Opinion ID: 1101055
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: whether the statements of matthew hennington should have been admitted into evidence.

Text: ¶ 21. After interviewing A.R., Mangold contacted Hennington by phone and requested that he come to the welfare office to speak to Mangold regarding the allegations of sexual abuse against him. Hennington, accompanied by his mother and father, came to Mangold's office the same day A.R. was interviewed. Hennington spoke to Mangold privately, while his mother and father waited in another room. Mangold explained to Hennington that the purpose of the visit was to discuss allegations of sexual abuse. Hennington was then informed that his side of the story needed to be told. However, Mangold told him that if the allegations were substantiated, any information would have to be turned over to law enforcement officials. Mangold testified that Hennington admitted to the allegations and corroborated the earlier story of A.R. ¶ 22. Hennington contends his statements to Mangold should not have been admitted into evidence, because Mangold was a licensed social worker employed by the State of Mississippi and did not inform Hennington of his Miranda rights. Mangold only warned Hennington that anything he said would have to be reported by Mangold to law enforcement officials. ¶ 23. There are two reasons why Hennington's argument must fail. First, Mangold, as a social worker, is not a law enforcement official. He had no authority to arrest Hennington. Mangold was under a duty to report any suspected sexual abuse that he uncovered as a result of his investigation to law enforcement authorities. Miss. Code Ann. § 43-21-353(1993). The mere fact that an investigation has focused on a suspect does not trigger the need for Miranda warnings in non custodial settings... . Minnesota v. Murphy, 465 U.S. 420, 431, 104 S.Ct. 1136, 1144, 79 L.Ed.2d 409 (1984) ¶ 24. Second, Hennington was not in custody. Therefore, he was not subjected to custodial interrogation. The Supreme Court has explained [b]y custodial interrogation, we mean questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1612, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). ¶ 25. Hennington voluntarily came to Mangold's office to discuss the allegations of sexual abuse. He could have left at any time during the interview. Mangold's investigation centered around Hennington as a result of A.R.'s assertions. In a non-custodial setting where interrogation is investigatory in nature ..., Miranda warnings are not required in order that a defendant's statements be admissible. Porter v. State, 616 So.2d 899, 907 (Miss. 1993). ¶ 26. Taken as a totality of the circumstances, the facts contained in the record before this Court do not rise to the level of custodial interrogation as defined by the Supreme Court in Miranda. This Court holds that the mere investigation by a social worker in a non-custodial setting does not require an alleged abuser to be advised of his Miranda rights. Thus, the lower court did not err when it admitted into evidence Hennington's confession to the allegations of sexual abuse of A.R. to Mangold.