lipp consented to the search, that Lipp's consent was specific and voluntarily given, and that the search of the rear camper area did not exceed the scope of the search. We agree. 77 The standard for measuring the scope of a suspect's consent is that of  'objective' reasonableness--what would the typical reasonable person have understood by the exchange between the officer and the suspect? Florida v. Jimeno, 500 U.S. 248, 251, 111 S.Ct. 1801, 1803-04, 114 L.Ed.2d 297 (1991). In Jimeno, the Court held that a suspect's consent to search his car for drugs included consent to search a container in the car that might reasonably hold drugs. Id. at 249, 111 S.Ct. at 1802-03. In so holding, the Court noted that the suspect had given the police officer a general consent to search the car, and had placed no explicit limitation on the scope of the search. Id. at 251, 111 S.Ct. at 1803-04. We too have held that where a suspect does not limit the scope of a search, and does not object when the search exceeds what he later claims was a more limited consent, an officer is justified in searching the entire vehicle. See, e.g., Pena, 920 F.2d at 1515 ([F]ailure to object to the continuation of the search under these circumstances may be considered an indication that the search was within the scope of the consent.); United States v. Deases, 918 F.2d 118, 122 (10th Cir.1990) (Consent to search a car means to search the entire car and whatever is in it, unless such consent is otherwise restricted.), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1233, 111 S.Ct. 2859, 115 L.Ed.2d 1026 (1991). Lipp's argument may be disposed of in a similar fashion. Trooper Weigel asked Lipp generally if he could search the car for drugs or contraband. Lipp consented, but placed no limits on the search. Neither did he later object when the search extended to the bed of the truck. Under these circumstances, we conclude that the search of Lipp's truck was valid. 78
79 The district court ruled that the items seized during the search of Boyle's Suburban were admissible because, inter alia, the police had probable cause to believe that the vehicle contained contraband. See United States v. Crabb, 952 F.2d 1245, 1246 (10th Cir.1991) (given probable cause to believe that the vehicle contains contraband, the Constitution does not require law enforcement agents to obtain a warrant before searching the vehicle), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 925, 112 S.Ct. 1981, 118 L.Ed.2d 579 (1992). After reviewing the record and the district court's findings, we agree. 13 80 Prior to stopping the Suburban, the police obtained information from Carla Wacker, the government's confidential informant, indicating that the vehicle was being used to transport processed marijuana from the drug operation for distribution in New York, and that the occupants (identified as Van Pelt, Boyle and Cooley) were each carrying large amounts of cash from drug transactions. Carla Wacker also informed police that the vehicle was parked at a campsite in the area, and that Van Pelt, Boyle and Cooley were camping in the area temporarily while harvesting marijuana on the Wacker farm. Based on this information, the police conducted aerial surveillance of the Wacker farm. On September 16, 1990, surveillance agents observed the Suburban going into the Down Yonder area of the farm. The agents subsequently searched the area where the vehicle had been and found six plastic trash bags containing processed marijuana. Because the police surveillance largely corroborated the information provided by Carla Wacker, we agree that the agents had probable cause to believe the vehicle was being used to transport marijuana and that the vehicle likely contained drugs, weapons, or other instrumentalities of crime. See Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 237-38, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2331-32, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983) (information provided by police informant may provide probable cause to search, particularly when supplemented by independent police investigation). Because they possessed probable cause, the police were not required to obtain a warrant before searching the vehicle. United States v. Arzaga, 9 F.3d 91, 94 (10th Cir.1993).