Matter of Griffiths

744 P.2d 92, 113 Idaho 364, 1987 Ida. LEXIS 344
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 1, 1987
Docket16445
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 744 P.2d 92 (Matter of Griffiths) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Griffiths, 744 P.2d 92, 113 Idaho 364, 1987 Ida. LEXIS 344 (Idaho 1987).

Opinions

DONALDSON, Justice.

This is a civil appeal from an order of the magistrate division suspending defendant’s driver’s license pursuant to Idaho’s implied consent statute, I.C. § 18-8002. Defendant-appellant raises a host of issues: (1) whether a city police officer who effects an arrest outside of the territorial limits of his authority for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol may request the arrestee to submit to a blood-alcohol content test; (2) whether there existed probable cause to stop defendant and request him to take a blood test; (3) whether defendant was properly advised of the consequences of failing to submit to a blood test; (4) whether a defendant who fails to submit to a requested blood-alcohol content test but states he will submit to another type of evidentiary test has refused a test within the meaning of the implied consent statute; (5) whether a fear of needles is, as a matter of law, insufficient to show cause why a properly requested blood test was refused; and, finally, (6) whether venue was proper in Bannock County.1 We affirm all but issue (5) and vacate that portion of the magistrate’s decision which rejected, as a matter of law, fear of needles as a cause for refusal.

I.

Following the seizure of his driver’s license, Monty W. Griffiths timely requested an evidentiary hearing to show cause why his license should be returned. See I.C. § 18-8002(4)(b). The hearing revealed the following facts:

On September 22,1985, two Indian police officers noticed a green vehicle traveling at an excessive rate of speed on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. They followed the vehicle and clocked it doing approximately 70 mph in a 45 mph zone. They observed the vehicle cross the fog line twice and the yellow center line once while driving on straight highway.

The vehicle was being driven by the defendant, Monty W. Griffiths. Larry Van Sickle, one of the Indian police officers, testified that upon stopping the vehicle he observed that defendant’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech was erratic. Van Sick[366]*366le also noticed a strong odor of alcohol. Defendant was then asked to step from the vehicle and perform the standard battery of field dexterity tests. Van Sickle testified that defendant failed all of these tests.

Because defendant was not a member of the Sho-Ban Indian tribes, Bannock County authorities were called to arrest defendant for driving under the influence of alcohol. County and state law enforcement personnel were tied up with emergencies, so several minutes later two officers from the city of Chubbuck, Idaho, arrived. One of these officers, Bill Hayball, testified at defendant’s show cause hearing that, upon arriving at the scene, he smelled a strong odor of beer on defendant’s breath and observed that defendant’s eyes were “very glassy.” Hayball was informed by the Indian police officers that Griffiths had been speeding and weaving in his lane. Hayball then asked defendant to perform a series of field dexterity tests, which Hayball testified defendant failed. Defendant was taken into custody.

While transporting defendant to a nearby law enforcement facility, Hayball asked defendant if he would take the Intoximeter 3000, which is the standard breath test used to determine alcohol concentration in the blood. Hayball testified that defendant replied, “No, I am not taking your test.” Shortly thereafter, a dispatcher notified Hayball that the Intoximeter 3000 was not functioning and that a blood test would have to be performed. Hayball asked defendant if he had a preference for any particular hospital, but defendant did not reply.

Defendant was then driven to Pocatello Regional Hospital, where he was asked to sign a consent form for the withdrawal of blood. Defendant refused, though he was advised that a refusal would result in the suspension of his driver’s license. Defendant was not, however, advised that he could have additional tests done at his own expense. Hayball did not have with him a refusal form patterned after I.C. § 18-8002(3), the implied consent statute, so he drove defendant to the Pocatello Police Department where he read defendant the department’s standard form2 which advised defendant of the information regarding refusal required by I.C. § 18-8002(3). Hay-ball testified that defendant thereupon refused to submit to a blood test. Apparently, at the Pocatello Police Department [367]*367there was an Intoximeter 3000 in the same room where defendant was being held and advised, and it is uncontroverted that defendant asked what the machine was and, upon learning what it was, said he would take that test. However, the machine was not functioning and defendant was so informed.

Defendant testified at his show cause hearing that he did not know the Intoximeter 3000 was inoperative when he requested that test. Officer Hayball testified the volume of police radio was turned up loud and that defendant should have heard the dispatcher’s message regarding the Intoximeter 3000. Hayball also testified he advised defendant earlier that the Intoximeter 3000 was not working, and that they would have to go to a hospital to have a blood test done.

Defendant testified that the reason he refused to submit to the blood test was a fear of needles. Early on in the hearing, defendant testified that he did not articulate to the hospital staff or Officer Hay-ball that his reason for refusal was a fear of needles. Later, however, when he was called as a rebuttal witness, defendant testified that he did, in fact, articulate his fear of needles to others. His fear of needles, defendant said, resulted from an earlier experience where he had undergone surgery several times. Defendant’s mother testified to the same effect. Finally, defendant testified that he requested a urine test, though there appears to be some dispute as to whether an actual test was requested or whether defendant had merely requested to use the restroom.

Upon hearing the evidence, the magistrate, ruling from the bench, found that there was probable cause to stop defendant, that defendant had been properly advised of the consequences of a refusal, that defendant had refused to submit to a blood-alcohol content test, and that defendant had failed to show cause why he had refused to take the test. The magistrate made no findings of fact regarding whether defendant had a fear of needles and whether this fear was articulated to Officer Hayball; instead the court held that fear of needles, as a matter of law, is not cause for refusing a blood-alcohol test. Defendant appealed to the district court which affirmed the judgment below. Because the district court was acting in its appellate capacity, on appeal to this Court we review the record before the magistrate independently of the district court decision. First Interstate Bank of Idaho, N.A. v. West, 107 Idaho 851, 852-53, 693 P.2d 1053 (1984).

II.

Before addressing the particular issues raised by this appeal, a brief review of Idaho’s implied consent statute is in order.

In 1984, the Idaho Legislature enacted I.C. § 18-8002, which superceded I.C. § 49-352. See 1984 Idaho Sess.Laws ch. 22, pp. 27-28.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
744 P.2d 92, 113 Idaho 364, 1987 Ida. LEXIS 344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-griffiths-idaho-1987.