Michaels v. State ex. rel. Department of Transportation

2012 WY 33, 271 P.3d 1003, 2012 Wyo. LEXIS 34
Wyoming Supreme Court·Decided March 6, 2012·No. No. S-11-0156·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

KITE, Chief Justice.

[T1] Brady L. Michaels was arrested for driving while under the influence of aleohol in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-5-288(b) (LexisNexis 2009). The Wyoming Department of Transportation (the State) notified him that it was suspending his driver's license for ninety days. Mr. Michaels requested an administrative hearing. After the hearing, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) upheld the suspension.

[¶2] Mr. Michaels appealed the suspension to the district court, which affirmed the OAH decision. He then appealed to this Court, claiming § 31-5-2883(b) prohibits drinking and driving, his condition at the time of his arrest was the result of a diabetic ketoacidosis state not the result of drinking alcohol, therefore, the State did not meet its burden of proving that probable cause existed to believe he violated the statute.

[¶ 3] We hold as a matter of law that § 31-5-283(b) was intended to apply when a person drives or is in actual control of a motor vehicle after consuming aleohol beyond the legal limit or to a degree rendering him incapable of safely driving. Therefore, the [1005] OAH's ruling that § 381-5-233(b) does not distinguish between alcohol concentration caused by consuming aleoholic beverages and alcohol concentration caused by some other factor is incorrect. However, we also hold that the State met its burden of proving that probable cause existed at the time of the arrest to believe that Mr. Michaels had violated § 81-5-2883(b), and we affirm the OAH's order upholding the suspension of his driver's license.

ISSUES

[¶ 4] The issues Mr. Michaels presents for this Court's determination are whether the OAH decision is in accordance with the law and, if so, whether it was supported by substantial evidence.

FACTS

[T5] On the evening of April 16, 2010, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Rodney Miears was patrolling on U.S. Highway 20 in Big Horn County, Wyoming. At approximately 6 p.m., he observed a vehicle approaching him at a high rate of speed. His radar showed the vehicle was traveling 96 miles per hour in the posted 65 mile per hour zone. Trooper Micars pursued the vehicle, activating his flashing lights as he approached, and the vehicle pulled over. Trooper Micars pulled up behind the vehicle, got out of his patrol car and approached the driver's side window. He informed the occupant that he had stopped him for speeding. He requested a driver's license, proof of insurance and registration. According to the trooper's report, the occupant, Mr. Michaels, was difficult to understand, slurred his words and had watery, blood-shot eyes.

[¶ 6] Trooper Miears returned to his patrol car to fill out a citation for speeding. Mr. Michaels got out of his vehicle and approached the patrol car twice. The second time, Trooper Micars asked him if he had been drinking. Mr. Michaels responded, "no." Trooper Micars asked, "You haven't?" and Mr. Michaels again said, "no." Trooper Miears told him to get back in his vehicle. A few minutes later, Mr. Michaels got out of his vehicle again. A second trooper who arrived at the scene asked Mr. Michaels to stay in his vehicle, but Mr. Michaels continued to walk toward Trooper Miears' patrol car.

[T7] The second trooper advised Mr. Mi-chaels that Trooper Miears was going to have him perform field sobriety tests. Trooper Miecars told Mr. Michaels that he could smell the odor of alcohol coming from him. He then had Mr. Michaels perform the sobriety tests, including the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk and turn and one leg stand. Mr. Michaels failed the tests. The trooper administered a portable breath test which showed an alcohol concentration of .17%. A second test showed a .16% aleohol concentration. Trooper Micars arrested Mr. Michaels for driving while under the influence of alcohol in violation of § 31-5-233(b), which prohibits a person from driving if he has an alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more. He placed Mr. Michaels in the patrol car, gave him the implied consent advisement required under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 81-6-102 (Lexis-Nexis 2009) and transported him to the Big Horn County jail. A third breath test given at the jail still showed a .16% alcohol concentration. Upon being advised of his right to have additional tests performed at his own expense, Mr. Michaels requested to be taken to the hospital for a blood test.1 Trooper Miears also provided Mr. Michaels with written notice that his driver's license was being suspended for ninety days.

[T8] Mr. Michaels subsequently made a written request for a contested case hearing before the OAH. A hearing was convened. As a preliminary matter, Mr. Michaels stated he would stipulate that Trooper Miears had probable cause to stop him for speeding, but [1006] contested whether probable cause existed to arrest him for violating § 81-5-288(b). For its case, the State relied on the certified record. Mr. Michaels called three witnesses: his physician, Dr. Joel Pull, who testified that Mr. Michaels suffered from Type I Diabetes and he believed Mr. Michaels was in a ketoa-cidosis2 state on the night of his arrest, not under the influence of alcohol; his wife, Kristy Michaels, who testified that her husband quit drinking alcohol after he was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2009 and she did not observe him drinking nor did he smell like alcohol on the day of his arrest; and a coworker, Nate Mattison, who also testified that Mr. Michaels had quit drinking and did not appear to be intoxicated on the day he was arrested. Mr. Michaels also testified that he had not consumed aleohol on the day he was arrested.

[¶ 9] After the hearing, the OAH issued its order upholding the suspension of Mr. Michaels' driver's license. In pertinent part, the OAH found and concluded as follows:

17. The evidence in this case clearly established Michaels was stopped for speeding 96 mph in a 65 mph zone. This is a traffic violation and provided probable cause to initiate a traffic stop.

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Michaels v. State ex. rel. Department of Transportation, 2012 WY 33, 271 P.3d 1003, 2012 Wyo. LEXIS 34 (Wyo. 2012).

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