United States v. Crisp , 371 F. App'x 925 ( 2010 )


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  •                                                                        FILED
    United States Court of Appeals
    Tenth Circuit
    April 5, 2010
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    Elisabeth A. Shumaker
    Clerk of Court
    TENTH CIRCUIT
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    No. 09-5063
    v.                                           (D.C. No. 4:08-CR-00158-GKF-1)
    (N.D. Okla.)
    MICHAEL LYNN CRISP,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
    Before BRISCOE, HOLLOWAY, and HOLMES, Circuit Judges.
    Defendant-Appellant Michael Lynn Crisp appeals the district court’s denial
    of his motion to suppress self-incriminating statements regarding his possession
    and intent to distribute cocaine base. Mr. Crisp made these statements to law
    enforcement officers after receiving the warnings prescribed by Miranda v.
    Arizona, 
    384 U.S. 436
     (1966). He contends that the district court should have
    suppressed these statements because the officers elicited them through an
    impermissible two-step interrogation technique, known as “Miranda-in-the-
    *
    This Order and Judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
    doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited,
    however, for its persuasive value consistent with Federal Rule of Appellate
    Procedure 32.1 and Tenth Circuit Rule 32.1.
    middle” or “question first,” in an effort to circumvent the strictures of Miranda.
    We exercise jurisdiction under 
    28 U.S.C. § 1291
     and affirm the district court’s
    order.
    BACKGROUND 1
    On August 10, 2008, Tulsa police officers stopped a car for speeding in the
    3700 block of North Harvard Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mr. Crisp, who was a
    passenger, exited the car during the traffic stop and fled the scene on foot. After
    a brief pursuit and scuffle, the officers apprehended Mr. Crisp and took him into
    custody. The officers also recovered a small bag of marijuana along the route
    that Mr. Crisp had taken while fleeing.
    With Mr. Crisp in custody, officers visited the home of his mother. His
    mother granted the officers permission to enter her home and told them that Mr.
    Crisp had stayed with her for the past three or four days due to a death in the
    family. She subsequently gave the officers oral and written consent to search her
    home. During the ensuing search, officers seized approximately 680 grams of
    cocaine base and digital scales, which were hidden in the broken sheet rock of the
    garage ceiling. The officers also seized a shotgun from Mr. Crisp’s bedroom.
    While the officers searched his mother’s home, Mr. Crisp was transported
    to the Tulsa Police station. Once the officers had completed the search, Corporal
    1
    When reviewing the denial of a motion to suppress, we consider the
    evidence in the light most favorable to the government. United States v.
    Gambino-Zavala, 
    539 F.3d 1221
    , 1225 (10th Cir. 2008).
    -2-
    Helton and Corporal Francetic interviewed Mr. Crisp in the early morning hours
    of August 11. As the three men walked into the interview room, they bantered
    about the pursuit and how Mr. Crisp had pulled his hamstring as he fled from the
    officers. After they had settled into their respective chairs, Mr. Crisp asked if the
    female driver of the car was in trouble. Corporal Helton replied that she had gone
    home. Corporal Francetic then asked if she had smoked marijuana around him.
    As Corporal Francetic asked that question, he leaned slightly toward Mr. Crisp
    and sniffed, implying that he smelled burnt marijuana on him. Mr. Crisp
    admitted, “I was smoking weed before she picked me up.” Def.-Aplt.’s
    Addendum of Exs., Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
     Ex. 4 at 2. He proceeded to describe his social
    agenda for the evening, admit that he had been drinking liquor in the car, and
    opine that his female companion had been speeding.
    At that point, Corporal Francetic interrupted Mr. Crisp to administer
    Miranda warnings. Following the warnings, Corporal Francetic asked Mr. Crisp
    if he understood his rights. Mr. Crisp responded, “[y]es, I do.” 
    Id.,
     Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
    Ex. 4 at 4. The officers also delved into Mr. Crisp’s ability to understand the
    warnings, asking him questions relating to his education and present sobriety.
    Mr. Crisp indicated that he understood the procedure and stated that “this ain’t
    my first rodeo.” 
    Id.,
     Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
     Ex. 4 at 3.
    Once the officers had clarified that Mr. Crisp understood his rights, they
    questioned him about his criminal history. Mr. Crisp admitted that he had been
    -3-
    arrested for possession of marijuana and for trafficking powder cocaine. When
    Corporal Francetic remarked that he could smell marijuana on him, Mr. Crisp
    replied “[y]eah.” 
