Opinion ID: 1887015
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Custodial Status

Text: Castellon argues that he was in custody at the time that he consented to the search of his bedroom, and therefore, the requirement for a qualified interpreter under the Interpreter Act applies. The government responds that Castellon had not been taken into custody at the time he consented to the search, and therefore the Act does not apply. It contends that Castellon had not been arrested nor had his freedom been curtailed to the extent associated with a formal arrest. The trial court ruled that Castellon, although detained in the apartment, was not in custody within the meaning of the Act. This court has not determined previously the meaning of custody for purposes of determining the applicability of the Interpreter Act. However, we have defined custody in similar contexts. We have defined custody for purposes of determining the applicability of Miranda rights, which provide a means to safeguard an individual's privilege against compelled self-incrimination in the context of custodial police interrogation. United States v. Turner, 761 A.2d 845, 850 (D.C.2000) (citing Miranda, supra note 5, 384 U.S. at 457, 86 S.Ct. 1602) (other citation omitted). For purposes of Miranda, we have distinguished between custody and seizure, recognizing that custody is the more onerous of the two. [11] See id. at 851 (citing ( Johnny ) Harris v. United States, 738 A.2d 269, 275 (D.C.1999)). Custodial interrogation for Miranda purposes turns on `whether there [was] a formal arrest or restraint on freedom of movement of the degree associated with a formal arrest.' Id. (quoting California v. Beheler, 463 U.S. 1121, 1125, 103 S.Ct. 3517, 77 L.Ed.2d 1275 (1983); Berkemer v. McCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 439-40, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 82 L.Ed.2d 317 (1984); In re E.A.H., 612 A.2d 836, 838 (D.C.1992)) (alteration in original; other citation omitted). This test is an objective one, focusing upon `how a reasonable [person] in the suspect's position would have understood his or her situation.' Id. (quoting Berkemer, 468 U.S. at 442, 104 S.Ct. 3138) (alteration in original; footnote omitted). Of course, this test `presupposes an innocent person.' Id. at 851 n. 7 (quoting Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429, 438, 111 S.Ct. 2382, 115 L.Ed.2d 389 (1991)). The test is applied considering the totality of the circumstances, informed by the purpose of the Miranda rule. Id. at 851 (citations omitted). The determination of whether a person is in custody is a legal conclusion which this court reviews de novo. See id. at 850 (citations omitted). Both the language and legislative history of the Interpreter Act support utilizing the same definition for custody under the Act as we apply for Miranda purposes. First, the language of the Act itself, as discussed in the preceding section, specifies that it applies when the suspect is arrested and taken into custody. D.C.Code § 2-1902(e). Second, the legislative history states that this section of the Act requires a qualified interpreter for custodial interrogation. Report at 3. Third, that the legislators followed the currently accepted standard for waiver of Miranda rights, id., suggests that Miranda would also be an appropriate reference for determining custody under the Act. Finally, it is clear that not every police-citizen encounter was intended to trigger the necessity for a qualified interpreter under the Act, [12] as the requirement is limited to certain well-defined situations, including when a person is arrested and taken into custody. See D.C.Code § 2-1902(e). For all of these reasons, we are persuaded that the definition of custody for Miranda purposes is the appropriate standard for determining whether the circumstances are such that an individual's right to a qualified interpreter arises under the Act. Applying this well-established standard, we agree with the trial court that Castellon was not in custody at the time he consented to a search of his room. Castellon argues that the trial court found that he was in custody at the time he was informed of his rights to withhold consent to the search and that he was detained at the time the police searched his room. He contends that these findings cannot be disturbed unless they are clearly erroneous and that they are not. First, the record does not bear out Castellon's claim that the trial court made a finding that he was in custody. Rather, the record shows that the trial court found only that he had been detained. Second, although we will not disturb the trial court's factual findings unless clearly erroneous or without evidentiary support, the ultimate determination of whether a seizure has occurred is a question of law which we review independently. ( Johnny ) Harris, supra, 738 A.2d at 274. Accord, Turner, supra, 761 A.2d at 850 (the determination of whether a person is in custody is a legal conclusion which this court reviews de novo ). Having reviewed the record, we conclude that the police restraint of Castellon's movements did not approach the level of formal arrest or custody required under Miranda, and thus, come within the meaning of the Interpreter Act. It is undisputed that the police officers prohibited Castellon from returning to his bedroom and restricted him to the living room/dining room areas before they obtained his consent to search the bedroom. However, these circumstances do not necessarily mean that Castellon was in custody. [A] restraint on liberty which would constitute a seizure under the doctrine of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968), does not necessarily place the seized