Opinion ID: 7097
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Consent Search of the Clear Cove Residence

Text: 52 After the agents had entered and secured the Clear Cove residence by conducting a protective sweep, they asked Manuel whether they could search the premises. Manuel gave the FBI agents his permission, so they searched the Clear Cove residence and the surrounding area and recovered additional evidence that linked that residence to the Ivy Oaks stash house. Although at neither the suppression hearing nor at trial did Manuel object to the introduction of evidence obtained during that search, on appeal he argues that the evidence should have been excluded because his consent to the FBI's search was involuntarily given. As Manuel did not raise this objection below, our review is limited to a search for plain error. 36 53 A search may be conducted without either probable cause or a warrant if it is conducted pursuant to consent. 37 For consent to be valid, however, the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that consent was given freely and voluntarily, 38 a determination which must be based on the totality of the circumstances. 39 We consider six factors in evaluating the voluntariness of consent: 54 (1) the voluntariness of the defendant's custodial status; (2) the presence of coercive police procedures; (3) the extent and level of the defendant's cooperation; (4) the defendant's awareness of his right to refuse to consent; (5) the defendant's education and intelligence; and (6) the defendant's belief that no incriminating evidence will be found. 40 55 Although all six factors are relevant, no single one is dispositive. 41 56 After the agents had conducted the protective sweep and had read the handcuffed Manuel his Miranda rights in Spanish, he signed a form consenting to a search of his residence. Like his claims regarding his statements, Manuel now insists that his consent to search his home was coerced: The agents had illegally entered his house with guns drawn; had handcuffed him and his wife and removed her from the house; had told him that they had evidence linking him to the narcotics found at the Ivy Oaks residence; and then, without advising him of his right to refuse, had asked him if he would consent to a search of his home. 57 Not only have we already concluded that the agents entered Manuel's house legally, we discern no record evidence to support Manuel's allegations that the agents obtained his consent by feigning lawful authority to search the premises, by threatening him, or by promising him anything. The version of the record evidence implicitly credited by the district court also makes clear that Manuel was quite cooperative with the agents and that they recovered very little incriminating evidence from the search of his Clear Cove residence--a fact from which one could deduce that Manuel consented to the search because he believed--correctly--that the agents would find little if any damaging evidence. Although Manuel may have been startled by the fact and manner of his apprehension, not to mention by the repercussions therefrom, we cannot say that the district court committed plain error in finding that Manuel's consent to the search was voluntary. We perceive no grave miscarriage of justice therefrom, given all other evidence and circumstances of the case.