Hugo MARGANET, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
*53 James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and Marvin F. Clegg, Assistant Public Defender, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.
Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Rebecca Roark Wall, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.
GRIFFIN, J.
Hugo A. Marganet ["Marganet"] appeals the denial of his motion to suppress. We reverse.
Marganet and his girlfriend, Wilma Luz Pinero ["Pinero"], became a target in a drug investigation after a tip from a confidential informant. The tip ultimately led to the traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Marganet, in which Pinero was a passenger. Pinero was separated from Marganet and offered to cooperate. She ultimately led police to some cocaine and heroin that was found inside a shaving kit in Marganet's suitcase located in a hotel room they occupied. Marganet was charged with possession of heroin with intent to sell or deliver and possession of cocaine. He filed a motion to suppress, alleging no valid consent had been given for the search of his suitcase and shaving kit.
At the suppression hearing, Agent Chiota[1] testified that while engaged in a drug investigation, agents conducted a traffic stop of a Nissan Xterra driven by Marganet. Pinero was a passenger in the vehicle. Agent Davison took charge of Pinero, who was willing to cooperate by giving consent for police to enter the hotel room where she and Marganet were staying. She produced a key she had in her purse, opened the room and invited officers inside to look for drugs. She began showing officers areas in which she knew there was drug paraphernalia and where some drugs were the last time she saw them. There were various items around the room. She told the agents:
this is my clothing, and my suitcases, and this is his stuff, and he keeps it and had ithe, being Hugo, had the heroin. Heshe related that he maintained custody of it because she was a user and he was afraid she would use it up.
(emphasis added). Pinero showed them places in which she thought there would be heroin and gave them permission to search those places. They first searched all open areas within the room and then began to search the closed containers. They eventually found heroin in Marganet's shaving kit, which was itself located inside a closed suitcase which Pinero had identified as belonging to Marganet.
Agent Randy Davison testified concerning the drugs found in the shaving kit:
Q. Okay. Where did you retrieve the heroin and cocaine from?
A. I know there wasthere was four of us in the room at the time. I know that there was one black bag lying near the sliding glass door that went outoutsidepardon meand thatthat bag was lying on the floor. And she said that there was some in there, probably in a black shaving kit. So we opened it up. She said thatright there (indicating), and she pointed to the shaving kit. We opened the shaving kitI think it was a shaving kit. It was *54 a black leathera black leather container
A. Okay.
Q.and we opened that up. And then we located theI believe that was the heroin baggies there.
Q. And she specifically directed you to that spot?
A. Directly to it.
After listening to argument of counsel, the court denied the motion to suppress, explaining in relevant part in its written order that Pinero had "apparent" authority to consent to a search of the suitcase and shaving kit and that the search was therefore legal. The order stated:
The issue is whether the officers had a reasonable basis to believe that Ms. Pinero had actual or apparent authority to consent to the search of the defendant's bags. The test which the court employs is one of "objective reasonableness." Florida v. Jimeno, [500 U.S. 248 ] 111S.Ct. [sic] 1801 [114 L.Ed.2d 297 ] (1991). In making this determination courts no longer draw a distinction between married and unmarried couples. Silva v. State,344 So.2d 559 (Fla.1977). Facts known to the police that suggested Ms. Pinero did not have authority include that she identified the suitcase as belonging to the defendant, the contents were all a man's personal belongings, the suitcase was closed, and it was easily separable from the room and its other contents. Facts suggesting that Ms. Pinero did have authority to give consent include that it appeared she and the defendant were in a relationship, her information was specific in that she knew the shaving kit was inside the suitcase and that the drugs might be in the kit. She also said that the defendant was hiding the drugs from her which implies he put them in a place he thought she might not look as opposed to a place she was not allowed to go.
The court is satisfied that the officers believed Ms. Pinero had authority over the defendant's possessions or they would not have helped her leave the hotel with them. Now, after analyzing the facts the court finds that a typical, reasonable person in the same circumstances would have believed Ms. Pinero had authority to consent to a search of the defendant's bags.
