State v. Baldwin

569 N.W.2d 37, 212 Wis. 2d 245, 1997 Wisc. App. LEXIS 717
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedJuly 2, 1997
Docket96-1013-CR, 96-2822
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 569 N.W.2d 37 (State v. Baldwin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Baldwin, 569 N.W.2d 37, 212 Wis. 2d 245, 1997 Wisc. App. LEXIS 717 (Wis. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

ANDERSON J.

Randall S. Baldwin and Gregory A. Busch claim that the trial court erred in failing to *248 suppress the breath test results from an untested, unevaluated and unapproved Intoxilyzer Model 5000, Series 6400. We reverse Busch's conviction for operating a motor vehicle while having a prohibited alcohol concentration (OMVPAC) because the automatic admissibility and the prima facie presumption of accuracy of breath test results are directly tied to the evaluation and approval of the breath testing instrument by the chief of the Department of Transportation's chemical testing section. Here, the failure to comply with the mandates of the state statutes and the administrative code calls into question the accuracy of the instrument used to test Busch's breath. However, Busch is not entitled to the suppression of the breath test results upon remand of his appeal; rather, a new trial is required where the State will not have the benefit of automatic admissibility or the prima facie presumption of accuracy.

We affirm Baldwin's conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVWI). Although the breath test results are relevant to the conviction, he fails to argue that there is no evidence that supports his conviction for OMVWI.

Baldwin was arrested for a second offense OMVWI in violation of §§ 346.63(l)(a) and 346.65(2)(b), Stats., 1 and a second offense OMVPAC in violation of §§ 346.63(l)(b) and 346.65(2)(b). Busch was arrested for his first offense OMVWI, § 346.63(l)(a) and his first offense OMVPAC, § 346.63(l)(b). They brought separate motions to suppress their respective breath test results on the grounds that the instrument used to test their breath had not been evaluated and approved as *249 required by § 343.305(6)(b), Stats., and Wis. Adm. Code § Trans 311.04.

In Baldwin's case, an evidentiary hearing was conducted and after argument of the parties, the trial court concluded that the modifications to the instrument did not change the analytical process and that evaluation and approval of the instrument prior to use were not required under the administrative rule. A jury subsequently convicted Baldwin of both counts and the trial court entered a judgment of conviction on the second offense OMVWI. He commenced this appeal limited to the issue of whether the breath test instrument had been properly evaluated and approved and seeking suppression of the breath test results.

In Busch's case, the prosecution and defense stipulated to incorporate by reference the testimony and argument presented in Baldwin's case, and the trial court denied the motion for the reasons it gave in the Baldwin case. After brief testimony on the underlying offense, the court found Busch guilty of both counts and entered a judgment of conviction on the first offense OMVPAC. In this appeal he seeks the same relief as requested by Baldwin. 2

The only witness at Baldwin's evidentiary hearing was George Menart. Menart testified that for thirteen years he has been a senior electronics technician for the Wisconsin State Patrol chemical testing section and that he is responsible for running the statewide service program for breath testing instruments. According to Menart, in 1983 and 1984 he was involved *250 in the testing and evaluation of breath testing instruments to replace the then existing Breathalyzer; as a result of this program, the State purchased the Intox-ilyzer Model 5000, Series 6400. 3

In the last twelve years, major modifications have been made to the internal components of the Intox-ilyzer Model 5000, Series 6400 used to analyze Baldwin's and Busch's breath samples. The modifications were required either because of obsolescence or existing components wearing out. 4 The modifications have been made by replacing components of the Series 6400 with components designed for the Intoxilyzer Model 5000, Series 6600. 5

The changes made to the Intoxilyzer Model 5000, Series 6400 used to administer the breath test to Baldwin and Busch included: (1) replacement of the processor boards with Series 6600 processor boards that incorporated additional circuitry for an internal *251 calibration standard not used in Wisconsin; 6 (2) replacement of the mother board with the Series 6600 mother board that includes circuitry to keep the sample chamber at a specific temperature — in the Series 6400 the heater for the sample chamber was mounted externally under the chamber; 7 (3) replacement of power supply; (4) upgrade of the memory from 16 kilobytes to 32 kilobytes; (5) installation of a phone-activated timer that permits the Department of Transportation to access the memory of the Intoxilyzer Model 5000, Series 6400; (6) installation of a 10,000 ohm resistor to bleed a capacitor so that service personnel would not receive an electrical shock; and (7) the diodes, capacitors, resistors, transistors and chips on the replacement Series 6600 mother boards are not from the same manufacturer as those on the Series 6400 mother boards; but they do meet the original specifications established by the manufacturer for the Series 6400.

During cross-examination, Menart described the optical bench — which includes the sample chamber, the lenses, the infrared source, and the detector — and explained how the machine processes multiple signals are identical between the two series. 8 According to *252 Menart, the integrated circuits are identical, as are the values of the capacitors and resistors. Also, according to Menart, the Series 6600 is considered to be the same machine as the Series 6400; however, he testified that the Intoxilyzer Model 5000, Series 6600 has never been evaluated.

In the trial court, Baldwin and Busch argued that the breath test instrument used to analyze their breath *253 samples — either the hybrid instrument or the Series 6600 — had never been evaluated and approved as required by the administrative code., Both sought suppression of the breath test results because they were from "untested, nonevaluated machine[s]." The State responded that although the Series 6400 has been upgraded with components from the Series 6600, there was no need to test the latter because there was no difference in the analysis performed either by the hybrid testing instrument or the Series 6600.

The trial court denied Baldwin's and Busch's motions concluding that the underlying analytical process had not been upgraded and that there was no need to evaluate and approve the Series 6600 or the hybrid instrument because the analytical process was identical to the process employed by the Series 6400. The trial court concluded that expert testimony was required to establish significant differences between the machines that effected the analytical process.

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Related

County of Dane v. Winsand
2004 WI App 86 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2004)
State v. Doerr
599 N.W.2d 897 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1999)
State v. Busch
576 N.W.2d 904 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
569 N.W.2d 37, 212 Wis. 2d 245, 1997 Wisc. App. LEXIS 717, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-baldwin-wisctapp-1997.