person in custody for Miranda purposes. E.A.H., supra, 612 A.2d at 838 (citing McIlwain v. United States, 568 A.2d 470, 472-73 (D.C.1989)) (other citation and footnote omitted). Moreover, this court has ... rejected the notion that a person [is] in custody for Miranda purposes because he was questioned during the execution of a search warrant in his home, even though he was not free to leave. Id. (citing Tyler v. United States, 298 A.2d 224, 226-27 & n. 4 (D.C.1972); Wells v. United States, 281 A.2d 226, 228 (D.C.1971), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 995, 92 S.Ct. 1271, 31 L.Ed.2d 464 (1972)). However, [s]eizure and custody ... are not the same thing. ( Johnny ) Harris, supra, 738 A.2d at 274 (citing Morris v. United States, 728 A.2d 1210, 1216 (D.C.1999)). See also Turner, supra, 761 A.2d at 851 (Custody is clearly more than seizure alone.) (citing ( Johnny ) Harris, 738 A.2d at 275). It is fair to say that the circumstances presented here justified Castellon in believing that he was not free to leave the living room area or the apartment for that matter. However, we can conclude from this only that Castellon may have been seized within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. See ( Johnny ) Harris, 738 A.2d at 274-75 (An individual is `seized' within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment only if, in view of all of the circumstances surrounding the incident, a reasonable person would have believed that he was not free to leave.) (citing United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980)). The foregoing discussion illustrates that a seizure is only a part of the analysis for determining whether a person has been arrested and thus, in custody. See Giles v. United States, 400 A.2d 1051, 1053 (D.C.1979) (stating that [t]he essence of an arrest is a restraint of freedom and including seizure as part of analysis of when restraint has occurred). Thus, the fact that Castellon was not free to leave the apartment does not necessitate a finding that he was in custody, absent other facts tending to show that there was a formal arrest or restraint on [his] freedom of movement of the degree associated with a formal arrest. Turner, supra, 761 A.2d at 851 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Therefore, we consider whether other indicia of formal arrest were shown to be present here. Helpful to our review are cases which distinguish between Terry investigatory stops and full blown arrests. See, e.g., In re M.E.B., 638 A.2d 1123, 1126 (D.C.1993), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 883, 115 S.Ct. 221, 130 L.Ed.2d 148 (1994). [13] Factors relevant in distinguishing between the two are, among others, the length of detention, the place of detention, the use of handcuffs, the use of weapons and the announcement of an intent to arrest. Hicks v. United States, 730 A.2d 657, 660 (D.C.1999); see also M.E.B., 638 A.2d at 1126. An examination of these factors in this case supports the conclusion that Castellon was not in custody during his brief restriction before he consented to the search. The police entered the apartment with the consent of Castellon's brother-in-law, who lived there. Once inside, the police knocked at Castellon's door and awaited his response. When Castellon came out of the bedroom, upon learning that he did not speak English very well, the police did not try to converse with him. Instead, they awaited the arrival of Officer Chaparro, who spoke Castellon's native language. The brief duration of the seizure also weighs against a finding of custody. While Castellon was not free to leave, he was allowed to remain in the familiarity of his home, restricted only from re-entering the bedroom during the fifteen to twenty-minute wait. Brief detention in one's home may not approach the level of restraint necessary to establish custody, even if the suspect is not free to leave. See E.A.H., supra, 612 A.2d at 838-39 (citing Tyler, supra, 298 A.2d at 226-27 & n. 4 (other citation omitted)). That Castellon was detained in only his home weighs against a finding that he was in custody at the time the police sought his consent. Further, Castellon was not handcuffed or physically restrained, which is a significant factor in the custody analysis for we have said that even the use of handcuffs does not necessarily convert a Terry stop into a custodial arrest. See, e.g., Hicks, supra, 730 A.2d at 660; M.E.B., supra, 638 A.2d at 1127 (We cannot say that the additional restraint caused by the handcuffing was such an intrusion that the handcuffing transformed the character of the restraint to an arrest.). Therefore, the omission of such a restraint is another factor weighing against a finding that an arrest occurred. Finally, although the officers were armed, no guns were used or displayed during the encounter. The whole encounter appears to have been non-threatening. These circumstances support the conclusion that Castellon was not in custody. Cf. United States v. Drayton, 536 U.S. 194, 204-05, 122 S.Ct. 2105, 153 L.Ed.2d 242 (2002) (fact that officers were armed was entitled to little weight in custody analysis as [t]he presence of a holstered firearm ... is unlikely to contribute to the coerciveness of the encounter absent active brandishing of the weapon) ( cited with approval in State v. Green, 375 Md. 595, 826 A.2d 486, 498 (2003)). Considering the relevant factors in the aggregate, the conclusion is warranted that Castellon was not in custody when he consented to the search. Since Castellon was not in custody, the provisions of the Interpreter Act were not triggered. [14] We turn then to consideration of Castellon's challenge that he did not voluntarily consent to the search.