Opinion ID: 65023
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Miranda waiver and consent to search vehicle

Text: After finding probable cause for her arrest, the district court also concluded that Collins knowingly and voluntarily waived her Miranda rights and consented to a search of her vehicle. A valid Miranda waiver requires two distinct components. First, the relinquishment of the right must have been voluntary in the sense that it was the product of a free and deliberate choice rather than intimidation, coercion, or deception. United States v. Cardenas, 410 F.3d 287, 293 (5th Cir.2005) (citation omitted). Second, the waiver must have been made with a full awareness of both the nature of the right being abandoned and the consequences of the decision to abandon it. Id. (citation omitted). The facts relevant to this issue are as follows: four undercover officers approached Collins as she was entering the parking lot of the Diamond Jacks Casino; they identified themselves as officers; escorted Collins into the parking garage; told her that they were investigating methamphetamine distribution; advised Collins of her Miranda rights; and asked her questions which she voluntarily answered. Nothing about these facts suggests that Collins's decision to answer the officers' questions resulted from intimidation, coercion, or deception. Collins was fully apprised of her Miranda rights and chose to waive those rights by answering the officers' questions. See North Carolina v. Butler, 441 U.S. 369, 374-76, 99 S.Ct. 1755, 60 L.Ed.2d 286 (1979) (rejecting argument that Miranda waivers can never be implicit); United States v. Cazares, 121 F.3d 1241, 1243 (9th Cir.1997) (To solicit a waiver of Miranda rights, a police officer need neither use a waiver form nor ask explicitly whether the defendant intends to waive his rights.). Collins had extensive experience with law enforcement as evidenced by her criminal history category, and nothing in the record indicates that she lacked average intelligence or education. Thus, by choosing to answer the officers' questions, Collins demonstrated her intent to forfeit the Miranda rights she had just been read. The district court considered the evidence and concluded that the consents were knowingly and voluntarily given. We find no error in this determination.