Opinion ID: 760837
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: McClellan Gives Authorities Consent to Search His Motel

Text: Room and Pick-Up Truck 11 Approximately one hour later, DEA Special Agent Gary Alter (Alter), IRS Special Agent Steve Weida (Weida), and Detective Brent Faust (Faust) of the Anderson Police Department entered the room in which McClellan was being held. Faust promptly administered McClellan his Miranda warnings and he responded with a request for an attorney. Faust agreed with him and stated that he did in fact have a right to counsel and that the interview was over. Agent Faust departed and he proceeded to contact the county prosecutor's office to obtain search warrants for McClellan's room at the Budget Inn, as well as his red pick-up truck. 12 Meanwhile, Agents Alter and Weida remained with McClellan in the interview room. According to Alter, he told McClellan that since he had requested an attorney he should simply listen to what the two agents had to say and not respond to their statements. McClellan sat quietly as Alter explained to him the process by which he would be appointed counsel, the differences between federal and state prosecutorial procedures, the nature of the charges he was facing, 4 the penalties for those charges, the effect of statutory mandatory minimum sentences, and the fact that, considering McClellan's age (68 years old), he could very well die in prison if convicted of the crimes. Alter went on to remark to McClellan that there existed a possibility of receiving a reduced sentence if he were to cooperate with law enforcement officials by consenting to a search of his motel room and truck. This talk lasted ten to fifteen minutes, at the end of which Agent Alter asked McClellan whether he would give the police his consent to search his vehicle as well as his room. McClellan expressed his willingness to provide this consent, and Agent Alter left the interview room to get Detective Faust, who procured three consent to search forms for McClellan to sign. 5 Detective Faust read the consent forms to McClellan and gave them to him in order that he might personally review their contents. McClellan read the forms and then signed them, placed his address at the bottom of each one, and handed them to Detective Faust and Agent Weida to inscribe their names therein as witnesses. 13 After receiving McClellan's signed consent to search the truck and motel room, law enforcement authorities proceeded with their search. In the bed of the vehicle, they found 200 pounds of marijuana bundled in contact paper and hidden under a mattress. Approximately $35,400 in United States currency was found in McClellan's room at the Budget Inn. 14