Martinson v. N.D. Dep't of Transportation

2017 ND 264, 903 N.W.2d 286, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 264
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 16, 2017
Docket20170175
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2017 ND 264 (Martinson v. N.D. Dep't of Transportation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martinson v. N.D. Dep't of Transportation, 2017 ND 264, 903 N.W.2d 286, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 264 (N.D. 2017).

Opinion

VandeWalle, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1] Phillip Galen Martinson appealed from a district court judgment affirming an agency decision to suspend his driver’s license for 180 days for being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, a class C felony. Because Martinson was not unlawfully seized and his driveway was within the scope of the statute, we affirm.

I

[¶2] On May 27, 201Ó, Martinson was arrested by Sergeant Ruelle of the Minot Police Department for being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. Sergeant Ruelle responded to an anonymous report of erratic driving; the caller provided the license plate number and identifying vehicle information. Sergeant Ruellé obtained the address of the registered owner of the vehicle and arrived there shortly after the tip was received.

’ [¶ 3] Upon arriving at the address, Sergeant Ruelle observed an individual in the vehicle matching the license píate from the anonymous tip. A backup officer, Officer Wheeler, arrived at the residence at the same time. Sergeant Ruelle and Officer Wheeler approached the individual, later identified as Martinson, as he exited the vehicle and began walking towards the residence. Sergeant Ruelle called to Mar-tinson to get his attention. Martinson responded along the lines of “what’s going on ,.. what’s up.” Sergeant Ruelle informed Martinson he was responding to a report of a possible intoxicated driver matching the license plate of the car in Martinson’s driveway. Martinson said he had not been driving for several hours and had gohe out to his vehicle to retrieve his wallet.

[¶ 4] Sergeant Ruelle observed an open can of Bud Light beer in the vehicle which Martinson claimed was empty. Sergeant Ruelle also observed Martinson having trouble standing and his speech was slurred. Martinson claimed to have only had two beers in the last three hours and consented to a horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test where Sergeant Ruelle observed six out of six indicators of impairment. Sergeant Ruelle asked Martinson if he would come back to the patrol vehicle and Martinson consented. -Martinson also consented to a pat-down before sitting down in the passenger seat of the patrol vehicle. The pat-down revealed a set of keys later identified as the vehicle keys. Sergeant Ruelle asked Martinson to take a breath test, which Martinson initially consented to, but withdrew consent after seeking clarification.

[¶ 5] Martinson was arrested for actual physical control. The bases for the arrest were Sergeant Ruelle’s observation of Martinson’s poor balance, slurred speech, bloodshot watery eyes, the results of the HGN test, the odor of alcohol coming from Martinson, and Martinson’s admission to driving within the time frame of drinking.

[¶ '6] Martinson was read the North Dakota consent advisory and acknowledged understanding it. Martinson consented to a blood draw. The blood draw showed an alcohol concentration of at least eight one-hundredths of one percent by weight.

[¶ 7] Martinson requested an administrative hearing. The hearing officer found that Sergeant Ruelle did not stop or seize Martinson when he approached him and spoke with him in the driveway of Martin-son’s residence nor when he asked to speak with him in the patrol car. Moreover, the hearing officer found that even if Martinson was detained, Sergeant Ruelle had a reasonable and articulable basis to investigate further based on his observations of Martinson. The hearing officer ordered Martinson’s license to be suspended for 180 days. Martinson subsequently requested judicial review of the hearing officer’s decision by the Ward County District Court in accordance with N.D.C.C'. § 39-08-01. The district court affirmed the agency’s decision.

II

[¶ 8] Martinson argues he was unlawfully seized when the officers approached Martinson in his driveway because they lacked reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

[¶ 9] The Administrative Agencies Practice Act, N.D.C.C. ch. 28-32, governs this Court’s review of the Department of Transportation’s administrative decision to suspend or revoke a driver’s license. Potratz v. N.D. Dep’t of Transp., 2014 ND 48, ¶ 7, 843 N.W.2d 305. Under N.D.C.C. § 28-32-46, this Court must affirm the agency’s decision unless:

1. The order is not in accordance with the law.
2. The order .is in violation of the constitutional rights of the appellant.
3. The provisions of this chapter have not been complied with in the proceedings before the agency.
4. The rules or procedure of the agency have not afforded the appellant a fair hearing.
5. The findings of fact made by the agency are not supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
6. The conclusions of law and order of the agency are not supported by its findings of fact.
7. The findings of fact made by the agency do not sufficiently address the evidence presented to the agency by the appellant.
8. The conclusions of law and order of the agency do not sufficiently explain the agency’s rationale for not adopting any contrary recommendations by a hearing officer or an administrative law judge.

This Court has explained:

When reviewing an administrative agency’s decision, we determine only whether a reasoning mind reasonably could have concluded the findings were supported by the weight of the evidence from the entire record. This Court does not make independent findings or substitute its judgment. Once the facts are established, their significance presents a question of law, which we review de novo. Our standard of review for a claimed violation of a constitutional right is de novo.

McCoy v. N.D. Dep’t of Transp., 2014 ND 119, ¶ 8, 848 N.W.2d 659 (citations and internal quotations omitted).

[¶ 10] In Richter v. N.D. Dep’t of Transp., 2010 ND 150, ¶ 15, 786 N.W.2d 716, we explained our criteria in evaluating when a seizure occurs includes “the threatening presence of several officers, the display of a weapon by an officer, some physical touching of the person of the citizen, or the use of language or tone of voice indicating that compliance with the officer’s request might be compelled.” (quoting United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980)).

[¶ 11] In Reilly, the Grand Forks Police Department received a call about a possible drunk driver. City of Grand Forks v. Reilly, 2017 ND 135, ¶ 2, 895 N.W.2d 322. Two officers located the vehicle at the apartment building of the vehicle’s registered owner. Id. Upon seeing Reilly exit the vehicle, an officer tried to get his attention by saying “Excuse me, sir” but Reilly kept walking towards his residence. Id. The officer ran up ahead of him because he could not get Reilly’s attention. Id.

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Krueger v. N.D. Dep't of Transportation
2018 ND 108 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2017 ND 264, 903 N.W.2d 286, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 264, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinson-v-nd-dept-of-transportation-nd-2017.