State of Maine v. Binnie

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedFebruary 4, 2005
DocketCUMcr-04-1869
StatusUnpublished

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

Bluebook
State of Maine v. Binnie, (Me. Super. Ct. 2005).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, SS. CRIMINAL ACTION pocket No- CR-04-1869 U7 PELs -COM a aoe

STATE OF MAINE Vv. DECISION AND ORDER ON DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS THOMAS BINNIE, Defendant

I. STATUS OF THE CASE

ans

w \j hs

The defendant is charged by complaint with operating under the influence of intoxicants or with excessive blood-alcohol, 29-A M.R.S.A. § 2411(1), Class ’D’.?

After pleading not guilty, the defendant filed a timely notice and demand for jury trial. MRCrimP. 22(a). Through counsel he also filed three motions to suppress evidence.’ The defendant seeks to exclude from evidence at trial any statements made by the defendant, the results of any field sobriety tests, any observations made of the defendant subsequent to the initial stop and the results of any tests relative to the defendant's blood-alcohol level at the time. The grounds of the motion are that the

probation officer who caused the stop of the defendant had no lawful authority to do

’ The complaint alleges the defendant had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14%

> Two of the motions sought to exclude evidence of any statements made by the defendant to any law enforcement officers, all sobriety tests, results of chemical tests and all observations by the arresting officer concerning defendant's lack of sobriety. They were withdraw prior to hearing. The remaining motion is sufficiently broad to cover all of the issues raised in the two other motions.

The court recognizes counsel’s duty to challenge evidence gathered during an investigation that the State may seek to use against the defendant; however, counsel should refrain from filing multiple motions that seek the same relief on similar issues. Even though two of the motions here were withdrawn prior to hearing, the mere filing of multiple motions on the same or similar issues creates an unnecessary clerical burden on the clerk of court. Each separate motion must be date stamped as received, physically placed in the file folder, entered onto the docket of the case and be scheduled and listed for hearing. To the extent that counsel seek to suppress multiple pieces of evidence, or to have evidence suppressed on different grounds, the court would encourage counsel to file only one motion but present the issues in multiple parts. This will significantly reduce the clerk’s duties on each case. so. The court held an evidentiary hearing from which it concludes that defendant's

motion must be granted.

Il. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Based on the evidence presented at the hearing the court makes the following findings of fact.

Michael Hulit has been employed by the State of Maine Department of Correction for approximately eight years as a probation and parole officer.

On July 1, 2004 at approximately 9:00 P.M. he was operating his personal Ford Ranger pick-up truck and was entering Interstate 295 northbound from Franklin Arterial (Exit 7) in Portland. His teenage son was a passenger in the truck. As he pulled into the travel lanes he noticed a vehicle coming up behind him at a “high rate of speed,” approximately 55 mph in a 50 mph zone. This vehicle passed him on the right at a high speed and he watched as it “weaved in and out” in the “moderate” traffic. It continued to speed along for about a% to % of a mile until exiting at Exit 9 onto U.S. Route 1. He was concerned at the vehicle’s speed, “the manner of negotiation,” and thought it would kill somebody. Hulit did not see any police vehicles in the vicinity and unsuccessfully tried to contact a State trooper on the Maine State Police radio in his truck. As the vehicle exited the interstate highway towards U.S. Route 1, Hulit initiated

a stop by using a flashing blue light he had installed in his truck.’

* At the hearing Hulit refused to testify as to the means he used to stop the vehicle. He exercised his 5" Amendment right to remain silent. Other evidence showed that he used a flashing blue light to stop the vehicle. On the date of the events here, blue lights were not permitted to be used on any vehicle except police vehicles, a Department of Corrections vehicles responding to an escape or in the transfer of a high security prisoner, by a sheriff, a deputy sheriff, a qualified person while in performance of court security related functions and services or certain antique vehicles. See, 29-A M.R.S.A. § 2054 (1)(B)(6) and (2)(D),

supp. 2003, rewritten, P.L. 2003, c. 510, § C-8(2) which for the purposes of this case has the same limitations. The defendant pulled over and stopped on the shoulder of Exit 9. Hulit approached the defendant's car on the passenger side. When the defendant rolled down the window Hulit detected a “strong odor of intoxicating beverage.” He showed the defendant a badge and told him that he was a law enforcement officer. When he asked the driver for his license and registration, the defendant said he had not been drinking.

Hulit then used his cellular phone to call the State Police barracks in Gray to request a trooper to come to the scene. None were available so he called the Portland Police Department. He had not attempted to call the Portland police prior to the stop

Two Portland police officers arrived about 20 minutes later. They took over the investigation, arrested the defendant and had him submit to a blood-alcohol test.

Hulit is an experienced probation officer who has received training as a probation officer in how to approach a stopped vehicle, but he has not received training in the pursuit or stopping of vehicles nor does he have any training as a law

enforcement officer from a prior position.

Iii. DISCUSSION A. Arrest power of probation officer (34-A M.R.S.A. § 5404) The primary issue is whether Michael Hulit, in his capacity as a probation officer, has the authority to conduct a motor vehicle stop and arrest as he did here. The court finds that Hulit’s conduct in stopping the vehicle with the use of a flashing blue light, informing the defendant he was a law enforcement office, displaying a badge, asking for his license and registration, asking if he had been drinking,

attempting to contact the State Police, requesting Portland police officers to come to the scene and keeping the defendant there, constitutes an arrest and detention of the

defendant.

In the State of Maine probation officers are vested with statutory authority to

make arrests without a warrant:

In addition to duties prescribed by the director and by the court having jurisdiction, a probation and parole officer shall:

1. Investigation. Investigate any criminal case or matter concerning

probation or parole referred to him for investigation and report the result of the investigation;

2. Arrest. Arrest in the following circumstances:

A. Arrest and return probation and parole violators upon request of the chief administrative officer of a correctional facility;

B. Arrest and return to a correctional facility persons released from the correctional facility ...; and

C. If the officer has probable cause to believe that a person under the supervision of the Division of Probation and Parole has violated a condition of his probation or parole, he may arrest that person. ‘

kk O*

34-A M.R.S.A. § 5404. Thus, under this statute, Hulit’s powers are limited and he exceeded his authority to stop and arrest Mr. Binnie. B. Authority to arrest as a private person (17-A M.R.S.A. § 16)

Hulit was also not allowed to effect a “citizen’s arrest.” The authority fora private person to arrest without a warrant is limited to certain criminal acts contained in Maine’s criminal code. See Title 17-A M.R.S.A. § 16:

Warrantless arrests by a private person

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. LeGassey
456 A.2d 366 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1983)
State v. Pike
642 A.2d 145 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1994)
State v. Jolin
639 A.2d 1062 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1994)
State v. Rideout
2000 ME 194 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State of Maine v. Binnie, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-maine-v-binnie-mesuperct-2005.