United States v. Patane
Patane was arrested for violating a domestic violence restraining order. The arresting officer started reading Patane his Miranda rights but stopped when Patane said he knew what his rights were, and proceeded to question Patane about his possession of a firearm. Patane told the officer the location of his gun and was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The district court held that the officer violated the requirements of Miranda v. Arizona because Patane did not receive a complete recitation of his rights and suppressed the physical evidence against Patane on the ground that there was not probable cause for his arrest. The court of appeals affirmed on alternative grounds, holding that the physical evidence gained from a Miranda violation must be suppressed in this case, where the police negligently failed to administer a complete Miranda warning, and ordered both Patane’s statement and the gun itself suppressed.
Question Presented:
Whether a failure to give a suspect the warnings prescribed by Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), requires the suppression of physical evidence derived from the suspect’s
unwarned but voluntary statement.
