Opinion ID: 499444
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of motion to suppress the morphine base evidence.

Text: 17 Keller presents several arguments in support of the conclusion that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress the morphine base evidence. Keller's main contention is that the district court erred when it found that his detention, starting with the roadside stop and continuing through to his detention at the police station, constituted a permissible investigative detention pursuant to Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). See 649 F.Supp. at 1385-87. Keller argues that, once he accompanied Snedeker to the police station while Snedeker retained his license and vehicle registration, the initial roadside traffic stop was transformed into an arrest and that, because this constructive arrest allegedly was not supported by probable cause, it was illegal. Keller argues, accordingly, that the morphine base evidence constituted fruits of an illegal arrest and thus should have been suppressed. 18 We see some merit in Keller's contention that the scope of a permissible Terry stop may not extend as far as the district court's view would permit. Indeed, in a factually similar context, a divided panel of the Tenth Circuit held that, when an officer retains an individual's driver's license and vehicle registration and requests that the individual return with the officer to the police station, that individual has been seized within the meaning of the fourth amendment, and the seizure must therefore be supported by probable cause. See United States v. Gonzalez, 763 F.2d 1127, 1130-33 (10th Cir.1985). 19 Nevertheless, we need not reach this question because we agree with the district court's alternate holding that Snedeker had probable cause to search the automobile and arrest Keller at the roadside. See 649 F.Supp. at 1386. In support of its finding of probable cause, the district court found that, after stopping Keller's automobile, Snedeker detected an odor, which he believed smelled like cocaine, emanating from the car. Then, after conducting a consensual inspection of Keller's trunk, Snedeker noticed the presence of a partition, which structually altered the trunk and created a hidden compartment between the rear of the trunk and the back of the passenger compartment. On the basis of these factual findings, the district court concluded that Snedeker had a reasonable belief that Keller was carrying contraband in the automobile and thus had probable cause to search the vehicle and arrest Keller. Id. 20 Probable cause requires only a probability or substantial chance of criminal activity, [and] not an actual showing of such activity. Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 243-44 n. 13, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2335 n. 13, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). Determination of whether probable cause is present must be drawn from an evaluation of the totality of the circumstances, id. at 241, 103 S.Ct. at 2334, and the appropriate standard must be applied in a flexible, common-sense manner. Texas v. Brown, 460 U.S. 730, 742, 103 S.Ct. 1535, 1543, 75 L.Ed.2d 502 (1983). Moreover, a district court's determination of probable cause is given great deference on appeal. See United States v. Vasquez, 634 F.2d 41, 45 (2d Cir.1980). 21 The district court's factual findings clearly indicate that there was a substantial likelihood that Keller's car contained contraband. Thus, from the totality of these circumstances, probable cause existed to search the automobile and arrest Keller at the roadside. Even though Snedeker did not formally arrest Keller at the roadside, he legally could have. Moreover, Snedeker did not lose the right to search the vehicle and arrest Keller by delaying the search until he arrived at the station house. See United States v. Johns, 469 U.S. 478, 485-88, 105 S.Ct. 881, 885-87, 83 L.Ed.2d 890 (1985). We therefore conclude that the district court did not err in denying Keller's suppression motion because, even if we were to find that his detention was transformed into a constructive arrest, that arrest was lawful since it was supported by probable cause. 22 Keller's remaining contentions--that the district court erred when it found 1) Snedeker stopped Keller's automobile for a traffic violation, rather than because Keller fit some so-called drug courier profile, 2) Keller voluntarily allowed Snedeker to examine the trunk of his automobile, and 3) Keller voluntarily executed the consent form, which authorized the automobile search at the police station--represent challenges to the district court's resolution of essentially factual questions, which it made after conducting an evidentiary hearing. Without restating the facts as found by the district court, we are satisfied that its conclusions were fully supported by evidence in the record, and thus are not clearly erroneous. See United States v. Mast, 735 F.2d 745, 749 (2d Cir.1984); United States v. Lace, 669 F.2d 46, 52 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 854, 103 S.Ct. 121, 74 L.Ed.2d 106 (1982); United States v. Price, 599 F.2d 494, 503-04 (2d Cir.1979). 23