Jimmy Brоwn was convicted of two drug-related charges. In this direct appeal, Brown challenges the district court’s 1 denial of his mоtions to suppress a statement made at the time of his arrest and evidence seized from his vehicle. We affirm.
On September 18,1995, a police informant, who had previously provided reliable information, notified Officer Donald Sebesta of the Bloomington Police Department of an impending drug transaction. The informant explained that an individual known as “Dre” (Deаndre Norris) was staying at the Exel Inn in Bloomington and was expecting a delivery of crack cocaine that day. The crаck would be delivered by a female courier who would arrive at noon on a flight from Los Angeles, California. The informant indiсated that Norris would be driving either a white Buick or a turquoise Camaro Z-28 to the airport to pick up the courier. The infоrmant did not mention Jimmy. Brown or the name of the courier.
That morning, police surveillance verified that Norris had checkеd into Room 234 of the Exel Inn'and that a turquoise Camaro Z-28 was parked outside. At 10:30 a.m. two males (later identified as Norris and Jimmy Brown) lеft the Exel Inn in the Camaro, with Brown driving; Officers followed as the car drove to downtown Minneapolis, then to the Mall of Americа parking ramp, and finally to the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Shortly after noon, a female (later identified as Sherda-ria Conklin) arrived on a flight from Los Angeles with two bags, one blue and one *1274 black. Conklin left the airport in the Cáma-ro that had been waiting outside the baggage claim area. Officers followed the Camarо as it returned to the Exel Inn along another curious route — through the Mall of America parking ramp arid the parking lot of an office complex. When they arrived at the Exel Inn, Norris and Conklin took the bags from the Camaro and went into Room 234. Brown, still unidеntified at this time, left in the Camaro.
When the officers detained Norris and Conklin, they discovered cocaine in the black bag. The officers then pursued and stopped the Camaro and placed the driver under arrest. When asked his name, Brown tоld the officers that his name was Marius Singleton. Not until the next day did the officers learn that his true name was Jimmy Brown. The officers seаrched the Camaro at the scene of the arrest. The search revealed no controlled substances, but the officers seized three cellular telephones, a pager, a telephone book, $500 cash, and a drivers license in the name of Marius Singleton.
Brown, Norris, and Conklin were each charged with one count of aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack), in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute crack, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Norris became and remains a fugitive, Conk-lin negotiated a guilty plea, and Brown proceeded to trial.
Brown filed pretrial motions, seeking to suppress his statement of a false name tо officers at the time of his arrest and the evidence seized from the Camaro. Adopting the magistrate judge’s report аnd recommendation, the district court denied the motions. The district court held that the false name was admissible as part of routine booking procedures. The court also held that the evidence seized from the Camaro was admissible beсause it was lawfully obtained through a search incident to arrest. Following a jury trial, Brown was convicted of both counts of the indictment. He now appeals the denial of his motions to suppress.
Brown first contends that the district court erred by not supрressing his statement of a false name at the time of his arrest. Brown argues that questioning him about his name at the scene of thе arrest constitutes custodial interrogation for investigative purposes because the police were not aware of his identity at the time. Thus, he contends he was entitled to warnings pursuant to
Miranda v. Arizona,
It is well-settled that routine biographical datа is exempted from
Miranda’s
coverage.
Pennsylvania v. Muniz,
A request for routine information necessary for basic identification purposes is not interrogation under Miranda, even if the information turns out to be incriminating. Only if the government agent should reasonably be aware that the information sought, while merely for basic identification purposes in the usual case, is directly relevant to the substantive offense chаrged, will the question be subject to scrutiny.
McLaughlin, 777
F.2d at 391-92.
See Muniz,
Brown was arrested because the police had observed him participate in a drug-related сrime immediately prior to his arrest.- This provided probable cause for his arrest, regardless of the fact that the police did not know his name. His name was not directly relevant to the substantive offense charged, but wholly incidental. His name was nеcessary to the booking process, and the question was not investigative in nature. If Brown had merely provided his true name, thе information would not have been incriminating. Clearly, this falls within the routine booking question exception.
See Muniz,
Brown also contends that the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress the fruits of the search of his vehicle. Brown argues that this was an improper inventory search because the officers did not follow any standardized police procedures. Because he does not contend that the arrest was made without рrobable cause, however, and our review of the record indicates that probable cause existed for his аrrest, the search of the interior of Brown’s car was valid as a search incident to arrest.
See United States v. Morgan,
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court.
Notes
. The Honorable David S. Doty, United States District Judgе for the District of Minnesota, adopting the report and recommendation of the Honorable Franklin L. Noel, United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota.