Ige v. Administrative Director of the Court

997 P.2d 59, 93 Haw. 133, 2000 Haw. App. LEXIS 18
CourtHawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 23, 2000
Docket22466
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 997 P.2d 59 (Ige v. Administrative Director of the Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ige v. Administrative Director of the Court, 997 P.2d 59, 93 Haw. 133, 2000 Haw. App. LEXIS 18 (hawapp 2000).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

ACOBA, J.

We hold that an Intoxilyzer operator’s sworn declaration which stated, in essence, that a breathalyzer test for blood alcohol concentration was conducted in compliance with operator training and that the Intoxilyzer did not malfunction, states facts sufficient to establish compliance with Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 286-257(a)(3)(B) and (C) (Supp.1998) as part of the foundation for admission of the Intoxilyzer test result. Because the Intoxilyzer operator’s declaration in the driver’s license revocation proceeding brought against Petitioner-Appellant Melvin M. Ige (Petitioner) so stated, we affirm, on the grounds set forth herein, the March 9, 1999 decision and order of the District Court of the First Circuit (the court) affirming the January 4, 1999 administrative revocation of Petitioner’s driver’s license by the Administrative Driver’s License Revocation Office (the ADLRO).

I.

A.

The following facts are adduced from the January 4, 1999 ADLRO findings of fact (findings), conclusions of law (conclusions), and decision. At 1:37 a.m. on November 9, 1998, Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Officer Nathan Santos (Officer Santos) observed a silver Oldsmobile (the vehicle) weaving westbound on the H-l Freeway somewhere before the Hickam off-ramp. While passing the vehicle, Officer Santos observed the vehicle cross over and straddle two traffic lanes before nearly sideswiping Officer Santos’s vehicle. The officer drove past the vehicle and kept pace with it, traveling at about fifteen miles under the minimum speed limit of forty-five miles per hour. Officer Santos stopped the vehicle and then requested and obtained Petitioner’s driver’s license from him. When Officer Santos requested Petitioner’s vehicle registration and insurance card, Petitioner provided a “medical/health card” instead.

The officer observed that Petitioner’s eyes were “glassy” and “bloodshot,” and that Petitioner appeared to be “lost.” Officer Santos detected a moderate odor of an alcoholic beverage from Petitioner and noted that Petitioner’s speech was slurred. After administering a field sobriety test to Petitioner, the officer believed Petitioner exhibited signs of intoxication. 1

Petitioner was arrested and transported to the Kalihi Police Station. He was then told that he could take a blood test, breath test, or both, and was informed of the sanctions and consequences of refusing to be tested. Petitioner elected to take a breath test. The Intoxilyzer, 2 model 5000, number 66-003310, was used to test Petitioner. Intoxilyzer operator Joel K. Gonsalves (Gonsalves) administered the test. The test result revealed Petitioner’s blood alcohol concentration to be .189 percent.

*135 The ADLRO was provided with Petitioner’s driver’s license and other relevant documents, such as the statements of the Intoxi-lyzer supervisor and the operator, and the statements of Officer Santos and HPD Officer Prudencio Déla Cruz (Officer Déla Cruz), who was a passenger in the car with Officer Santos on November 9,1998.

B.

The ADLRO revoked Petitioner’s driver’s license for the period from December 10, 1998 to December 9, 1999. Petitioner requested an administrative hearing on November 18, 1998. After two continuances at Petitioner’s request, a hearing was held on December 31, 1998. Petitioner was present with counsel. Officer Santos and Officer Déla Cruz testified at the hearing. Petitioner did not call as witnesses the Intoxilyzer supervisor or the Intoxilyzer operator whose statements had been submitted to the ADL-RO.

On January 4, 1999, the presiding hearing officer (hearing officer) issued a decision sustaining the ADLRO’s revocation.

C.

On February 3, 1999, Petitioner filed a petition for judicial review and a hearing was set for March 8, 1999, before the court. Petitioner was present with counsel at that hearing. At the March 8, 1999 court hearing, the court stated to Petitioner’s counsel, “.The [Ijntoxilyzer operator ... did submit a report. You’re just alleging that the report is insufficient.” To this, counsel for Petitioner responded, “Yes[J” Petitioner argued the sworn statement of the Intoxilyzer operator did not reveal whether proper procedure was followed when administering the test to Petitioner.

[COUNSEL FOR PETITIONER]: ... Clearly that sworn statement [of the Intox-ilyzer operator] establishes albeit inclusary terms but in terms I’m satisfied is in compliance with the statute; that the test was conducted pursuant to Department of Health Regulations.
However, it does not establish that the test was othenvise conducted properly; that is, that the proper procedures necessary to use the machine were in fact followed in this case.

(Emphasis added.)

After the hearing, the court issued a March 9, 1999 decision and order affirming the revocation of Petitioner’s driver’s license, stating, in relevant part, as follows:

Having considered the submission and arguments of counsel and the records and files herein, the [c]ourt hereby finds:
[[Image here]]
5. The Administrative Director did not make a determination which was unsupported by the evidence in the record.
[[Image here]]
The “Petitioner’s Brief’ references to page 4 of the transcript of the administrative hearing ... to show that the issue on appeal was raised in the administrative hearing. However, the transcript does not support Petitioner’s assertion that the issue was raised in the administrative hearing. Not only did Petitioner not object to the admission of the intoxilyzer result, Petitioner affirmatively asked the Hearings Officer to “put in all the documents.” (Record at 67) This request included both the “Sworn statement of the Intoxilyzer Operator” and the sworn statement of the [I]ntoxilyzer supervisor. (Record at 61 and 62.)
Since Petitioner did not raise the issue in the administrative hearing, this Court will not consider it on appeal. Even if it had been raised below, this Court would not engage in the conjecture urged by Petitioner. There being no other issue on appeal and no plain error, the administrative revocation of Petitioner’s driver’s license is affirmed.

(Emphases added.) Judgment was entered on March 9,1999.

II.

On appeal to this court, Petitioner argues that the court erred (1) in ruling that he had not raised an objection to the insufficiency of “established procedures” and “operating pro *136 cedures” required under HRS § 286-257(a)(3)(B) and (C) 3 ; and 2) in finding that evidence as to the testing procedure was sufficient to support Petitioner’s driver’s license revocation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Davis.
400 P.3d 453 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2017)
State v. Rabusitz
145 P.3d 861 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2006)
Freitas v. Administrative Director of the Courts
116 P.3d 673 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
997 P.2d 59, 93 Haw. 133, 2000 Haw. App. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ige-v-administrative-director-of-the-court-hawapp-2000.