    Id.,
     Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
     Ex. 4 at 3. The officers continued to explore
    Mr. Crisp’s marijuana use and asked if he owned the marijuana found near the
    traffic stop. The discussion eventually turned to the cocaine base found at his
    mother’s home. Mr. Crisp admitted to ownership of the cocaine base and stated
    that he intended to distribute it. Approximately twenty minutes into the
    interrogation, the officers gave Mr. Crisp a written Miranda waiver, reviewed it
    with him, and had him sign it. Mr Crisp and the officers spent much of the
    remainder of the interrogation discussing his potential cooperation with police
    and his prospects of leniency.
    Mr. Crisp was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
    of Oklahoma on one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately
    fifty grams or more of cocaine base, in violation of 
    21 U.S.C. § 841
    (a)(1) and
    841(b)(1)(A)(iii). He filed a motion to suppress all of the evidence seized during
    the search of his mother’s home, including the cocaine base and the digital scales.
    He also filed a separate motion to suppress his self-incriminating statements to
    law enforcement officers during his custodial interrogation. After an evidentiary
    hearing, the court denied both motions.
    Mr. Crisp subsequently entered a conditional guilty plea. In the plea
    agreement, Mr. Crisp reserved the right to appeal the denial of his pretrial
    -4-
    motions pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(a)(2). He received a
    sentence of 276 months of imprisonment, ten years of supervised release, a fine of
    $1750, and a special assessment of $100. Mr. Crisp timely appealed from the
    denial of the motion to suppress his statements.
    DISCUSSION
    The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that “[n]o person
    . . . shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.” 2
    U.S. Const. amend. V. Under Miranda, a suspect’s statements are generally
    inadmissible if law enforcement officers elicited them during a custodial
    interrogation without giving the prescribed warnings and obtaining a waiver. 
    384 U.S. at 444
    , 478–79. To determine whether a post-Miranda statement is
    admissible when the suspect previously gave an unwarned statement, we apply
    Missouri v. Seibert, 
    542 U.S. 600
     (2004), and Oregon v. Elstad, 
    470 U.S. 298
    (1985).
    On appeal, Mr. Crisp argues that the district court erred in denying the
    motion to suppress his post-Miranda statements regarding his possession and
    intent to distribute cocaine base. He contends that the law enforcement officers
    subjected him to the “Miranda-in-the-middle” or “question-first” technique to
    elicit these statements in violation of Miranda. Mr. Crisp asserts that he initially
    2
    The Fourteenth Amendment incorporates provisions of the Fifth
    Amendment and makes them applicable to the states. Malloy v. Hogan, 
    378 U.S. 1
    , 6 (1964).
    -5-
    admitted to having smoked marijuana in response to questions about his female
    companion. 3 He claims that the officers interrupted this interrogation to
    administer his Miranda rights before resuming their questions about his marijuana
    use and expanding their questions to elicit self-incriminating statements about the
    cocaine base.
    We hold that Mr. Crisp waived the “Miranda-in-the-middle” or “question-
    first” argument because he failed to raise it before the district court and has not
    shown good cause for this failure. Even if Mr. Crisp had not waived this
    argument, we conclude that he fails to show plain error.
    I.    Waiver
    “‘When a motion to suppress evidence is raised for the first time on appeal,
    we must decline review.’” United States v. Hamilton, 
    587 F.3d 1199
    , 1213 (10th
    Cir. 2009) (quoting United States v. Brooks, 
    438 F.3d 1231
    , 1240 (10th Cir.
    2006)). Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 12(e), “[a] party waives any
    Rule 12(b)(3) defense, objection, or request [for the suppression of evidence] not
    raised by the [pre-trial] deadline” established by the court. Fed. R. Crim. P.
    3
    Mr. Crisp argues that this first round of questioning amounted to
    custodial interrogation. At oral argument, the government asserted for the first
    time that the officers did not engage in “interrogation” because their questions
    were not “reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response” under Rhode
    Island v. Innis, 
    446 U.S. 291
    , 301 (1980). We decline to address issues raised for
    the first time in oral argument. Corder v. Lewis Palmer Sch. Dist. No. 38, 
    566 F.3d 1219
    , 1235 n.8 (10th Cir.) (“An argument made for the first time at oral
    argument . . . will not be considered.”), cert. denied, 
    130 S. Ct. 742
     (2009). Thus,
    we hold that the government waived this argument.
