Opinion ID: 2300873
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Spontaneous Statement

Text: Appellant claims that his second statement about the marijuana, [I] just got it at Riggs Road, it's for my girl, was inadmissible because it was made in response to improper questioning by the officers given that appellant had not been read his Miranda rights. [7] If a suspect is in custody but volunteers a statementin the absence of interrogation or its equivalentthere is no Miranda violation even if the suspect was not advised of his rights. See Innis, 446 U.S. at 299-300, 100 S.Ct. 1682; Miranda, 384 U.S. at 478, 86 S.Ct. 1602 (noting that [a]ny statement given freely and voluntarily without any compelling influence is, of course, admissible in evidence and not barred by the Fifth Amendment). In addition, answers given in response to routine booking questions are admissible notwithstanding the fact that Miranda warnings have not been given. See Jones v. United States, 779 A.2d 277, 283-84 (D.C. 2001) (en banc). In this case, the trial court credited Officer Reisinger's testimony that appellant's statement about buying the marijuana for his girlfriend was volunteered during the course of the officer's questioning about strictly biographical information. Appellant was not interrogated about why he had the drugs, and it does not seem plausible that the officer would have had any reason to think that asking standard booking questions after the arrest would likely elicit an incriminating response from appellant. See (Courtney) Johnson v. United States, 40 A.3d 1, 13 (D.C.2012) (We do not think it plausible that the police should have known that asking routine questions in the rear of a police vehicle onsite immediately after appellant was arrested would likely elicit an incriminating response from him.). Given the unrebutted testimony of Officer Reisinger, the trial court did not err in finding appellant's statement spontaneous and not the product of custodial interrogation. For the foregoing reasons, we affirm appellant's conviction. So ordered.