Grace v. Director of Revenue, State of Mo.

77 S.W.3d 29, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1151, 2002 WL 1050025
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 28, 2002
DocketED 79564
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 77 S.W.3d 29 (Grace v. Director of Revenue, State of Mo.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grace v. Director of Revenue, State of Mo., 77 S.W.3d 29, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1151, 2002 WL 1050025 (Mo. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

KATHIANNE KNAUP CRANE, Judge.

The Director of Revenue (Director) appeals from the circuit court judgment reinstating petitioner’s driving privileges after a trial de novo. We reverse and remand.

On May 10, 2000 a dark colored van with front-end damage was seen leaving the scene of an accident. Officer Sidney McDonald, then of the St. Ann Police Department, responded to the scene of the accident. Officer Taylor, also of the St. Ann Police Department, radioed Officer McDonald and reported that a van matching that description was stopped and blocked by a civilian’s car a few blocks from the scene of the accident. He observed two men standing near the van. He made contact with the driver of the van, who identified himself as petitioner. Petitioner told Officer Taylor he was the owner of the van, that he had consumed approximately eight beers, and that he had been in an accident. Officer Taylor smelled “an odor of alcohol around [petitioner].” Officer Taylor arrested petitioner for leaving the scene of an accident and transferred petitioner to the St. Ann Police Department.

Officer McDonald proceeded to the St. Ann Police Department where he met Officer Taylor and petitioner. His initial contact with petitioner was at 10:24 p.m. He *31 noticed petitioner had a strong odor of alcohol, watery and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and was swaying back and forth. Officer McDonald then had petitioner perform three field sobriety tests, all of which petitioner failed.

Based on his own observations of petitioner’s demeanor, appearance, and performance of field sobriety tests, and based on Officer Taylor’s observations of petitioner’s demeanor, Officer McDonald concluded that petitioner was intoxicated. Officer McDonald placed petitioner under arrest for driving while intoxicated. He gave the implied consent warning to petitioner at 11:26 p.m. and administered a breath alcohol test to petitioner using an Intoxilyzer 5000, which was working properly. Petitioner had been in his line of sight for the fifteen minute period before the breath analyzer test was administered and that during that time he did not see petitioner consume anything, smoke, vomit, or put anything into or take anything out of his mouth. Officer McDonald followed the techniques and methods approved by the Department of Health for administering the test. He earned a valid permit to administer the test and used equipment approved by the Department of Health. He obtained the result of the breath test from a printout produced by the Intoxilyzer 5000 and recorded that result on page three, the Implied Consent Form, of Form 2889, The Missouri Department of Revenue Alcohol Influence Report, in the section headed “Certification of Examination by Operator.” Officer McDonald sent the printout with his report to his supervisor.

Even though the offense occurred in 2000, the record reflects that Director suspended petitioner’s license pursuant to section 302.505 RSMo (1994). Petitioner requested an administrative hearing, and the hearing officer sustained the suspension of his driver’s license. Petitioner then filed a petition for trial de novo with the circuit court, and the case was assigned to a commissioner for hearing and determination.

At the trial de novo, Director called one witness, Officer McDonald. 1 Officer McDonald identified Exhibit B, the Implied Consent Form, on page three of the Missouri Department of Revenue Alcohol Influence Report (AIR), which contained the results of petitioner’s blood alcohol test. Petitioner announced that he objected to Officer McDonald testifying about the result of the breath test, citing the best evidence rule. The commissioner sustained petitioner’s objection at that point, and again when Director asked Officer McDonald to testify to the test results.

The commissioner asked if Director was going to ask for admission of Exhibit B and said she would take that request under submission. Director asked to make an offer of proof with Exhibit B, which the commissioner initially denied. She allowed Officer McDonald to testify to his preparation of Exhibit B. At the close of evidence, Director formally requested that Exhibit B be admitted into evidence, which request the commissioner again took under submission. Exhibit B showed that petitioner’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .165%.

The commissioner subsequently entered her findings and recommendations. The commissioner found that petitioner did not have a blood alcohol concentration of .10% or more and, “[n]o credible evidence to admit the breath test.” The commissioner recommended that petitioner’s driving privileges be reinstated. The circuit court adopted and confirmed the findings and recommendations.

*32 On appeal, Director contends that the circuit court erred in reinstating petitioner’s driver’s license because the evidence supported a finding of probable cause to arrest and a finding that petitioner was driving with a blood alcohol content of .10% or greater. At the trial de novo, Director has the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the arresting officer had probable cause to arrest the driver for driving while intoxicated and, at the time of the arrest, the driver’s blood alcohol content was .10 percent or greater. Green v. Director of Revenue, 961 S.W.2d 936, 938 (Mo.App.1998). When Director makes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the driver to establish that his blood alcohol content was not at least .10 percent when he was driving. Id.

1. Probable Cause

The trial court did not make a finding of probable cause. Probable cause exists when the facts and circumstances would warrant a reasonable person to believe that an offense has been committed. Farm v. Director of Revenue, 982 S.W.2d 712, 715 (Mo.App.1998). The determination of whether an officer had probable cause to make an arrest must be made in relation to the circumstances as they would have appeared to a prudent, cautious and trained police officer. Id. Probable cause is determined by the collective knowledge and facts available to all officers and a police officer is entitled to rely on official information supplied by another officer in determining probable cause to arrest. Id. Probable cause to arrest for driving while intoxicated exists where the facts and circumstances would warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe that an offense has been or is being committed. Testerman v. Director of Revenue, 31 S.W.3d 473, 476 (Mo.App.2000).

Here, Officer Taylor smelled an odor of alcohol around petitioner when he first contacted him. The parties stipulated that petitioner admitted to Officer Taylor that he was the driver and had consumed approximately eight beers. Officer McDonald also smelled the odor of an intoxicating beverage on petitioner’s breath, when he met him at the station. He saw that petitioner’s eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred, and he was swaying back and forth.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
77 S.W.3d 29, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1151, 2002 WL 1050025, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grace-v-director-of-revenue-state-of-mo-moctapp-2002.