People v. Prelesnik

555 N.W.2d 505, 219 Mich. App. 173
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 22, 1996
DocketDocket 179370
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 555 N.W.2d 505 (People v. Prelesnik) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Prelesnik, 555 N.W.2d 505, 219 Mich. App. 173 (Mich. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

Marilyn Kelly, J.

Defendant appeals by leave granted from an order reinstating a criminal charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. MCL 257.625; MSA 9.2325. The district court had earlier dismissed the charge after finding that defendant was not afforded an opportunity to have an independent alcohol content test conducted. MCL 257.625a(6)(d); MSA 9.2325(l)(6)(d). Defendant argues that the circuit court erred in reinstating the charge. We reverse and remand.

i

On December 9, 1993, at approximately 10:44 P.M., police officers stopped defendant for erratic driving. They arrested him after he failed various field sobriety tests. Upon arrival at the police station at approximately 11:35 P.M., defendant was read his rights, including his right to have an independent alcohol test. He submitted to two breathalyzer tests, with a result of 0.14 percent alcohol content. He was then placed in a cell with other prisoners. Defendant testified that, while in the cell, he realized that he had a right to an independent alcohol test. He attempted to get the attention of the jailers, but did so quietly so that the other prisoners would not notice his efforts. [176]*176Defendant was the warden of a nearby prison, and he feared that he would be recognized by his cellmates.

The deputy on duty testified he could see defendant’s cell at all times. While ordinary conversation could not be heard, the deputies could hear if a prisoner yelled or tapped on the cell glass. The deputy did not notice defendant attempting to contact the officers, either by word or deed.

When another prisoner was given a telephone to place a call, defendant obtained the phone and called his wife. He told her to call the jail and demand that he be given an independent alcohol test. She did, but the deputies refused to take defendant for the test. In the commanding sergeant’s opinion, the request was untimely. The parties stipulated that defendant had telephoned his wife at 2:20 A.M., and that the officers informed defendant that they were refusing to take him for the test at 2:30 A.M.

The district court dismissed the charge against defendant, ruling that defendant’s request for an independent test at 2:20 AM. had not been unreasonable. The results could have been relevant. The court stated:

If the result [of the independent test] was .35, it would have been relevant. If the result was zero, with a result of .14 at the time — in the possession of the police, there are— there is expert testimony that would have came in and made that zero very relevant.
The point is, Mr. Finn, in terms of his major premise, is right on. The point is — this two hour hearing that we’ve had makes a great record, if you want to argue that the defendant was laying in the weeds. And that’s where I thought [the prosecutor] was going, because that’s the only way he can ever prevail in this case, would be by showing that this is a case where a guy waited beyond the pale of reason to ere-[177]*177ate a technicality. [The prosecutor] is not even arguing that. He’s making me feel foolish for suspecting that. If he’s not going to argue it, and I’m merely going to suspect it, I’m sure as hell not going to find it.
What I’ve got here is a 2:20 request, four hours, it’s arguable. I’m not saying it would have gotten the guy off, I’m saying that it would have been relevant. I’m saying it would have been — it would have been a close question for me to exclude it after argument from lawyers. If it’s arguably relevant, it sure isn’t to be peremptorily barred by a police officer at 2:00 in the morning because he doesn’t like the guy. And so I’m going to dismiss the case.

The prosecutor appealed to the circuit court, arguing that the remedy for a statutory violation would ordinarily be suppression of the evidence. Dismissal of the case was appropriate only when the defendant’s due process rights under the constitution had been violated. The prosecutor reasoned that, because the district court had dismissed the case, the court must have found that the officers’ conduct rose to the level of a due process violation. The prosecutor asserted that, under federal authority, a due process violation occurs only when the police act in bad faith.

On the other hand, defendant argued that dismissal was an appropriate remedy, because this statutory violation rose to the level of a due process violation. He alleged that Michigan cases decided under the statute do not require a showing of bad faith.

The circuit court ruled in a written opinion that the present case was controlled by a “due process” opinion found in Arizona v Youngblood, 488 US 51; 109 S Ct 333; 102 L Ed 2d 281 (1988). Accordingly, defendant was denied due process only if the police acted in bad faith by denying his request for an independent test. The circuit court found that:

[178]*178there was no bad faith when the defendant was within 6-8 feet from the police officers after his arrest and waited 2-3 hours to make his request for an independent exam.

The circuit court reversed the dismissal of the charge and remanded for further proceedings. This court granted defendant’s application for leave to appeal on December 14, 1994, and the district court has stayed trial pending this appeal.

n

As a preliminary matter, we must delineate the proper standard of review on appeal. Defendant contends that the circuit court’s ruling should be reviewed for an abuse of discretion, while the prosecutor contends that the ruling should be reviewed for clear error.

We note that the appropriate standard of review depends upon the context of the case. The abuse of discretion standard is employed when a trial court decides whether test results are admissible at trial. People v Schwab, 173 Mich App 101, 103; 433 NW2d 824 (1988). A court’s determination that a defendant was not afforded a reasonable opportunity to obtain an independent alcohol test is a factual finding reviewable under the clearly erroneous standard of MCR 2.613(C). Cf. People v Craun, 159 Mich App 564, 568; 406 NW2d 884 (1987), rev’d on other grounds 429 Mich 859 (1987). This case does not involve the admissibility of test results, but rather whether defendant was afforded a reasonable opportunity to obtain an independent test. Consequently, we will review the circuit court’s decision for clear error. MCR 2.613(C).

[179]*179in

The trial court relied upon the federal case of Youngblood, supra, for the proposition that defendant was not denied due process, because the police did not act in bad faith. We find Youngblood inapplicable to this case.

In Youngblood, the issue was whether the defendant had been denied due process by the failure of police to preserve potentially useful evidence. The Supreme Court ruled that, absent a showing of bad faith by the police, the destruction of potentially useful evidence did not constitute a due process violation. Id. at 56-58. The instant case does not involve the preservation of potentially useful evidence, but rather the defendant’s statutory right to an independent alcohol test. Accordingly, the circuit court’s reliance upon Youngblood was misplaced.

The relevant statute,1 MCL 257.625a(6)(d); MSA 9.2325(l)(6)(d), provides:

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Related

People v. Anstey
719 N.W.2d 579 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2006)
People v. Wager
594 N.W.2d 487 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1999)
People v. Wager
592 N.W.2d 389 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1999)
People v. Prelesnik
555 N.W.2d 505 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
555 N.W.2d 505, 219 Mich. App. 173, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-prelesnik-michctapp-1996.