Myers v. State of Indiana

CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 22, 1999
Docket64A03-9808-CR-349
StatusPublished

This text of Myers v. State of Indiana (Myers v. State of Indiana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Myers v. State of Indiana, (Ind. 1999).

Opinion

FOR PUBLICATION

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT : ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE :

LARRY W. ROGERS JEFFREY A. MODISETT

Harper & Rogers Attorney General of Indiana

Valparaiso, Indiana

A. SCOTT CHINN

BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE : Deputy Attorney General

ATTORNEYS FOR VALPARAISO Indianapolis, Indiana

  UNIVERSITY :

WILLIAM H. WAGNER

MARK E. SCHMIDTKE

KEVIN G. KERR

Hoeppner, Wagner & Evans

COUNSEL FOR HANOVER COLLEGE :

HENRY C. RYDER

Barnes & Thornburg

Indinapolis, Indiana

COUNSEL FOR MARIAN COLLEGE :

KEN ELMENDORF

Elmendorf & Meyer

Brownsburg, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

BRISTOL C. MYERS, )

)

Appellant-Defendant, )

vs. ) No.  64A03-9808-CR-349

STATE OF INDIANA, )

Appellee-Plaintiff. )

APPEAL FROM THE PORTER SUPERIOR COURT

The Honorable Nancy H. Vaidik, Judge

Cause No.  64D04-9610-CM-1387

July 22, 1999

OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION

RUCKER, Judge

While driving his car near the campus of Valparaiso University, Bristol C. Myers was arrested by a University police officer and thereafter charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a Class A misdemeanor (footnote: 1) and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than .10% as a Class C misdemeanor. (footnote: 2)  After a bench trial Meyers was found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor.  He now appeals raising three issues for our review which we rephrase as follows:  1) does Ind. Code § 20-12-3.5-1 et seq ., which permits the creation of university police forces, violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; 2) are university police officers required to complete training conducted by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy; and 3) did the officer lack reasonable suspicion to initiate a traffic stop?  We conclude the statute is not unconstitutional; university police officers are not required to complete training conducted by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy; and the officer in this case had reasonable suspicion to initiate a traffic stop.

We therefore affirm.

The following facts pertinent to this appeal are not disputed by the parties.  Valparaiso University is an institution of higher learning affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  It describes itself as a "church-related university" dedicated to the exploration of the "cultural and religious heritage of mankind."  R. at 66 (quoting Valparaiso University, 1997-1998 General Catalog 5).  Valparaiso University is under neither the control nor the authority of any church body, but is an independent institution owned and operated by the Lutheran University Association, a non-profit Indiana corporation.  The University receives no direct support from any church body and is accredited by the North Central Association (“NCA”).  Valparaiso University operates a university police department whose officers are appointed by the governing board of the University pursuant to Ind. Code § 20-12-3.5-1.

Myers is a law student at Valparaiso University.  In the early morning hours of October 4, 1996, he exited the parking lot of a friend's home located across the street from the law school.  At the same time, Officer Jason Ezell of the Valparaiso University Police Department was patrolling the streets on and near the University campus.  Officer Ezell observed Myers driving his pick-up truck left of center on a two lane street on campus.  The officer followed Myers for approximately one block and observed him make a slow left-hand turn into the oncoming lane of traffic of a main east/west street also on campus.  According to the officer the truck was driving so slowly that he "thought the vehicle was going to come to a stop and park against traffic but it continued on."  R. at 115.  Myers then continued westbound where he turned left onto another street.  By this time Myers was apparently off campus.  In any event as he made the turn, the passenger door of his truck swung open appearing to strike a parked vehicle.  The officer followed Myers for a short distance and then activated his overhead lights to initiate a traffic stop.  When Myers exited his truck, Officer Ezell observed that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and he had an odor of alcohol on his breath.  When asked if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages that night, Myers responded affirmatively.  In addition to failing a "walk and turn" field sobriety test, Myers scored .16% on a chemical breath test.  Myers was ultimately arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than .10%.  He was also given a traffic citation for driving left of center and for an "equipment violation" related to the door of his truck swinging open.  Myers filed a pretrial motion to suppress the evidence based on three grounds:  1) the exercise of police power by a private religious institution is unconstitutional; 2) the arresting officer, an employee of a religious institution, had not undergone the training statutorily required of officers employed by the State and therefore lacked authority to make an arrest; and 3) the officer lacked both reasonable suspicion to stop Myers and probable cause to arrest him.  The motion was denied.  After a bench trial Myers was convicted of driving while intoxicated as a Class A misdemeanor.  This appeal followed.

I.

Over Myers' objection the trial court admitted evidence of the chemical breath test as well as testimony concerning other indicia of Myers' intoxication.  In his first challenge to the trial court's ruling Myers contends the trial court erred in admitting any evidence seized as a result of his arrest because the statutory authority under which the arresting officer purportedly acted is unconstitutional.  The statute in question is Ind. Code § 20-12-3.5-1 which provides:

The Ball State University board of trustees, Indiana State University board of trustees, the trustees of Indiana University, the trustees of Purdue University, University of Southern Indiana board of trustees, the board of trustees of Vincennes University, and the governing board of any other college, university or junior college that is accredited by the North Central Association is authorized:

1) To appoint police officers for the institution for which it is responsible;

2) To prescribe their duties and direct their conduct;

3) To prescribe the distinctive uniforms for the police of the institution or campus; and

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