    -6-
    12(e); see Hamilton, 
    587 F.3d at 1213
    . “‘[T]his waiver provision applies not only
    to the failure to make a pre-trial motion, but also to the failure to include a
    particular argument in the motion.’” Hamilton, 
    587 F.3d at 1213
     (quoting United
    States v. Dewitt, 
    946 F.2d 1497
    , 1502 (10th Cir. 1991)). “For good cause, the
    court may grant relief from the waiver.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(e).
    Mr. Crisp waived the “Miranda-in-the-middle” or “question-first” argument
    because he failed to raise it before the district court. In the motion to suppress
    his statements, Mr. Crisp argued that the officers had violated his privilege
    against self-incrimination under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Although
    Mr. Crisp couched this argument in terms of a Miranda violation, he asserted only
    that he did not knowingly and intelligently waive this privilege because he was
    under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the custodial interrogation.
    At the suppression hearing, Mr. Crisp proffered no evidence on the “Miranda-in-
    the-middle” or “question-first” issue and limited his cross-examination to
    questions regarding whether he had disclosed his marijuana and alcohol use and
    had affirmatively waived his Miranda rights. Mr. Crisp also presented no
    argument on this issue at the suppression hearing, stating instead that the
    interrogation tape “speak[s] for itself.” R., Vol. 2, Doc. 51, at 70. Finally, at oral
    argument before this court, Mr. Crisp acknowledged that he had not raised the
    “Miranda-in-the-middle” or “question-first” argument before the district court.
    -7-
    Mr. Crisp also fails to qualify for the narrow exception to this waiver rule.
    Although Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 12(e) permits a court to grant relief
    “[f]or good cause,” Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(e), “[r]elief under this narrow exception
    is rarely granted,” Hamilton, 
    587 F.3d at 1216
     (internal quotation marks omitted).
    Mr. Crisp may not avail himself of this exception because he never attempts to
    demonstrate good cause for his failure to raise the “Miranda-in-the-middle” or
    “question-first” argument before the district court. See United States v. Banks,
    
    451 F.3d 721
    , 727–28 (10th Cir. 2006) (“[A] party’s failure to raise a specific
    argument in a suppression hearing results in waiver on appeal unless the party is
    able to show cause why it failed to raise the argument below.”).
    II.   Plain-Error Review
    “[T]here is no appeal from violation of a waived right.” United States v.
    Aptt, 
    354 F.3d 1269
    , 1281 (10th Cir. 2004). Although Federal Rule of Criminal
    Procedure 12(e) provides that “[a] party waives any Rule 12(b)(3) objection . . .
    not raised by the deadline the court sets under Rule 12(c)” without a showing of
    good cause, we have “acknowledge[d] that plain error review is a possible option
    under our precedent.” Hamilton, 
    587 F.3d at
    1216 n.9; see Brooks, 
    438 F.3d at
    1240 n.4 (noting that “we have engaged in plain-error review even after a
    defendant has failed to make a motion to suppress evidence prior to trial.”).
    Thus, we will review Mr. Crisp’s “Miranda-in-the-middle” or “question-first”
    argument for plain error.
    -8-
    Under the plain-error doctrine, we will reverse the district court’s judgment
    only if the party shows (1) an error; (2) that is plain, which means clear or
    obvious; (3) that affects substantial rights; and (4) that “seriously affects the
    fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.” United States v.
    Morris, 
    562 F.3d 1131
    , 1133 (10th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks omitted);
    accord United States v. A.B., 
    529 F.3d 1275
    , 1280 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 
    129 S. Ct. 440
     (2008). “The plain error standard presents a heavy burden for an
    appellant, one which is not often satisfied.” United States v. Romero, 
    491 F.3d 1173
    , 1178 (10th Cir. 2007).
    In this action, Mr. Crisp challenges the district court’s denial of the motion
    to suppress his self-incriminating statements regarding his possession and intent
    to distribute cocaine base. He contends that the district court should have
    suppressed these statements pursuant to (1) the five-factor test adopted by the
    plurality opinion in Seibert; (2) the intent-based test adopted by Justice
    Kennedy’s concurring opinion in Seibert; or (3) the voluntariness test adopted by
    Elstad. We need not determine which of these three tests controls here, because
    we conclude that under any of the tests the district court did not commit clear or
    obvious error in finding that Mr. Crisp’s self-incriminating statements were
    admissible. United States v. Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d 1142
    , 1151–53 (10th
    Cir. 2006) (applying all three tests instead of determining whether to apply the
    -9-
    Seibert plurality, Seibert concurrence, or Elstad). Thus, Mr. Crisp cannot prevail
    under plain-error review.
