Opinion ID: 1969868
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Consent Valid

Text: Prior to the trial, Knight moved to suppress the evidence (thirty-four pounds of marijuana) found in the green cylinder that he was transporting in the van. He argued that his consent to open the cylinder was not voluntary because it was the product of a long detention. The trial judge denied the motion. The Superior Court ruled that the police detention of Knight was legal at its inception. The Superior Court found that Knight's decision to accompany the officers to the maintenance yard and his consent to search the green cylinder were voluntary. Voluntariness is determined by a judicial examination of the circumstances surrounding the consent. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 248-49, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2058-59, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973). The State has the burden of proving that the consent was not coerced. Id. at 248, 93 S.Ct. at 2058-59. The trial judge's determination that a defendant's consent was voluntary will not be set aside on appeal unless that finding is clearly erroneous. The record reflects Knight's consent to open the gas canister was voluntary and not the result of duress or coercion. Id. Knight accompanied the officers to the maintenance yard without objection. He then signed the consent form for the search of the green cylinder. Knight's written consent states that it was given voluntarily. Scott v. State, Del.Supr., 672 A.2d 550 (1996). By the time the police cut open the cylinder, they had already withdrawn a small amount of what appeared to be marijuana from the valve-end opening. At this point they had probable cause to believe that the cylinder contained contraband. United States v. Strickland, 11th Cir., 902 F.2d 937 (1990). The Superior Court properly denied Knight's motion to suppress the introduction of the marijuana into evidence.