Opinion ID: 1700441
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did Ms. Ugalde consent to the search?

Text: Essentially, Fountain contends there was no competent evidence that Ms. Ugalde consented to the search of her apartment and, consequently, the search which revealed his jacket and the LSD contained in it was constitutionally infirm. He argues that the testimony of Agent Mohr alone is insufficient to show consent by clear and convincing evidence because it was not Agent Mohr himself who asked for and received the consent of Ms. Ugalde, and Agent Mohr was not present during the conversation where the consent was requested and given. As noted previously, the presence or absence of consent to a search is a question of fact, the evidence of which must be reviewed in a light most favorable to the trial court's determination. Almond; Zachodni. The State must prove the existence of valid consent by clear and convincing evidence. Almond, 511 N.W.2d at 576. In those instances where there exists both shared use and joint access or control of the premises or effects in question, a third party may validly consent to the search of the other's property. United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 94 S.Ct. 988, 993, 39 L.Ed.2d 242, 250, n. 7 (1974); Zachodni, 466 N.W.2d at 628. An overnight guest who shares use and access of the premises in question is subject to the third-party consent of his host to search the nonconsenting guest's effects, and such third-party consent is sufficient to constitute a valid search under the Fourth Amendment. Minnesota v. Olson, 495 U.S. 91, 110 S.Ct. 1684, 109 L.Ed.2d 85 (1990); Zachodni, 466 N.W.2d at 628. Fountain does not dispute that the apartment was Ms. Ugalde's personal residence, that she had authority to permit a search of her own residence, or that he was an overnight guest. The trial court made specific findings regarding whether Ms. Ugalde had consented to the search of her apartment: 11. Officers then asked Billy Jo Ugalde for permission to search the entire house and she gave them her consent. 12. While the officers were searching the residence, a young girl pointed out Fountain's jean jacket lying eight to ten feet from where Fountain had been sleeping.       17. Chad Fountain ... was an overnight guest on November 10, 1993. Despite these findings, Fountain argues that the testimony of Agent Mohr that consent was given by Ms. Ugalde to Detective Satterlee outside of Agent Mohr's presence does not constitute clear and convincing evidence necessary to support the finding that Ms. Ugalde gave her consent to search. The trial court's finding will be reversed as clearly erroneous if, and only if, after reviewing all of the evidence, this Court is left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made. Almond, 511 N.W.2d at 576. Agent Mohr did not have first-hand knowledge that Ms. Ugalde had given her consent to the search. There is no doubt that had the State called either Detective Satterlee or Ms. Ugalde to testify it would have obviated the need for appellate review of this issue. Unfortunately, the State chose not to do so, and we must consider whether Agent Mohr's testimony was sufficient to support the trial court's finding of consent by clear and convincing evidence. Despite the glaring absence of testimony from either Satterlee or Ms. Ugalde, there is no dispute that there was evidence that consent was given. Clear and convincing evidence is evidence `so clear, direct, weighty, and convincing as to allow the trier of fact to reach a clear conviction of the precise facts at issue, without hesitancy as to their truth.' In re J.A.H., 502 N.W.2d 120, 123 (S.D.1993) (citation omitted). The trial court was in the best position to observe the testimony of the witnesses and evaluate the weight to be accorded the evidence presented. Almond, 511 N.W.2d at 576. Although this may be a close call given the posture in which the issue is presented, Fountain has not demonstrated clear error in the trial court's finding that consent was given. Accordingly, based upon this finding, the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it concluded that Ms. Ugalde had given consent to the search which revealed Fountain's jacket and that such consent satisfied the Fourth Amendment requirements necessary to use the evidence obtained in that search.