    A.     Seibert Plurality
    Mr. Crisp argues that the self-incriminating statements should be
    suppressed under the five-factor test adopted by the plurality opinion in Seibert.
    In Seibert, the plurality held that “[t]he threshold inquiry when interrogators
    question first and warn later is . . . whether it would be reasonable to find that . . .
    the warnings could function ‘effectively’ as Miranda requires.” 
    542 U.S. at
    611–12 (plurality opinion). The plurality established five “relevant facts that bear
    on whether Miranda warnings delivered midstream could be effective”:
    [1] the completeness and detail of the questions and answers in
    the first round of interrogation, [2] the overlapping content of
    the two statements, [3] the timing and setting of the first and
    the second [rounds], [4] the continuity of police personnel, and
    [5] the degree to which the interrogator’s questions treated the
    second round as continuous with the first.
    
    Id. at 615
    . “These factors, all of which concern the relationship between the first
    and second interrogations, are intended to aid courts in determining whether an
    initial, unwarned interrogation operated to ‘thwart Miranda’s purpose of reducing
    the risk that a coerced confession would be admitted.’” Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d at 1150
     (quoting Seibert, 
    542 U.S. at 617
    ).
    We conclude that, under the plurality’s five-factor test, the district court
    did not commit clear or obvious error in denying Mr. Crisp’s motion to suppress
    -10-
    his self-incriminating statements. The first factor favors the admissibility of the
    self-incriminating statements because the initial round of questioning lacked
    “completeness and detail.” In response to a question from Mr. Crisp, Corporal
    Francetic asked whether his female companion had smoked marijuana around
    him. Mr. Crisp answered, “I was smoking weed before she picked me up.” Def.-
    Aplt.’s Addendum of Exs., Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
     Ex. 4 at 2. This brief question and
    response are not the kind of “systematic” or “exhaustive” interrogation that would
    thwart the purpose of a subsequent Miranda warning. Seibert, 
    542 U.S. at 616
    (noting that “the questioning was systematic, exhaustive, and managed with
    psychological skill” and lasted for thirty to forty minutes); see Carrizales-Toledo,
    
    454 F.3d at
    1151–52 (concluding under the first factor that “[t]he brevity and
    spontaneity of [the] initial questioning reduced the likelihood that it undermined
    the subsequent Miranda warnings”); see also United States v. Materas, 
    483 F.3d 27
    , 29, 33 (1st Cir. 2007) (concluding that Seibert factor one supported
    admissibility where the police asked only “where the drugs were located . . .
    before explaining to Materas his rights in another location, fifteen minutes later”);
    cf. United States v. Aguilar, 
    384 F.3d 520
    , 525 (8th Cir. 2004) (concluding that,
    under Seibert, “the Miranda warnings between the two questioning sessions did
    not serve the purpose of the dictates in Miranda,” where, inter alia, “the first
    questioning session consisted of more than routine booking questions, included
    -11-
    some good cop/bad cop questioning tactics, and lasted approximately ninety
    minutes”).
    The second factor also tends to favor the admissibility of the self-
    incriminating statements because the pre- and post-Miranda statements contain no
    overlapping content regarding Mr. Crisp’s possession and intent to distribute
    cocaine base. Although the law enforcement officers asked Mr. Crisp about his
    marijuana use in the first and second interrogations, they did not question him
    about the cocaine base before administering the Miranda warnings. Unlike
    Seibert, where “there was little, if anything, of incriminating potential left
    unsaid” after the first interrogation, 
    542 U.S. at 616
    , Mr. Crisp provided the
    officers with “significant new information” regarding the cocaine base in the
    second, warned interrogation. Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d at 1152
    ; see also
    United States v. Gonzalez-Lauzan, 
    437 F.3d 1128
    , 1138 (11th Cir. 2006)
    (detecting little overlap under the second Seibert factor where the defendant made
    “[a]ll the detailed incriminating statements . . . after he had waived his Miranda
    rights”); United States v. Fellers, 
    397 F.3d 1090
    , 1098 (8th Cir. 2005)
    (concluding that the effectiveness of Miranda warnings was not vitiated where the
    second, warned interrogation “went well beyond the scope of [the defendant’s]
    initial statements by inquiring about different coconspirators and different
    allegations”). The officers also did not ground their post-Miranda questions
    regarding cocaine base on information gleaned from Mr. Crisp’s prior marijuana
    -12-
    use. Cf. United States v. Pacheco-Lopez, 
    531 F.3d 420
    , 428 (6th Cir. 2008)
    (concluding that the second Seibert factor “support[ed] our finding that the
    warning was ineffective,” where “the question regarding the transportation of
    cocaine was not anomalous . . . but was the next logical question based on the
    earlier statements”).