Marganet filed a motion for reconsideration. He asserted that his girlfriend had no right to consent to a search of his suitcase, emphasizing:
In the instant case, there is a complete lack of information detailing that law enforcement made any inquiry of Ms. Pinero concerning her authority to enter into Mr. Marganet's luggage. A telling issue is the fact that she identifies the luggage for law enforcement as belonging specifically to Mr. Marganet. It is not identified as "our luggage" but "his luggage." Further, Ms. Pinero provides an indication to law enforcement that Mr. Marganet had hidden the drugs so she would not find them. It is not logical for law enforcement to draw a conclusion that Ms. Pinero had common authority or joint access to Mr. Marganet's luggage when she specifically advises them that Mr. Marganet must have placed the contraband in an area where he though she would not look.
The court denied the motion for reconsideration and Marganet pled nolo contendere to the charges, reserving the right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress. Marganet argues on appeal that the trial court erred by holding that Pinero had the right to consent to a search of his suitcase and his shaving kit.
The leading United States Supreme Court case bearing on the issue of third-party *55 consent to search is United States v. Matlock,
but rests rather on mutual use of the property by persons generally having joint access or control for most purposes, so that it is reasonable to recognize that any of the co-inhabitants has the right to permit the inspection in his own right and that the others have assumed the risk that one of their number might permit the common area to be searched.
Id. at 170 n. 7,
The right of a third party to consent to a search on behalf of a defendant was extended to those with "apparent authority" in Illinois v. Rodriguez,
What [Rodriguez] is assured by the Fourth Amendment itself ... is not that no government search of his house will occur unless he consents; but that no such search will occur that is "unreasonable." U.S. Const., Amdt. 4. There are various elements, of course, that can make a search of a person's house "reasonable"one of which is the consent of the person or his cotenant. The essence of respondent's argument is that we should impose upon this element a requirement that we have not imposed upon other elements that regularly compel government officers to exercise judgment regarding the facts: namely, the requirement that their judgment be not only responsible but correct....
* * *
... The Constitution is no more violated when officers enter without a warrant because they reasonably (though erroneously) believe that the person who has consented to their entry is a resident of the premises, than it is violated when they enter without a warrant because they reasonably (though erroneously) believe they are in pursuit of a violent felon who is about to escape. See Archibald v. Mosel,677 F.2d 5 (C.A.1 1982).
[W]hat we hold today does not suggest that law enforcement officers may always accept a person's invitation to enter premises. Even when the invitation is accompanied by an explicit assertion that the person lives there, the surrounding *56 circumstances could conceivably be such that a reasonable person would doubt its truth and not act upon it without further inquiry. As with other factual determinations bearing upon search and seizure, determination of consent to enter must be judged against an objective standard: would the facts available to the officer at the moment. . . warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the consenting party had authority over the premises?
Id. at 188,
In this case, it is undisputed that Pinero had actual authority to consent to a search of the hotel room because she and Marganet had "shared use and joint access to or control over" the shared area. See United States v. Kimoana,
A number of courts appear to hold that common authority over the premises is sufficient to authorize a third party to consent to search personal property found on the premises. Most courts adhering to this viewpoint reason that the right of common authority over the premises establishes a right to access all property on the premises, at least in the absence of a contrary showing.[2] Some courts say that in entrusting the goods to a third party the defendant has assumed the risk that the third party would permit or consent to an inspection.[3]
*57 Nonetheless, based on Matlock, most courts find that there is no right on the part of a third party to consent to a search of personal property belonging to another person unless there is evidence of both common authority over and mutual usage of the property. See, e.g., United States v. Davis,
Typical of those cases refusing to allow those with joint control of the premises to consent to a search of property clearly owned or identified as belonging to another is United States v. Salinas-Cano,
Florida apparently adheres to the view that something more than mere joint control of the premises must be shown before a person has the right to consent to a search of property personal to another. See Silva v. State,
Unless consent is given by the owner or rightful possessor of the property, a warrant must be obtained. The only exception to this consent is where consent by a joint owner has been obtained in the absence of the person whose property is the object of the search. Whether or not an area searched is under the joint dominion and control of the third party consenting has been a crucial question in some cases. These cases have generally been decided on the basis of the individual's reasonable expectation of privacy in the area, whether others generally had access to the area, and/or whether the objects searched were the personal effects of the individual unavailable to consent.
