State v. Hall

2016 NMCA 080, 10 N.M. 446
New Mexico Court of Appeals·Decided July 7, 2016·No. Docket 33,875·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

OPINION

HANISEE, Judge.

{1} Defendant Chris Hall appealed his conviction in the metropolitan (metro) court for driving while intoxicated (DWI), contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 66-8-102(C)(l) (2010), to the district court. The district court affirmed the metro court’s sentencing order and filed a memorandum opinion. Defendant now appeals to this Court. He challenges the constitutionality of the sobriety checkpoint at which he was stopped, the admission into evidence of his breath test results, and the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. We conclude that while the checkpoint was constitutional, the metro court erred in admitting Defendant’s breath results. Because the evidence was otherwise sufficient to support Defendant’s conviction, we reverse and remand for a new trial.

BACKGROUND

{2} Shortly after 10:00 p.m. on January 20, 2012, Defendant was stopped at a DWI checkpoint on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, just west of the Rio Grande River. The checkpoint — in place between 10:00 p.m. and3:00 a.m. — hadbeen planned by Sergeant Lecompte, DWI Unit Supervisor for the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office (BCSO), and approved by his lieutenant. An approved tactical plan (tact plan) laid out the parameters of the checkpoint, including the placement of signs, cones, reflective tape, and emergency lighting at the checkpoint site. The tact plan also included guidelines for field officers conducting stops at the checkpoint, specifying that initial contact with each driver should be limited to 15-30 seconds, with the officer introducing himself, announcing the purpose of the checkpoint, and asking the driver if he or she has consumed alcohol or drugs. If additional investigation was required following the initial contact, the officer was to remove the driver from the vehicle to conduct standardized field sobriety tests (FSTs) in a separate investigation area. Sergeant Lecompte briefed each of the field officers on the tact plan prior to initiating the checkpoint and remained on-site to supervise and to ensure that the tact plan was being followed.

{3} The first officer to make contact with Defendant was BCSO Sergeant Perea, who upon making contact detected an odor of alcohol coming from inside Defendant’s truck. In accordance with the suggested checkpoint dialogue contained in the tact plan, and because Defendant was the only person inside the truck, Sergeant Perea asked Defendant if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages that evening. Defendant responded that he had a beer about an hour prior. Sergeant Perea then conducted a seated horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test on Defendant. Based on the odor of alcohol, Defendant’s admission to drinking beer an hour prior, and Defendant’s performance on the seated HGN test, Sergeant Perea removed Defendant from his truck and proceeded to conduct a battery of three standardized FSTs. Defendant’s performance on the FSTs resulted in his arrest for DWI.

{4} Defendant was then taken to the “BATmobile” — located at the checkpoint site — where he consented to a breath test. Following a 20-minute deprivation period, as measured by Sergeant Perea’s wristwatch, Defendant provided two breath samples using an Intoxilyzer 8000. The breath test results revealed that Defendant had 0.10 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath, which was above the “per se” legal limit. See § 66-8-102(C)(1) (providing that it is illegal for a person to drive a vehicle with “an alcohol concentration of eight one hundredths [0.08] or more in [his or her] blood or breath”).

{5} At a bench trial in the metro court, Defendant challenged the constitutionality of the DWI checkpoint. He also objected to the admissibility of the breath test results. The metro court found that the checkpoint was constitutional and admitted the breath test results. The metro court then found Defendant guilty of per se DWI, although it acquitted Defendant of DWI based on impairment to the slightest degree, contrary to Section 66-8-102(B).

{6} On appeal, the district court affirmed Defendant’s conviction for per se DWI, determining that the checkpoint was constitutional and that the breath results were properly admitted into evidence. While we agree with the district court that the checkpoint was constitutional, we disagree with respect to the breath test and conclude that the metro court erred in admitting the breath results.

DISCUSSION

{7} “For on-record appeals the district court acts as a typical appellate court, with the district court simply reviewing the record of the [metro] court trial for legal error.” State v. Trujillo, 1999-NMCA-003, ¶ 4, 126 N.M. 603, 973 P.2d 855. “In subsequent appeals such as this, we apply the same standards of review employed by the district court.” State v. Bell, 2015-NMCA-028, ¶ 2, 345 P.3d 342. “A trial court’s determination on a motion to suppress evidence involves a mixed question of law and fact, as to which our review is de novo.” Id.

I. The DWI Checkpoint Was Constitutional

{8} Defendant contends that the DWI checkpoint at which he was stopped was not constitutional under New Mexico law. This Court has held that a sobriety checkpoint is a seizure. See State v. Bates, 1995-NMCA-080, ¶ 9, 120 N.M. 457, 902 P.2d 1060 (stating “there is no question that a [checkpoint] is a seizure”). However, “a DWI [checkpoint], at which drivers are stopped without probable cause or reasonable suspicion, is not a per se violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution; the constitutionality of the [checkpoint] depends on whether it is reasonable.” Id. ¶ 6 (citing City of Las Cruces v. Betancourt, 1987-NMCA-039, ¶ 9, 105 N.M. 655, 735 P.2d 1161). The ultimate question for this Court is whether the facts and inferences before the lower courts support its conclusion that the checkpoint was reasonable. Bates, 1995-NMCA-080, ¶ 21.

{9} A sobriety checkpoint “is constitutionally permissible so long as it is reasonable within the meaning of the [F]ourth [A]mendment as measured by its substantial compliance with [eight factors].” Betancourt, 1987-NMCA-039, ¶ 16. The eight Betancourt factors are: (1) the role of supervisory personnel, (2) restrictions on the discretion of field officers, (3) safety, (4) reasonable location, (5) time and duration, (6) indicia of official nature of the checkpoint, (7) length and nature of detention, and (8) advance publicity. Id. ¶ 13. “[A] sobriety checkpoint conducted in substantial compliance with the eight Betancourt factors is [also] constitutional under the New Mexico Constitution.” State v. Madalena, 1995-NMCA-122, ¶ 26, 121 N.M. 63, 908 P.2d 756.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

State v. Hall, 2016 NMCA 080, 10 N.M. 446 (N.M. Ct. App. 2016).

2016 NMCA 080 (State v. Hall) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State v. Leyba
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Hebenstreit
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Kennedy
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Morgan
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2018
City of Santa Fe v. Dean
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2018
State v. Hall
2016 NMCA 80 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016)