Smithey v. State

850 S.W.2d 204, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 897, 1993 WL 92261
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 16, 1993
DocketNo. 2-91-386-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 850 S.W.2d 204 (Smithey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smithey v. State, 850 S.W.2d 204, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 897, 1993 WL 92261 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

ASHWORTH, Justice (Retired).

A jury found appellant guilty of driving while intoxicated. The trial court set his punishment at a fine of three hundred and fifty dollars and ninety days jail confinement, probated for two years.

We reverse and remand.

Appellant’s one point of error contends the trial court erred in refusing to charge the jury on the validity of the observation period that is required by law as a predicate to admission of an intoxilyzer test.

Appellant was stopped by an Arlington police officer in the early morning hours for speeding. The officer concluded appellant was intoxicated from his manner of speech, appearance and conduct and arrested him. Appellant was taken to the Arlington Police Department, and was given a statutory police warning at 2:06 a.m. The intoxilyzer record shows observation of appellant began at 2:04 a.m. At some time during the observation period it was determined that appellant had tobacco in his mouth, he spit it out and the observation continued. Through expert testimony, the State showed the intoxilyzer determined appellant had a breath alcohol concentration of .17 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

It is undisputed that a fifteen minute observation period must be made in order for a proper breath intoxilyzer test to be made. Appellant contends a fact question was presented with regard to the observation period and that it was error to fail to give his requested instruction:

You are instructed that before you may consider the results of any breath test or chemical test, you must find beyond a reasonable doubt that the regulation [sic] of the Department of Public Safety were complied with and that the methods were used.
The regulations of Department of Public Safety include:
1) A continuous observation period of fifteen minutes during which the subject of the test did not eat, smoke, vomit or otherwise introduce any substance into his mouth;
2) Checking the reference sample devise [sic] to assume that it is properly sealed;
3) Maintaining the breath tube inside the housing until the subject test.
If you have found beyond a reasonable doubt that all of these were complied with then you may consider said test in your deliberations. If you do not find or if you have a reasonable doubt as to the compliance then you may not consider said test for any purpose and shall not consider if [sic] whatsoever in arriving at your verdict.

We examine the record with regard to testimony concerning the observation period and find the following:

[206]*206Russell Trask, Detention Officer and In-toxilyzer Operator:
[PROSECUTOR:]
Q. Okay. Are you familiar with the regulations of the Breath/Alcohol Testing Program which are promulgated and published by the Texas Department of Public Safety?
A. Yes ma’am.
Q. Okay. Are you familiar with the required methodology for conducting a breath test using those regulations?
A. Yes ma’am.
Q. Is that methodology, in fact, printed on the intoxilyzer instrument that you conduct — used to take the test in this case?
A. Yes ma’am.
Q. Did you in every regard follow the required methodology in administering the breath test to Mr. Smithey on September 17th, 1989?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. Did you observe the Defendant continuously for at least fifteen minutes immediately preceding the actual administration of the test?
A. Yes ma’am, I did.
Q. For what purpose do you observe the Defendant before giving the test?
A. To make sure they don't insert anything in their mouth such as gum or tobacco, or they do not belch or vomit while in my presence, that could affect the test.
Q. Okay. Was in this case, Mr. Smi-they’s case, the observation period longer than fifteen minutes?
A. Yes ma’am, it was.
Q. And why was that?
A. During the video tape he had tobacco in his mouth. I had him take the tobacco out. He spit it out and then we observed him after that.
Q. Okay. Did he at any time ingest any alcoholic beverage or other fluid during this observation period?
A. No ma’am.
Q. Did you see him regurgitate?
A. No ma’am, I did not.
Q. Smoke?
A. No.
Q. Eat?
A. No.
Q. Did he place anything into his mouth that might have contained alcohol?
A. No ma’am.
[[Image here]]
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:]
Q. Okay. Do you remember you said on the video tape he had tobacco in his mouth?
A. Yes sir.
Q. And when did the video tape start?
A. I do not know the exact time, sir.
Q. Can you give us a rough idea?
A. Approximately two o’clock.
Q. Could it have been around two o four?
A. Could be, yes sir.
Q. Okay. Now, is it my understanding that the regulations say that you can’t test somebody if they’ve got tobacco or anything in their mouth, right?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Okay. You say he had to spit it out after the video tape?
A. No sir. He spit it during the video tape.
Q. Okay. And what time did you start your observation period from?
A. I’d have to look at the statement. I don’t know the exact time.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY]: Your Hon- or, may I approach the witness?
THE COURT: Yes.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY]: (CONTINUING)
Q. I think you’ve seen this before. You say on this one it says two o four. I guess we’ll find out if that’s when the video started. So, did you — now since he had tobacco in his mouth when it started, that wasn’t a valid period, was it?
A. No sir.
Q. Okay.
A. That’s why there is thirty minutes.
Q. Well, when did you start it again?
A. Started at the beginning of what?
Q. Start the true observation period?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
850 S.W.2d 204, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 897, 1993 WL 92261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smithey-v-state-texapp-1993.