Opinion ID: 2273318
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reese's Statements During Booking

Text: [¶ 7] After Reese was arrested, he was taken to an interview room at the Saco Police Department and given a Miranda warning. He responded that he wanted to speak with an attorney and did not want to answer questions. He was then taken to another room where the same officer asked him a series of questions for booking. One of those questions was whether he had with him any form of identification to verify the personal information he had provided. The officer also may have asked him where the identification was. Reese responded that his identification was in his motel room or in a rental vehicle parked at the motel. The officer did not ask Reese any questions about the rental vehicle or the motel room. He asked Reese whether he had a criminal history and Reese replied that he did not. [¶ 8] Reese argues that the questions he was asked during booking about his identity and criminal record violated his right to remain silent and to have an attorney, pursuant to the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution. We have held that brief, neutral questions that are not part of an effort to elicit a confession or admission do not constitute interrogation. State v. Estes, 418 A.2d 1108, 1111 (Me.1980); State v. Simoneau, 402 A.2d 870, 873 (Me.1979). This includes questions intended to obtain the data pertinent to the defendant's identity and necessary for booking. Estes, 418 A.2d at 1111. The questions asked of Reese during booking, including his criminal record, were routine and related to identity only. There is no evidence that the officer was trying to elicit a confession or admission. We agree with the reasoning set forth in the recommended decision in United States v. Hopkins, 2005 U.S. Dist. Lexis 6058, at -14 (citing United States v. Foster, 227 F.3d 1096, 1102-03 (9th Cir.2000); and United States v. Mitchell, 58 F. App'x 14, 16 (4th Cir.2003) (per curiam) (unpublished)), that booking questions may be asked either before or after the Miranda warning.