State v. Hetzel

2020 Ohio 3437
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 24, 2020
Docket29399
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2020 Ohio 3437 (State v. Hetzel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hetzel, 2020 Ohio 3437 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Hetzel, 2020-Ohio-3437.]

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

STATE OF OHIO C.A. No. 29399

Appellee

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE JOHN HETZEL AKRON MUNICIPAL COURT COUNTY OF SUMMIT, OHIO Appellant CASE No. 18TRC06394

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY

Dated: June 24, 2020

HENSAL, Presiding Judge.

{¶1} John Hetzel appeals his conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence of

alcohol from the Akron Municipal Court. This Court affirms.

I.

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

motion to suppress and his subsequent conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence of

alcohol. According to his testimony at the suppression hearing, Trooper (now Sergeant) Nemastil

with the Ohio State Highway Patrol observed Mr. Hetzel turn right without signaling around 12:35

a.m. on April 19, 2018. As he began to follow Mr. Hetzel’s vehicle, he observed two marked-lane

violations where Mr. Hetzel drove over the white fog line on the right-hand side of the road.

Trooper Nemastil testified that these violations were significant, noting that almost half of Mr.

Hetzel’s vehicle travelled over the fog line. 2

{¶3} Trooper Nemastil activated his overhead lights and Mr. Hetzel immediately pulled

over. After pulling over, Mr. Hetzel left his turn signal on, which remained on throughout the

entire stop. Trooper Nemastil approached the vehicle and noticed three additional passengers. He

immediately smelled the odor of alcohol emanating from inside of the vehicle. Trooper Nemastil

asked Mr. Hetzel for his driver’s license, and Mr. Hetzel handed Trooper Nemastil his driver’s

license and his Richfield Police identification card, which was placed upside and on top of his

driver’s license. Trooper Nemastil testified that Mr. Hetzel initially would not look at him. When

he did, Trooper Nemastil observed that Mr. Hetzel’s eyes were red, bloodshot, and glassy. Trooper

Nemastil also noted that Mr. Hetzel was chewing gum and tobacco.

{¶4} Trooper Nemastil then asked Mr. Hetzel to step out of the vehicle. Once he did,

Trooper Nemastil smelled alcohol on his person, and asked him to spit out his gum and chewing

tobacco. Trooper Nemastil asked Mr. Hetzel if he had consumed any alcohol that evening, and

Mr. Hetzel admitted that he had consumed a couple of drinks. Trooper Nemastil then conducted

three field sobriety tests: the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (“HGN”) test, the walk-and-turn test,

and the one-leg-stand test. Trooper Nemastil indicated that he observed 6 out of 6 clues of

impairment during the HGN test, 3 out of 8 clues during the walk-and-turn test, and 3 out of 4

clues during the one-leg-stand test. Trooper Nemastil placed Mr. Hetzel under arrest and

transported him to the station. While there, Trooper Nemastil read and showed Mr. Hetzel the

BMV 2255, and offered Mr. Hetzel an opportunity to take a breathalyzer test, which he consented

to. The results of that test indicated that Mr. Hetzel’s blood alcohol content was .144.

{¶5} Mr. Hetzel was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or

drugs in violation of Revised Code Sections 4511.19(A)(1)(a) and 4511.19(A)(1)(d), and a

marked-lane violation in violation of Section 4511.33(A). He pleaded not guilty and later moved 3

to suppress certain evidence prior to trial, including the results of the field sobriety tests and the

results of the breathalyzer test. More specifically, he argued that Trooper Nemastil: (1) did not

have a valid reason to stop him; (2) lacked reasonable, articulable suspicion to justify his continued

detention for the purpose of conducting field sobriety tests; (3) failed to administer the field

sobriety tests in compliance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”)

guidelines; (4) did not have probable cause to arrest him; (5) obtained statements from him in

violation of his Fifth Amendment Right against self-incrimination; and (6) failed to administer the

breathalyzer test in compliance with Revised Code Section 4511.19 and Ohio Administrative Code

Chapter 3701-53. After a hearing, the trial court denied Mr. Hetzel’s motion. He then pleaded no

contest to the OVI charge under Section 4511.19(A)(1)(a), and the remaining charges were

dismissed. He now appeals, raising four assignments of error for this Court’s review. We will

address some of his assignments of error out of order.

II.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I

THE TRIAL COURT ERR[]ED IN FINDING THAT THE ARRESTING OFFICER HAD REASONABLE ARTICULABLE SUSPICION TO DETAIN APPELLANT BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE INITIAL TRAFFIC STOP TO CONDUCT FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING.

{¶6} In his first assignment of error, Mr. Hetzel argues that the trial court erred by

denying his motion to suppress relative to whether Trooper Nemastil had reasonable, articulable

suspicion to justify his continued detention for purposes of conducting field sobriety testing. This

Court disagrees.

{¶7} 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

court assumes the role of trier of fact and is in the best position to evaluate witness credibility and 4

resolve factual issues. State v. Mills, 62 Ohio St.3d 357, 366 (1992). 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).

{¶8} As this Court has stated:

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. However, a police officer 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).

State v. Hochstetler, 9th Dist. Wayne No. 16AP0013, 2016-Ohio-8389, ¶ 10. We note that “no

single factor is dispositive of whether a law enforcement officer is legally justified in conducting

field sobriety tests in any given case.” Id. at ¶ 12. In denying Mr. Hetzel’s motion to suppress,

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2020 Ohio 3437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hetzel-ohioctapp-2020.