    The third and fourth factors appear to weigh against the admissibility of the
    self-incriminating statements. In particular, the first and second interrogations
    occurred in the same interview room. See Aguilar, 
    384 F.3d at 525
     (holding that
    Seibert factor three cut in favor of finding a Miranda violation where the
    defendant’s two interrogations occurred in the same room); United States v.
    Heron, 
    564 F.3d 879
    , 886 (7th Cir. 2009) (concluding that two interrogations
    occurring at the same police station leaned towards exclusion under Seibert factor
    three); Pacheco-Lopez, 
    531 F.3d at 427
     (concluding that Seibert factor three
    counseled toward holding that a Miranda-in-the-middle warning was ineffective
    where both interrogations took place at the same kitchen table). Likewise,
    although the officers interrupted the interrogation to administer the Miranda
    warnings, the break lasted only as long as necessary to read the warnings and ask
    a few follow-up questions to ensure Mr. Crisp’s understanding of those warnings.
    See Pacheco-Lopez, 
    531 F.3d at 427
     (“The interrogation was continuous—the
    break only lasted for the amount of time it took the investigators to read [the
    -13-
    defendant] the Miranda warning.”). Furthermore, the same officers were present
    at each interrogation. See id.; Aguilar, 
    384 F.3d at 525
    .
    Finally, the fifth factor tends to favor the admissibility of the self-
    incriminating statements because the law enforcement officers did not treat the
    interrogations as continuous with respect to the cocaine base. The officers used
    none of the pre-Miranda statements from the first interrogation to elicit the post-
    Miranda statements about the cocaine base in the second interrogation. See
    Seibert, 
    542 U.S. at 605
    , 616–17; Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d at 1152
    ; Fellers,
    
    397 F.3d at 1098
    . Although Corporal Francetic referred back to Mr. Crisp’s pre-
    Miranda admission regarding marijuana use while questioning him during the
    second interrogation about the marijuana found near the traffic stop, Mr. Crisp
    was not charged with a marijuana offense.
    Thus, under the five-factor test of the Seibert plurality opinion, the record
    provides strong support for the view that the Miranda warnings functioned
    effectively in this case. Unlike in Seibert, the efficacy of the Miranda warnings
    would appear not to have been materially called into question because Mr. Crisp
    had not confessed to the possession and intent to distribute cocaine base prior to
    receiving the Miranda warnings. Cf. Seibert, 
    542 U.S. at 613
     (“[T]he sensible
    underlying assumption is that with one confession in hand before the warnings,
    the interrogator can count on getting its duplicate . . . .” (emphasis added)).
    Based on this record, we may conclude with confidence that the district court’s
    -14-
    ruling denying Mr. Crisp’s motion to suppress did not amount to clear or obvious
    error.
    B.    Seibert Concurrence
    Mr. Crisp also argues that the statements should be suppressed under
    Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion in Seibert. Under the narrower concurring
    opinion, Justice Kennedy proposed an intent-based test that would apply only
    when “the two-step interrogation technique was used in a calculated way to
    undermine the Miranda warning.” 
    Id. at 622
     (Kennedy, J., concurring). “When
    an interrogator uses this deliberate, two-step strategy, . . . postwarning statements
    that are related to the substance of prewarning statements must be excluded
    absent specific, curative steps.” 
    Id. at 621
    . If the interrogator has not
    deliberately violated Miranda, “[t]he admissibility of postwarning statements
    should continue to be governed by the principles of Elstad.” 
    Id. at 622
    .