Id. at 563 (emphasis added). The court also relied heavily on the fact that the personal property found in the closet obviously belonged to the defendant. It went on to say that:
Even if we were to decide that Mrs. Brandon had sufficient access to the closet to authorize her to consent to a search, it should have become apparent to the police that the objects in the closet were the personal effects of petitioner. *60 In discussing cases authorizing a wife to consent to a search of the home in which she and her husband live, the Hawaii court stated:
`None of them goes so far as to hold that a wife in joint occupancy of the home can permit a search of her husband's personal effects to discover jewelry hidden in a cuff link case in a bedroom bureau drawer.' State v. Evans,45 Haw. 622 ,372 P.2d 365 (1962) at 372.
The Ohio court dealing again with a wife's consent to search her husband's personal effects, stated:
`With the emphasis on the wife's rights rather than her defendant-husband's, the rights of the husband have not disappeared but merely diminished in stature. To allow a search of his personal effects would unduly destroy the husband's rights against unreasonable searches.' State v. McCarthy,20 Ohio App.2d 275 , 49 Ohio Ops.2d 364,253 N.E.2d 789 , 795 (1969), aff'd. [26 Ohio St.2d 87 ]269 N.E.2d 424 [(1971)].
* * *
It should have been apparent to the police officers that the closet was set aside for petitioner's use. It held his belongings, and his rights were infringed by the police in searching them without his consent.
Id. at 564.
Silva suggests that a third party's consent to search may be ineffective with respect to property clearly identifiable as belonging to another, in the absence of evidence of mutual use of the property. This was confirmed by Jones v. State,
Taken collectively, these cases suggest that a number of factors bear on the rights of a third party to consent to a search of a container. They include such factors as whether the property clearly belongs to one person; whether it is generally used by one person, whether it is freely accessible to others, whether the container is closed or open, whether it is locked or unlocked, and whether orders have been given not to open the container. The relationship of the parties and the nature of the property may also have a bearing on the right to consent to a search. As was pointed out in United States v. Basinski,
In this case, the State argues that Pinero had actual or apparent authority over Marganet's suitcase and shaving kit because:
the Defendant and his girlfriend were staying together in a hotel room. Items belonging to both of them were found all throughout the room. The girlfriend had a key to the room, and admitted the police officers. She pointed out the specific location of drugs. She knew exactly where the drugs were kept in the Defendant's suitcaseinside the shaving kit. Clearly, the girlfriend knew that the shaving kit held the drugs, knew where to find the shaving kit, and had access to it. There were no locks or other mechanisms to secure the suitcase and shaving kit. There was also no evidence that the Defendant had forbidden his girlfriend to allow anyone to open the shaving kit.
In fact, as soon as the search was complete, the hotel manager told the girlfriend that she must leave the hotel. She was forced to collect all their belongingsboth hers and the Defendant'sand load them on a baggage cart. She rolled the cart out to the parking lot, where she was to be picked up by someone.
The evidence in this case shows nothing more than location of the items on jointly occupied property. "For purposes of searches of closed containers, mere possession of the container by a third party does not necessarily give rise to a reasonable belief that the third party has authority to consent to a search of its contents." Basinski,
Here, the items involved in the search a suitcase and a shaving casewere personal to the user and Pinero identified the items in question as belonging to Marganet. The testimony also made clear that the contents were wholly male. Pinero seemed uncertain of the contents of the suitcase, which was closed and sitting against the wall. There was no indication that she had been given permission to access either item or that she mutually used either item. In fact, the evidence was to the contrary. Pinero informed the police that Marganet was hiding drugs from her and that they might be hidden in the suitcase or shaving kit. Absent evidence that Pinero had mutual use of these items, or even a right to access to these items, the trial court erred in finding that Pinero had the right to consent to a search of these items.
For the same reason, the evidence is also insufficient to establish apparent authority on the part of Pinero to consent to a search. Rather, the facts known to the agents were such that they could have no objectively reasonable belief that she had authority over these items. It was incumbent on the agents to make sufficient inquiry to determine whether the property about to be searched was subject to "mutual use" by the person giving consent. *62 Saavedra; Salinas-Cano. This was not done.
REVERSED and REMANDED.
THOMPSON and MONACO, JJ., concur.
NOTES
Notes
[1] Most of the officers involved in this case appear to have been local officers on loan to the Drug Enforcement Administration and therefore were referred to as "agents."
[2] United States v. Richard,
[3] United States v. Davis,
[4] United States v. Waller,
[5] See also Brown v. State,
