McGuire v. DEPT. OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF NEB.

568 N.W.2d 471, 253 Neb. 92
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 5, 1997
DocketS-95-1000
StatusPublished

This text of 568 N.W.2d 471 (McGuire v. DEPT. OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF NEB.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGuire v. DEPT. OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF NEB., 568 N.W.2d 471, 253 Neb. 92 (Neb. 1997).

Opinion

568 N.W.2d 471 (1997)
253 Neb. 92

Lonnie R. McGUIRE, Appellant,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF the STATE OF NEBRASKA and Alvin Abramson, director of the Department of Motor Vehicles of the State of Nebraska, Appellees.

No. S-95-1000.

Supreme Court of Nebraska.

September 5, 1997.

*472 John M. Thor, Wisner, for appellant.

Donald Stenberg, Attorney General, and Jonathan B. Robitaille, Lincoln, for appellees.

WHITE, C.J., and CAPORALE, WRIGHT, CONNOLLY, GERRARD, STEPHAN, and McCORMACK, JJ.

McCORMACK, Justice.

The director of the Department of Motor Vehicles found that the appellant, Lonnie R. McGuire, was driving while under the influence of alcohol and revoked McGuire's driver's license pursuant to Neb.Rev.Stat. §§ 60-6,196 through 60-6,208 (Reissue 1993). McGuire appealed the director's decision to the district court, which affirmed the decision. It is from the district court's order that McGuire now appeals. Under our authority *473 to regulate the caseloads of the Nebraska Court of Appeals and this court, on our own motion, we removed the matter to this Court. We conclude that on the record before us, the judgment of the district court is not supported by the evidence. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the cause with directions to dismiss.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

McGuire was arrested by Officer Keli Forney of the Wayne County sheriffs office on May 21, 1995, for driving while under the influence of alcohol and was transported to the Wayne Police Department. Forney read a postarrest advisement form to McGuire, after which McGuire agreed to submit to a chemical breath test. Forney administered the breath test to McGuire, which indicated an alcohol concentration of .14 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of his breath—a quantity in excess of the legal limit specified in § 60-6,196(l)(c).

Forney then began the process to revoke McGuire's driver's license. Forney completed a form entitled "Notice/Sworn Report/ Temporary License"; read a notice of automatic driver's license revocation to McGuire; and gave McGuire a copy of his temporary license, a citation, an addressed envelope, and a petition form to request a hearing before the director should he decide to contest the revocation.

On May 24, 1995, McGuire requested such hearing before the director. At this hearing, held on June 30, among the items offered into evidence by the department were Forney's sworn report, which contained the results of the breath test administered to McGuire, and a checklist purportedly completed at the time the breath test was administered. McGuire objected to both items. Further, at this hearing Forney testified that she was certified to administer a breath test with an Intoxilyzer Model 401 IAS, the instrument used to test McGuire. However, Forney failed to affirmatively state that she held a valid permit issued by the Department of Health to test blood, breath, or urine for the presence of alcohol.

In an order dated July 6,1995, the director revoked McGuire's driver's license and privilege to operate a motor vehicle for a period of 90 days. In accordance with § 60-6,208 and Neb.Rev.Stat. § 84-917 (Reissue 1994), McGuire filed a petition in the district court requesting a review of the director's border. The district court held a hearing and in a journal entry dated September 11, affirmed the director's order. McGuire then appealed the district court's decision to the Court of Appeals. By the order of this court, we removed McGuire's appeal to our docket.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

McGuire asserts several errors, which may be summarized into three: The district court erred by (1) determining that the breath test report was admissible and was competent evidence, since the arresting officer did not comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements when administering the breath test; (2) failing to remand the proceedings to the department to determine whether McGuire was properly advised of the consequences of refusing to take or taking and failing a breath test, in light of Smith v. State, 248 Neb. 360, 535 N.W.2d 694 (1995); and (3) determining that the arresting officer had probable cause to believe McGuire was operating or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and that the officer effected a lawful arrest.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

A final order rendered by a district court in a judicial review pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act may be reversed, vacated, or modified by an appellate court for errors appearing on the record. Piska v. Nebraska Dept. of Soc. Servs., 252 Neb. 589, 567 N.W.2d 544 (1997); Loup City Pub. Schs. v. Nebraska Dept. of Rev., 252 Neb. 387, 562 N.W.2d 551 (1997).

When reviewing an order of a district court under the Administrative Procedure Act for errors appearing on the record, the inquiry is whether the decision conforms to the law, is supported by competent evidence, and is neither arbitrary, capricious, nor unreasonable. Piska v. Nebraska Dept. of Soc. *474 Servs., supra; Loup City Pub. Schs. v. Nebraska Dept. of Rev., supra.

ANALYSIS

The determinative issue in this appeal is whether the department met its burden to make a prima facie case for the revocation of McGuire's driver's license and if so, whether McGuire rebutted the department's case. In McPherrin v. Conrad, 248 Neb. 561, 537 N.W.2d 498 (1995), we concluded that the department makes a prima facie case once it establishes that the arresting officer provided his or her sworn report to the director containing the required recitations. "The director was not required to prove the recitations were true. Rather, it became [the motorist's] burden to prove that one or more of the recitations were false." Id. at 565, 537 N.W.2d at 501.

The required recitations are found in § 60-6,205(3), which provides, in pertinent part:

The arresting peace officer shall immediately forward to the director a sworn report stating (a) that the person was validly arrested pursuant to section 60-6,197 and the reasons for such arrest, (b) that the person was requested to submit to the required test, (c) that the person was advised of the consequences if the test disclosed the presence of alcohol in a concentration specified in section 60-6,1%, including that his or her operator's license would be immediately impounded and automatically revoked in thirty days, and (d) that the person submitted to a test, the type of test to which he or she submitted, and that such test revealed the presence of alcohol in a concentration specified in such section.

(Emphasis supplied.)

Assuming without deciding that the sworn report submitted to the director by Forney was sufficient, McGuire clearly rebutted the requirement that he was validly arrested pursuant to § 60-6,197.

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Related

McPherrin v. Conrad
537 N.W.2d 498 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1995)
Piska v. Nebraska Department of Social Services
567 N.W.2d 544 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1997)
Loup City Public Schools v. Nebraska Department of Revenue
562 N.W.2d 551 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Young
544 N.W.2d 808 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1996)
Smith v. State, Dept. of Motor Vehicles
535 N.W.2d 694 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1995)
McGuire v. Department of Motor Vehicles
568 N.W.2d 471 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1997)

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Bluebook (online)
568 N.W.2d 471, 253 Neb. 92, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcguire-v-dept-of-motor-vehicles-of-neb-neb-1997.