State v. Friedt

2007 ND 108, 735 N.W.2d 848, 2007 N.D. LEXIS 108, 2007 WL 1934373
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 5, 2007
Docket20060276
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 2007 ND 108 (State v. Friedt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Friedt, 2007 ND 108, 735 N.W.2d 848, 2007 N.D. LEXIS 108, 2007 WL 1934373 (N.D. 2007).

Opinion

MARING, Justice.

[¶ 1] Lenora Friedt appeals a criminal judgment convicting her of driving a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of at least .08 percent by weight as measured by a chemical test performed within two hours after driving. We affirm the criminal judgment.

I

[¶ 2] On May 21, 2006, Friedt was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (“DUI”). The arresting officer, Steven Mayer, testified that he transported Friedt to a hospital to have her blood drawn, and once at the hospital, obtained a sealed blood sample kit.

[¶ 3] Officer Mayer testified that he witnessed Suzette McCall, a registered nurse, draw Friedt’s blood. On the submission for blood form, Form 104, Nurse McCall marked that she used an intact blood sample kit; used the disinfectant, needle, guide, and blood tube provided in the blood sample kit; observed powder in the blood tube; and drew blood into the *850 blood tube and inverted the blood tube several times. Nurse McCall recorded the date and time she drew Friedt’s blood and signed the form.

[¶ 4] On Form 104, Officer Mayer recorded Friedt’s personal information, noted that blood was drawn from Friedt’s left arm after her arrest for DUI, and noted Friedt’s blood would be submitted to the North Dakota State Crime Laboratory. Officer Mayer completed the bottom portion of Form 104 that was to be completed by the individual submitting the blood, detached, and retained for his records. He recorded the date and times the blood was obtained and sealed. Officer Mayer marked that an intact blood sample kit was used; a completed seal was placed over the top and down the sides of the blood tube; the blood tube was placed inside a protective container and then placed in a plastic bag; the plastic bag and the completed top portion of Form 104 were placed in the blood sample kit box, which was closed; and a tamper-evident shipping seal was placed on the blood sample kit box. Officer Mayer testified that he mailed the blood sample kit to the North Dakota State Crime Laboratory.

[¶ 5] Michelle Burkett, the forensic scientist who analyzes blood samples for the North Dakota State Crime Laboratory, marked on Form 104 that Friedt’s blood arrived in a labeled blood tube in a sealed container. Burkett recorded the. time and date Friedt’s blood was received and signed the form. The North Dakota State Crime Laboratory’s blood analysis results, Form 107, indicated Friedt had an alcohol concentration of .11 percent by weight and that an approved method was used to conduct the blood analysis. Burkett signed Form 107.

[¶ 6] At trial, the State presented the testimony of Officer Mayer and Burkett, and offered into evidence State’s Exhibit 4, which consisted of Form 104 and Form 107, and a certification of those forms. The detached bottom portion of Form 104 was offered and received into evidence as State’s Exhibit 3. Friedt objected to the admission of State’s Exhibit 4 on the grounds she was not given the opportunity to confront Nurse McCall at trial. The trial court overruled Friedt’s objection. The jury found Friedt guilty of driving a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of at least .08 percent by weight as measured by a chemical test performed within two hours after driving. Friedt appeals.

II

[¶ 7] On appeal, Friedt argues State’s Exhibit 4 was inadmissible because Form 104 contained hearsay that was testimonial and, therefore, improperly admitted because she was not given her Sixth Amendment right to confront Nurse McCall. Friedt also argues the State bears the burden to establish an affirmative waiver of a constitutional right, and that a waiver theory is inapplicable in this case. Questions, the answers to which are not necessary to the determination of an appeal, will not be considered by this Court. State v. Waters, 542 N.W.2d 742, 745 (N.D.1996). This Court will refrain from deciding constitutional questions if it can decide a dispute on other grounds. Id. We are able to decide on evidentiary grounds whether State’s Exhibit 4 was properly admitted. Therefore, it is not necessary to decide Friedt’s constitutional claims. The evidentiary issue is whether the State established proper foundation for the admission of Form 104.

III

[¶ 8] A trial court has broad discretion when deciding evidentiary matters. Davis v. Killu, 2006 ND 32, ¶ 6, 710 N.W.2d 118. On appeal, this Court will *851 not overturn the trial court’s admission or exclusion of evidence unless the trial court has abused its discretion. Id. Abuse of discretion occurs when a trial court acts arbitrarily, unconscionably, or unreasonably, or when a decision is not based on a rational mental process. Id.

[¶ 9] Section 39-20-07, N.D.C.C., governs the evidentiary use of blood analysis results. State v. Jordheim, 508 N.W.2d 878, 881 (N.D.1993). “The State has the burden to prove the blood test was collected following the proper procedures set forth by the state toxicologist.” State v. Lynch, 2001 ND 173, ¶ 12, 635 N.W.2d 164. The statute lessens the State’s burden in laying an evidentiary foundation for the admission of the blood analysis results. Jordheim, at 881. Under N.D.C.C. § 39-20-07(5), blood analysis results must be received in evidence when compliance with the methods approved by the state toxicologist have been shown. First, the blood sample must be properly obtained; second, the blood analysis must be fairly administered; third, the method and devices used to analyze the blood must be approved by the state toxicologist; and fourth, the blood analysis must be performed by an authorized individual or by an individual certified by the state toxicologist as qualified to perform the test. Id.

[¶ 10] Form 104 was drafted by the state toxicologist to be used when blood is drawn for blood analysis. State v. Steier, 515 N.W.2d 195, 196 (N.D.App.1994). In Jordheim, 508 N.W.2d at 881, this Court reviewed the use of Form 104 to satisfy the foundational elements of N.D.C.C. § 39-20-07(5).

Form 104 has three sections that correspond to the conduct of the three people who normally participate in administering the blood test. The top half of the form includes the name of the person whose blood is drawn, and a list of directions for both the specimen collector and the recipient of the sample at the laboratory. The bottom half of the form contains a similar list for the specimen submitter. The submitter, who will usually be a police officer, is directed to retain this half of Form 104 in police records, undoubtedly for later evidentia-ry use.

Id. at 881-82. “Given the detailed directions in Form 104, it is difficult to imagine a case when certified compliance with them will not also furnish facial evidence that the sample was properly obtained and the test fairly administered.... ” Id. at 882.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2007 ND 108, 735 N.W.2d 848, 2007 N.D. LEXIS 108, 2007 WL 1934373, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-friedt-nd-2007.