Opinion ID: 2570864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admissions to Law Enforcement Officer

Text: L.A. made the same admissions to a sheriffs deputy after receiving Miranda warnings that he earlier made to Schmidt without warnings. L.A. contends that because he had already given an unwarned admission to Schmidt, he had no reason to believe that he had not already incriminated himself; therefore, no purpose would have been served by asserting his rights during the sheriffs questioning. In essence, he asserts that the first statement was not admissible and that the statement he made to the officer after waiving his rights under Miranda was tainted by the first unwarned statement to Schmidt. The Fifth Amendment prohibits only the use of compelled testimony. A noncoercive Miranda violation does not automatically taint post-Miranda statements. Though Miranda requires the suppression of an unwarned admission, the admissibility of any subsequent statement turns solely on whether the statement was knowingly and voluntarily made. Absent deliberately coercive or improper tactics in obtaining the initial statement, the mere fact that a suspect has made an unwarned admission does not warrant a presumption of compulsion. A subsequent administration of Miranda warnings to a suspect who has given a voluntary but unwarned statement ordinarily should suffice to remove the conditions that precluded admission of the earlier statement. In such circumstances, the finder of fact may reasonably conclude that the suspect made a rational and intelligent choice whether to waive or invoke his rights. State v. Hedges, 269 Kan. 895, Syl. ¶ 4, 8 P.2d 1259 (2000). The drugs were found in L.A.'s possession during a legal search by the assistant vice principal and the school security officer. Neither person conducting the search was required to obtain a warrant to search L.A. or obligated to inform L.A. of his Miranda rights prior to questioning him. Therefore, there was no prior illegal statement to taint L.A.'s statement to the sheriff's deputy.