Nellis v. Wyoming Department of Transportation

932 P.2d 741, 1997 Wyo. LEXIS 30, 1997 WL 54803
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 12, 1997
Docket96-115
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 932 P.2d 741 (Nellis v. Wyoming Department of Transportation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nellis v. Wyoming Department of Transportation, 932 P.2d 741, 1997 Wyo. LEXIS 30, 1997 WL 54803 (Wyo. 1997).

Opinion

*742 THOMAS, Justice.

James S. Nellis (Nellis) challenges the probable cause for a deputy sheriff to arrest him for driving while under the influence of alcohol (DWUI) and the sufficiency of the evidence to support the ruling of a hearing examiner that a ninety day administrative suspension of his driver’s license should be upheld. In arguing his first contention, Nel-lis asserts that the evidence did not support the determination that the deputy sheriff had probable cause to arrest him for DWUI. Nellis argues that in the absence of adequate probable cause the chemical testing procedure articulated in Wyo. Stat. § 31-6-102 (1994) was unlawfully invoked. In his second argument, Nellis contends that the results of the blood analysis that were obtained were not adequate to support a determination of intoxication because of the time differential between the arrest and the drawing of the blood sample. Upon initial review the district court ruled:

1). The hearing examiner’s decision was not arbitrary, capricious. The decision was in accordance with the law. It did not exceed the statutory jurisdiction. There is substantial evidence in the record to support the hearing officer’s decision.

The decision of the district court is irrefutable on the record before us, and the decision of the district court is affirmed.

In the Appellant’s Brief on Appeal, Nellis identified the issues as:
I. Was the finding of the hearing examiner that the “arresting officer had probable cause to believe licensee had been driving ... in violation of W.S. § 31-5-233(b)” supported by substantial evidence?
II. Was the finding of the hearing examiner that “the chemical test result indicated that licensee had an alcohol concentration of ten one-hundredths of one percent (0.10%) or more” supported by substantial evidence, or, indeed, any evidence whatsoever?

The answering Brief of Wyoming Department of Transportation (Department), the appellee, states only one issue:

Does the record contain substantial evidence to establish compliance with the implied consent statute? In particular, does the record establish that the officer made a lawful arrest, that the officer had probable cause to believe that appellant had been driving under the influence on a public street or highway, and that appellant submitted to a chemical test which indicated an alcohol concentration of .10% [?]

The events that culminated in the suspension of Nellis’ driver’s license occurred on February 17, 1995. Nellis and his wife, and two other couples who were visiting with the Nellises, went out to dinner at Teton Village. The dinner was at a cabin which was reached by a sleigh from the tram tower cafeteria. While waiting at the cafeteria for the sleigh, Nellis made some drinks for the party. After about a quarter hour on the sleigh the couples arrived at the cabin and had dinner. Wine was served with dinner, and Nellis had maybe one and a half glasses of wine. Then the party went back to the tram tower cafeteria and from there began their return journey to Jackson.

The weather had worsened, and a wet heavy snow was falling, accompanied by wind. It was snowing heavily, and the road was covered with snow. The members of the Nellis party were unanimous in their view that Nellis had no difficulty driving, and they were certain that he was not impaired by alcohol as they were traveling from Teton Village back to Jackson.

When Nellis reached the junction of state highway 390, on which he was driving, with state highway 22, he pulled out to the left, around a line of traffic that was stopped in the correct lane, and drove in the oncoming traffic lane. He stopped at the traffic light, waited for it to change, and then turned left towards Jackson. This entire maneuver was observed by a deputy sheriff, who followed the Nellis vehicle for some distance before he pulled it over. The deputy sheriff spoke with Nellis, and observed that his eyes were reddened and glassy. He could smell alcohol on Nellis’ breath, and Nellis admitted to having consumed three drinks. Apparently, Nellis also reported that he had taken some Tylenol 3.

The deputy sheriff requested Nellis to perform some field sobriety tests. Nellis was *743 unable to perform the walk and turn test and the one leg stand test. He could not count properly, and he failed the horizontal nystag-mus test. Furthermore, a preliminary breath test indicated a blood-alcohol content of 0.084%. The deputy sheriff then arrested Nellis, and read the implied consent advisement form to him. 1 Nellis submitted to a blood test which reported a blood-alcohol content of 0.10%.

Nellis was not prosecuted for driving while under the influence of alcohol, but he was informed of an administrative suspension of his driver’s license for ninety days. Nellis took the matter to a contested case hearing, and the ninety day suspension was upheld by the hearing examiner. Nellis sought judicial review, and the district court affirmed the decision of the hearing examiner. This appeal is from the Order entered in the district court, which affirmed the order of the hearing examiner.

Rule 12.09, of the Wyo. R. App. P. provides that judicial review of an action by an administrative agency must be consistent with Wyo. Stat. § 16-3-114(c) (1990), which provides:

The reviewing court shall:

⅜ ⅜ ⅜ * ⅝ ⅜:
(ii) Hold unlawful and set aside agency action, findings and conclusions found to be:
(A) Arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law;
⅜ ⅜ ‡ or
(E) Unsupported by substantial evidence in a case reviewed on the record of an agency healing provided by statute.

When a case initiated in an administrative agency comes before this court on appeal we do not give any special deference to the decision of the district court. Instead, we review the case as if it came to us directly from the agency. Wyoming Steel & Fab, Inc. v. Robles, 882 P.2d 873, 875 (Wyo.1994). The deference normally accorded the findings of fact by a trial court is extended to an administrative agency, and the agency’s determination of the facts will not be overturned unless clearly contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence on record. Robles, 882 P.2d at 875. On review, we examine the entire record to determine whether substantial evidence is present to support the findings of fact by the hearing examiner. Romero v. Davy McKee Corp., 854 P.2d 59, 61 (Wyo.1993). “Substantial evidence is relevant evidence which a reasonable mind might accept in support of the conclusions of an agency.” Stuckey v. State, ex rel. Wyoming Worker’s Compensation Din, 890 P.2d 1097, 1099 (Wyo.1995).

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Bluebook (online)
932 P.2d 741, 1997 Wyo. LEXIS 30, 1997 WL 54803, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nellis-v-wyoming-department-of-transportation-wyo-1997.