    We conclude that, under Justice Kennedy’s intent-based test, the district
    court did not commit clear or obvious error by refusing to grant the motion to
    suppress. The record does not appear to reflect any indicia of deliberate action by
    the officers in violating Mr. Crisp’s Miranda rights. More specifically, the record
    contains insufficient evidence to suggest that the law enforcement officers
    deliberately engaged in the two-step interrogation technique. The record does not
    indicate that the officers “intentionally withheld the Miranda warnings during the
    initial [brief] interrogation.” Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d at 1153
    . No coercion
    -15-
    appears in either the circumstances of the encounter or the nature of the
    questioning. See United States v. Nunez-Sanchez, 
    478 F.3d 663
    , 668 (5th Cir.
    2007). To the contrary, the pre-Miranda statement occurred after the parties had
    bantered about the pursuit and in response to a question about the marijuana use
    of Mr. Crisp’s female companion. See 
    id.
     at 668–69 (“All evidence suggests that
    [the defendant] was calm and cooperative, and the agents did not act with
    aggressiveness or hostility.”). The pre-Miranda statements also were unrelated to
    the post-Miranda statements regarding cocaine base. See Gonzalez-Lauzan, 
    437 F.3d at 1139
    . Therefore, under Justice Kennedy’s intent-based test, we cannot
    conclude that the district court committed clear or obvious error in denying Mr.
    Crisp’s motion to suppress.
    C.     Elstad
    If neither Seibert test applies to this action, Mr. Crisp argues that the
    statements should be suppressed as involuntary under Elstad. Under Elstad, the
    admissibility of a post-Miranda statement turns on whether it was made
    knowingly and voluntarily. 
    470 U.S. at 309, 318
    . “[A]bsent deliberately coercive
    or improper tactics in obtaining the initial statement, the mere fact that a suspect
    has made an unwarned admission does not warrant a presumption of compulsion”
    as to any post-Miranda statement. 
    Id. at 314
    . The Court instead held that “[a]
    subsequent administration of Miranda warnings to a suspect who has given a
    -16-
    voluntary but unwarned statement ordinarily should suffice to remove the
    conditions that precluded admission of the earlier statement.” 
    Id.
    Under the voluntariness test of Elstad, the district court did not commit
    clear or obvious error in denying the motion to suppress. As an initial matter, we
    must determine whether Mr. Crisp’s pre-Miranda statement was voluntary.
    “Courts typically consider five factors in a voluntariness inquiry: (1) the age,
    intelligence, and education of the defendant; (2) the length of [any] detention; (3)
    the length and nature of the questioning; (4) whether the defendant was advised of
    [his or] her constitutional rights; and (5) whether the defendant was subjected to
    physical punishment.” Carrizales-Toledo, 
    454 F.3d at 1153
     (alteration in
    original) (internal quotation marks omitted). Mr. Crisp was thirty-nine years old
    at the time of his arrest and was a high-school graduate. He made the initial self-
    incriminating statement regarding his recent marijuana use within a few hours
    after his initial detention and within a few minutes of the start of the
    interrogation. He also made this self-incriminating statement in response to a
    question about his female companion’s marijuana use and in a relatively cordial
    interrogation environment. Although Mr. Crisp was not read his Miranda rights,
    he later acknowledged a familiarity with the criminal-justice system by stating
    that “this ain’t my first rodeo.” Def.-Aplt.’s Addendum of Exs., Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
    Ex. 4 at 3. Mr. Crisp also was not subjected to any physical punishment or
    threats of punishment. Based on the totality of the circumstances, the pre-
    -17-
    Miranda statements clearly appear to be voluntary. Thus, if Mr. Crisp’s pre-
    Miranda statements were voluntary, the subsequent administration of the Miranda
    warnings would make his post-Miranda statements admissible as long as he
    voluntarily waived his Miranda rights.
    Mr. Crisp knowingly and voluntarily waived his Miranda rights. Corporal
    Francetic advised Mr. Crisp of his rights and asked him whether he understood
    them. Mr. Crisp responded affirmatively. The officers also asked Mr. Crisp
    several follow-up questions to ensure that he possessed the intelligence and
    sobriety to understand those rights. As noted above, Mr. Crisp even
    acknowledged a familiarity with the criminal-justice system, claiming that “this
    ain’t my first rodeo.” 
    Id.,
     Ex. 3; see 
    id.,
     Ex. 4 at 3. Finally, after Mr. Crisp
    discussed his connection to the cocaine base, the officers had him read and sign a
    written Miranda waiver. Accordingly, under Elstad’s test for admissibility, the
    district court did not commit clear or obvious error in denying the motion to
    suppress.
    CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s order.
    Entered for the Court
    JEROME A. HOLMES
    Circuit Judge
    -18-