People v. Null

233 P.3d 670, 2010 WL 2564607
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJune 21, 2010
DocketNo. 09SA330
StatusPublished
Cited by50 cases

This text of 233 P.3d 670 (People v. Null) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Null, 233 P.3d 670, 2010 WL 2564607 (Colo. 2010).

Opinions

Justice BENDER

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

In this interlocutory appeal by the prosecution, we review the trial court's decision to suppress defendant Rodger Null's incriminating statements, to suppress his refusal to take a breath test, and to dismiss the driving-under-the-influence ("DUI") charge against him. The suppression of Null's statements presents an appropriate basis for interlocutory appeal, but the suppression of his refusal to take a breath test and the dismissal of the DUI charge do not. To avoid piecemeal litigation and potential double-jeopardy concerns, we exercise our discretion to review the entire appeal under Rule 21 of the Colorado Appellate Rules, and we affirm.

In this case, Null was detained on the side of the road while Washington County police officers investigated him for drunk driving. Null was not free to leave during this time, and he failed a series of roadside sobriety tests, including a preliminary breath test. Following this relatively lengthy detention, two officers surrounded Null, whose back was against a patrol car, and interrogated him without first advising him of his Miranda rights. Null gave several inerimina-ting responses. Applying our precedent in People v. Taylor, 41 P.3d 681 (Colo.2002), and People v. Thomas, 839 P.2d 1174 (Colo.1992), we agree with the trial court's determination that Null was in custody during questioning. Hence, we affirm that court's order to suppress his incriminating statements.

[673]*673We also affirm the trial court's determination that Null's rights were violated under Colorado's express consent statute, section 42-4-1801.1, C.R.S. (2009). After interrogating Null, the officers informed him that, pursuant to the express consent statute, he was obligated to take either a blood test or a breath test to determine his blood aleohol content. Null chose a blood test, but the ambulance service, without explanation, refused to come to the jail to perform the test. The arresting officer then told Null that he either had to take a breath test or refuse testing altogether. Null refused testing.

The express consent statute not only obligates a driver to take a blood or breath test but also obligates law enforcement to provide a driver with the test that he or she chooses absent extraordinary circumstances. The trial court found that no extraordinary circumstances justified law enforcement's failure to provide Null with a blood test. As a remedy for this violation, the court suppressed Null's refusal to take the breath test and dismissed the DUI charge. We agree with the trial court's findings of fact and conclusions of law. According to the language of the express consent statute and our precedent, the prosecution has the burden to show that extraordinary or non-routine circumstances prevented medical personnel from responding to law enforcement's requests for a blood draw. The prosecution in this case presented no evidence to explain why medical personnel refused law enforcement's request. It therefore failed to carry its burden. Thus, we affirm the trial court's decision to suppress the evidence of Null's refusal to take a breath test. We also conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by dismissing the DUI charge. We remand this case to the trial court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I. Facts and Proceedings Below

In April 2009, Deputy Henderson of the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a call concerning a stranded motorist on County Road 80. When Deputy Henderson arrived at the scene, he saw Null sitting in a van parked on the side of the road. Null flashed his headlights at Henderson, and Henderson pulled over and approached the vehicle. Null's eyes looked bloodshot, and his speech appeared slurred. Henderson asked Null for his license and registration, and Null provided a Colorado Identification Card. Henderson contacted dispatch and discovered that Null's license had been revoked. Deputy Henderson asked Null if he had been drinking, and Null responded that he had consumed a few beers earlier. Henderson then asked Null to perform several roadside sobriety tests, such as walking heel-to-toe in a straight line and counting while standing on one leg. Null failed these tests.

Henderson then told Null to lean against his patrol car while he called another officer, Deputy Palmer, to come to the seene to administer a preliminary breath test. While Henderson called Palmer, Null began to walk away from the patrol car into an adjacent field. Henderson followed Null into the field and told him to turn around and stop. Null lay down in the field. Henderson then told Null to get up and return to the patrol car. Null complied.

Approximately fifteen minutes after Henderson first encountered Null, Palmer arrived to administer a preliminary breath test. The results showed that Null had a breath alcohol level of 0.19, well in excess of the legal limit.1 The trial court found that Null had his back to the patrol car at this point, and the two officers stood approximately four or five feet away, one to Null's left and the other to his right. The officers' weapons were not drawn. But, Henderson testified that if Null had tried to walk away again, he would have "chased" him.

The two officers then began to question Null about how much alcohol he had consumed, where he was coming from, and how he had arrived at his present location. The officers testified that they knew these questions were likely to lead to incriminating responses. Null answered the officers' ques[674]*674tions. He initially stated that a friend had been driving the van and had gone looking for help. He later admitted that be had driven the van.

After questioning Null, Deputy Palmer advised him of his right to choose either a breath or blood test under Colorado's express consent statute, section 42-4-1301.1(2)(a)(I). Null requested a blood test. The officers then advised Null of his Miranda rights and placed him under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Henderson placed Null in his patrol car and took him to the Washington County jail. The Washington County Sheriff's Office contracts with the ambulance service for Washington County to do blood tests for alcohol under the express consent statute. On the way to the county jail, Henderson called police dispatch and asked them to contact the ambulance service for a blood test. Dispatch called the ambulance service but received no response. Upon arriving at the jail, Henderson contacted dispatch again, and dispatch called the ambulance service a second time. Several minutes later, dispatch notified Henderson that the ambulance service had refused to respond. Dispatch did not tell Henderson why the ambulance service refused to respond, and the prosecution has offered no evidence explaining this refusal. Henderson informed Null that no one was available to do a blood test and that Null would have to take a breath test instead or refuse testing. Null refused testing.

The prosecution charged Null with a felony for aggravated driving after revocation, in violation of section 42-2-206(1)(b), C.R.S. (2009); with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence, in violation of section 42-4-1301(1)(a), C.R.S. (2009); and with other offenses for driving under restraint, failing to have insurance, and failing to have a registration card with the vehicle.

After a pretrial evidentiary hearing, the court granted Null's motion to suppress his incriminating statements.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
233 P.3d 670, 2010 WL 2564607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-null-colo-2010.