State v. Ghouche

2020 Ohio 3311
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided June 15, 2020·No. 19CA0034-M·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF MEDINA )

STATE OF OHIO C.A. No. 19CA0034-M Appellee

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE

HARRISON GHOUCHE MEDINA MUNICIPAL COURT COUNTY OF MEDINA, OHIO

Appellant CASE No. 18 TRC 02528

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY Dated: June 15, 2020

HENSAL, Judge.

{¶1} Harrison Ghouche appeals his conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol from the Medina Municipal Court. This Court affirms.

I.

{¶2} This appeal presents a challenge to the trial court’s denial of Mr. Ghouche’s pre-

trial motion to suppress, and to his conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, which was rendered after a jury trial.

{¶3} According to his testimony at the suppression hearing, Trooper Betzel with the Ohio State Highway Patrol observed Mr. Ghouche’s vehicle going 11 m.p.h. over the posted speed limit on State Route 303 in Brunswick at approximately 2:35 a.m. on a Friday morning. Trooper Betzel pulled behind Mr. Ghouche’s vehicle and activated his overhead lights. Mr. Ghouche immediately slowed down, but drove for approximately 30 seconds and turned onto a side street before coming to a complete stop.

{¶4} When Trooper Betzel approached Mr. Ghouche’s vehicle, he observed an odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, and noticed that Mr. Ghouche’s eyes were glassy and red. He did not indicate the strength of the odor of alcohol (i.e., mild, moderate, or strong), or that it was coming specifically from Mr. Ghouche’s person. Trooper Betzel asked Mr. Ghouche for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. While waiting for him to produce those items, Trooper Betzel asked Mr. Ghouche where he was coming from, and Mr. Ghouche responded that he was coming from Akron City Hospital, where he worked. Mr. Ghouche later clarified that he had stopped at a friend’s house on his way home from work, which is how he ended up in Brunswick when he lives in University Heights on the east side of Cleveland.

{¶5} Mr. Ghouche produced his driver’s license without issue, but was unable to access his insurance information on his phone. Trooper Betzel then asked Mr. Ghouche to step out of the vehicle and conducted three field sobriety tests: the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (“HGN”) test, the walk-and-turn test, and the one-leg-stand test. Trooper Betzel indicated that he observed 4 out of 6 clues of impairment during the HGN test, 5 out of 8 clues during the walk-and-turn test, and 4 out of 4 clues during the one-leg-stand test. Additionally, Trooper Betzel offered Mr. Ghouche a portable breathalyzer test, which he refused. Trooper Betzel then placed Mr. Ghouche under arrest and transported him to the station. While there, Trooper Betzel read and showed Mr. Ghouche the BMV 2255, and offered Mr. Ghouche another opportunity to take a breathalyzer test, which he ultimately did not take.

{¶6} Mr. Ghouche was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs in violation of Revised Code Section 4511.19(A)(1)(a), and speeding in violation of

Section 4511.21(C). He pleaded guilty to speeding,1 but not guilty to operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Mr. Ghouche moved to suppress certain evidence prior to trial, including the results of the field sobriety tests. He argued that Trooper Betzel lacked reasonable, articulable suspicion to justify his continued detention for the purpose of conducting field sobriety tests, failed to administer the field sobriety tests in compliance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) guidelines, and did not have probable cause to arrest him. He also argued that any statements Trooper Betzel obtained from him were in violation of his rights against self-incrimination. After a hearing, the trial court denied Mr. Ghouche’s motion. The case then proceeded to a jury trial. At trial, Trooper Betzel again testified as to the events described above, and Mr. Ghouche testified on his own behalf. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. Mr. Ghouche has appealed, raising five assignments of error for this Court’s review. This Court will address Mr. Ghouche’s second assignment of error last.

II.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT TROOPER BETZEL HAD REASONABLE AND ARTICULABLE SUSPICION TO JUSTIFY THE CONTINUED DETENTION FOR FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING.

{¶7} In his first assignment of error, Mr. Ghouche argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress relative to whether Trooper Betzel had reasonable, articulable suspicion to justify his continued detention for field sobriety testing. This Court disagrees.

{¶8} Appellate review of a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress presents a mixed question of law and fact. State v. Burnside, 100 Ohio St.3d 152, 2003-Ohio-5372, ¶ 8. The trial

1 We note that Mr. Ghouche’s merit brief indicates that the jury found him guilty of speeding. The record, however, indicates that he pleaded guilty to speeding.

court assumes the role of trier of fact and is in the best position to evaluate witness credibility and resolve factual issues. Id. Accordingly, an appellate court must accept a trial court’s findings of fact when they are supported by competent, credible evidence. State v. Roberts, 110 Ohio St.3d 71, 2006-Ohio-3665, ¶ 100. Accepting those facts as true, the appellate court then must independently determine, without deference to the trial court’s conclusion, whether those facts satisfy the applicable legal standard. Burnside at ¶ 8, citing State v. McNamara, 124 Ohio App.3d 706, 710 (4th Dist.1997).

{¶9} The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 14 of the Ohio Constitution protect individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. “Requiring a driver to submit to a field sobriety test constitutes a seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment.” State v. Keserich, 5th Dist. Ashland No. 14-COA-011, 2014-Ohio-5120, ¶ 8, quoting State v. Bright, 5th Dist. Guernsey No. 2009-CA-28, 2010-Ohio-1111, ¶ 17. A police officer, however, does not violate an individual’s constitutional rights by administering field sobriety tests if the police officer has reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. See State v. Simin, 9th Dist. Summit No. 26016, 2012-Ohio-4389, ¶ 12. “Reasonable suspicion requires that the officer ‘point to specific and articulable facts which, taken together with rational inferences from those facts, reasonably warrant that intrusion.’” State v. Buchanan, 9th Dist. Medina No. 13CA0041-M, 2014-Ohio-3282, ¶ 8, quoting Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 21 (1968). Reasonable suspicion is based on the totality of the circumstances. See United States v. Cortez, 449 U.S. 411, 417-418 (1981). We note that “these cases often present close calls, both for the courts and the law enforcement officers on the scene[,]” and that “no single factor is dispositive of whether a law enforcement officer is legally justified in conducting field sobriety tests in any given case.” State

v. Hall, 5th Dist. Stark No. 2015 CA 00213, 2016-Ohio-5787, ¶ 26; State v. Hochstetler, 9th Dist. Wayne No. 16AP0013, 2016-Ohio-8389, ¶ 12.

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