State v. Fisher

945 S.W.2d 70, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 894, 1997 WL 259190
Missouri Court of Appeals·Decided May 20, 1997·No. Nos. WD 51088, WD 52707·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

Delbert Fisher appeals from his conviction for driving while intoxicated, § 577.010,1 and the subsequent denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief. Fisher was sentenced to seven years imprisonment as a prior and persistent offender under § 558.016.

In the early morning hours of December 11, 1993, Sergeant Jeff Brown of the Macon Police Department was driving southbound on South Rollins Street when he noticed a car driven by Fisher, also moving southbound, about a block ahead of him. Sgt. Brown watched Fisher’s car move entirely into the northbound lane for a short period of time. After Fisher returned to the southbound lane, Sgt. Brown saw him make a wide right-hand turn onto Fifth Street with half of his vehicle crossing into the opposite lane. At this point, Sgt. Brown pulled Fisher over for failing to drive on the correct side of the road.

Sgt. Brown notified the police dispatcher that he was making a traffic stop and then approached Fisher’s vehicle. When Fisher was unable to produce a driver’s license, Sgt. Brown took him back to the patrol car to run a cheek on his personal information and the license plate number on the car. As they walked back to the patrol car, Sgt. Brown noticed that Fisher ‘liad a strong odor of alcoholic beverages emitting from him” and that his eyes were watery and bloodshot. Sgt. Brown asked Fisher if he had been drinking, and Fisher responded that he had been. The background check on Fisher revealed that Fisher did not have a driver’s license. When Sgt. Brown asked Fisher why [72] he was driving, Fisher indicated that the woman with him was ill.

Sgt. Brown then asked Fisher to submit to several field sobriety tests. Sgt. Brown first told Fisher to recite the alphabet starting with the letter “A” and ending at the letter “M.” Fisher proceeded to recite the entire alphabet, slurring as he did so. Sgt. Brown then asked Fisher to step out of the patrol car for further testing. About that time, Officers Todd Lewis and Gary McQuitty arrived as backup for Sgt. Brown. These officers observed the remaining sobriety tests. They too noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Fisher’s breath and Fisher’s watery and bloodshot eyes.

Sgt. Brown instructed Fisher to walk eight steps heel-to-toe with his hands at his side, turn around, and walk four steps back. While walking the initial eight steps, Fisher failed to touch heel-to-toe on a couple of steps and failed to walk in a straight line. When he made the turn, Fisher lost his balance and had to stop before walking the four steps back.

Sgt. Brown next told Fisher to stand with his feet together, close his eyes, tilt his head back, extend both arms, and then touch the tip of his nose with his right and then left index fingers three times. Fisher swayed as he touched his nose and was using slow movements. At this point, all three officers were convinced that Fisher was intoxicated.

Sgt. Brown placed Fisher under arrest for driving while intoxicated and transported him to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for processing. At the Sheriffs office, Sgt. Brown read Fisher his Miranda rights and then asked him several questions for the alcohol influence report. When Sgt. Brown asked Fisher what he had been doing during the last three hours, Fisher answered, “Riding around.” When asked if he had been consuming any alcohol, Fisher replied, “I’m going to say no to that.”

Sgt. Brown next read to Fisher from an implied consent form explaining the law regarding blood alcohol tests and then asked him to take a breathalyzer test. Fisher indicated that he understood the law and refused to take the test. Sgt. Brown waited twenty minutes and gave Fisher the opportunity to call an attorney. Sgt. Brown then again asked Fisher to take the test, explaining to Fisher that his refusal to take the test could be used as evidence against him in court and that the Director of Revenue “may revoke his driving privilege for one year.” After Fisher again refused to take the test, he was issued a summons for the traffic violation and for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

On March 1, 1995, Fisher was found guilty by jury in the Circuit Court of Boone County.2 On May 2, 1995, the court sentenced Fisher to seven years imprisonment as a prior and persistent offender under § 558.016.

On October 30, 1995, Fisher filed a pro se motion for post-conviction relief under Rule 29.15. An amended motion was filed by appointed counsel on December 29, 1995. An evidentiary hearing was held on Fisher’s motion on February 16, 1996, and the motion was denied on April 10,1996. Fisher brings two points on appeal.

In his first point, Fisher claims testimony by Sgt. Brown regarding Fisher’s failure to submit to the breathalyzer test should have been inadmissible because Sgt. Brown’s warning that his license “may be revoked” did not comply with the statutory language of § 577.041. That section provides:

The request of the arresting officer shall include the reasons of the officer for requesting the person to submit to a test and also shall inform the person that evidence of his refusal to take the test may be used against him and that his license shall be immediately revoked upon his refusal to take the test.

§ 577.041.1 (emphasis added).

Fisher relies on Bennett v. Director of Revenue, 889 S.W.2d 166 (Mo.App. W.D. 1994), and Vinson v. Director of Revenue, 892 S.W.2d 330 (Mo.App. S.D.1995), to sup[73] port his claim that Sgt. Brown’s warning was insufficient to allow him to make an informed decision on whether to take the test. In Bennett, this court held that the use of the phrase “may be revoked,” rather than “shall be immediately revoked,” did not allow Bennett to make an informed decision on whether to refuse the test and ordered the reinstatement of her revoked license. Bennett, 889 S.W.2d at 171. Similarly, in Vinson, the Southern District, following Bennett, held that the arresting officer’s warning that Vinson’s license “could be revoked,” rather than “shall be immediately revoked,” upon his refusal to take a blood alcohol test, prevented Vinson from making an informed decision on whether to take the test and ordered the reinstatement of Vinson’s driver’s license. Vinson, 892 S.W.2d at 332.

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State v. Fisher, 945 S.W.2d 70, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 894, 1997 WL 259190 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997).

945 S.W.2d 70 (State v. Fisher) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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