Opinion ID: 4567072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Cooperation with the Police

Text: Cooperation by the defendant is a factor favoring a finding that consent was voluntary. See United States v. Yeagin, 927 F.2d 798, 801 (5th Cir. 1991). The district court adopted the MJ’s conclusion that Soriano was more cooperative than not and that this factor weighed in favor of voluntariness. We agree. In addition to opening his trunk after Officer Rodriguez requested that he do so, Soriano also allowed her to test the tint of his driver’s side window and showed her the top layer of clothes in his suitcase when she asked what was inside of it. Although Officer Rodriguez pointed out several instances where Soriano expressed nervousness, she also noted that he 9 Case: 19-50832 Document: 00515571219 Page: 10 Date Filed: 09/18/2020 No. 19-50832 appeared to be calm and cooperative at several other points during the encounter. Thus, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the Government, see Santiago, 410 F.3d at 197, the finding that Soriano “was more cooperative than not,” is plausible, see Zavala, 541 F.3d at 574, and its conclusion that this factor weighed in favor of voluntariness was not clear error.