State v. Bullock

388 N.W.2d 505, 223 Neb. 182, 1986 Neb. LEXIS 1191
Nebraska Supreme Court·Decided June 13, 1986·No. 85-548·Published·Cited by 31 cases

Opinions

Grant, J.

Defendant, Richard Bullock, was convicted in the then Lincoln Municipal Court of violating Lincoln Mun. Code § 10.52.020 (1982) of driving while intoxicated. Defendant appealed to the district court, which affirmed the conviction. Defendant appeals to this court.

Defendant assigns two errors: that the trial court erred (1) in allowing a police officer to testify regarding the proper maintenance and functioning of the breath test machine when that officerwas not the person who maintains the machine; (2) in receiving in evidence the results of a breath test when the State failed to produce competent evidence that the machine was properly maintained and functioning. These assignments may be addressed together in that they raise the broad issue of what constitutes sufficient foundation to prove the proper maintenance of a breath test machine for the later admission of breath test results into evidence.

On February 22, 1985, defendant was operating a motor [183] vehicle in Lincoln, Nebraska. Officer Domangue had stopped the vehicle approximately 4 hours earlier that evening because it had no license plates displayed. Upon recognizing the vehicle, and noting that it still did not have license plates, Domangue followed it for several blocks and activated his red lights to stop it. The vehicle changed from the center lane to the left lane of a three-lane road, slowed, and turned left two blocks later. After the turn the vehicle pulled to the curb, and its front right wheel struck the curb. The officer determined that the car was not properly registered and that defendant did not have a valid operator’s license.

The defendant got out of the vehicle upon Domangue’s request and stumbled when he did so, but regained his balance and walked, without any impairment, to the police car. Domangue detected an odor of alcohol on defendant’s breath and saw that his eyes were red or bloodshot and that, when first stopped, he had slurred and somewhat confused speech.

After these observations Domangue requested that defendant submit to a preliminary breath test. After he failed that test he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Defendant was taken to the Lincoln police station, where he was tested on an Intoxilyzer breath machine. After the breath test was administered, defendant was issued a ticket for driving while intoxicated.

At trial Domangue testified that before he administered the test he had reviewed the machine’s maintenance records but that he had not performed the maintenance. The person who performed the maintenance did not testify. Domangue administered the test according to the checklist technique as provided in the rules and regulations of the Department of Health, Neb. Admin. Code tit. 177, ch. 1, § 007.04A3 (1984). Over objection, Domangue testified that the machine had been properly maintained and that the machine was properly functioning. Domangue also testified, over a foundation objection, as to the test results, which indicated that defendant had more than ten-hundredths of 1 percent by weight of alcohol in his body fluids.

In State v. Gerber, 206 Neb. 75, 291 N.W.2d 403 (1980), we set out four foundational elements which the State must [184] establish to put the results of a breath test into evidence: (1) That the testing device was properly working at the time of testing; (2) That the person administering the test was qualified and held a valid permit; (3) That the test was properly conducted under the methods stated by the Department of Health; and (4) That all other statutes were satisfied. We affirm these principles and further explain the first principle, with which defendant takes issue in this appeal. .

Defendant does not contend that the regulations themselves are inadequate or improper. Title 177 of the Nebraska Administrative Code, adopted by the Nebraska Department of Health, was introduced in evidence. Chapter 1 of title 177 is entitled: “RULES AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO ANALYSES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE ALCOHOL CONTENT OF BODY FLUIDS AND OF THE BREATH UNDER THE DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED LAW.” These regulations provide, at § 007.04A3, that an appropriate method for testing the breath with the Intoxilyzer model 401 IAS is found in “Attachment 3.” A checklist form identical with “Attachment 3” was used by Officer Domangue and was admitted into evidence as exhibit 6.

Attachment 3 is a “Checklist Technique To Be Used by Class B Permit Holders for Chemical Tests As Set Forth Below.” The checklist consists of 14 steps and a preliminary step. The preliminary step states: “Prior to Step 1, verify that maintenance, repair, and calibration have been performed for the Intoxilyzer 401 IAS as prescribed in subsection 007.06 of 177 NAC 1 for this testing device by reviewing the maintenance record.” Exhibit 6 indicates that Officer Domangue performed the preliminary test of verification of the maintenance of the Intoxilyzer. He checked the box provided to show completion and noted, “2-1-85 Pam Zilly.” Officer Domangue testified that Pam Zilly is the person who maintains the machine. We find that the requirements of title 177, themselves, to the extent they are involved herein, are satisfactory and reasonable.

Defendant contends that because Domangue had no personal knowledge of the maintenance on the machine and based his testimony on a document, his testimony was hearsay. We agree that the officer’s testimony was based on hearsay [185] evidence. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-803 (Reissue 1985) provides in part: “Rule 803. Hearsay exceptions; enumerated; availability of declarant immaterial. Subject to the provisions of section 27-403, the following are not excluded by the hearsay rule, even though the declarant is available as a witness:____” Whether the records of the maintenance of the Intoxilyzer were admissible under general conditions need not be determined herein. Such records could be admitted without the testimony of the person who actually maintained the machine in the manner set out in the regulations of the Department of Health if an appropriate exception to the hearsay rule existed. Among those exceptions are those set out in § 27-803(5) and (22), or other applicable exception.

Any exception to the hearsay rule, however, is based on the “trustworthiness” of the hearsay evidence. In this case defendant contends that the maintenance records relied upon are not sufficient to constitute proper foundation for Officer Domangue’s testimony that the Intoxilyzer was properly maintained, because the records do not inform the police officer that both of two separate types of maintenance were performed as required by title 177. Title 177 requires two inspections of the testing device used herein. First, § 007.06B provides: “Testing devices used for direct breath testing shall have been checked within 190 days prior to an analysis by a person responsible for maintenance and calibration.” Second, § 007.06F1 provides: “Check the general condition of the instrument within 40 days prior to an analysis. This includes inspection of digital display lights and instrument operation lights. Record observations and corrections made.” The testimony of Officer Domangue in this regard, on cross-examination, showed the following:

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State v. Bullock, 388 N.W.2d 505, 223 Neb. 182, 1986 Neb. LEXIS 1191 (Neb. 1986).

388 N.W.2d 505 (State v. Bullock) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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State v. Bullock
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