State v. Jennifer A. Jenkins

CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedMarch 1, 2022
Docket2020AP001243-CR
StatusUnpublished

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

Bluebook
State v. Jennifer A. Jenkins, (Wis. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS DECISION NOTICE DATED AND FILED This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. March 1, 2022 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Sheila T. Reiff petition to review an adverse decision by the Clerk of Court of Appeals Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10 and RULE 809.62.

Appeal No. 2020AP1243-CR Cir. Ct. No. 2019CT44

STATE OF WISCONSIN IN COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT III

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,

V.

JENNIFER A. JENKINS,

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

APPEAL from a judgment of the circuit court for Outagamie County: MITCHELL J. METROPULOS, Judge. Affirmed.

¶1 HRUZ, J.1 Jennifer Jenkins appeals a judgment convicting her of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (“OWI”), as a second offense. Jenkins argues the circuit court erred by denying her motion to suppress evidence, which

1 This appeal is decided by one judge pursuant to WIS. STAT. § 752.31(2) (2019-20). All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2019-20 version unless otherwise noted. No. 2020AP1243-CR

was premised on two bases: (1) the arresting officer unlawfully stopped her vehicle outside of the officer’s jurisdiction; and (2) the blood draw performed on her was unreasonable under the circumstances. We reject Jenkins’ arguments and affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 According to the criminal complaint, around midnight on October 12, 2018, Officer Adam Miller, a patrol officer with the Grand Chute Police Department, stopped Jenkins’ vehicle in the City of Appleton after he had observed, among other things, her vehicle cross the centerline of Wisconsin Avenue in the neighboring Town of Grand Chute. After completing field sobriety tests and submitting to a preliminary breath test, Jenkins was arrested, and she consented to a blood draw. A blood sample was obtained and indicated a “[blood] alcohol concentration of .178 g/100 mL.” The State charged Jenkins with one count of second-offense OWI and one count of second-offense operating with prohibited alcohol concentration.

¶3 Jenkins moved to suppress evidence obtained from the traffic stop and from the blood draw. She argued that Officer Miller was not in “fresh pursuit” of her vehicle at the time of the traffic stop, rendering the stop unlawful because Miller did not have authority to stop Jenkins outside of Grand Chute. Jenkins also asserted that the blood draw was unreasonable under the circumstances. Specifically, Jenkins alleged:

During the blood draw, the phlebotomist encountered difficulties in harvesting a blood specimen from Ms. Jenkins’ body. Such difficulties were not [t]he product of fault or contribution by Ms. Jenkins but rather were seemingly the product of her natural bodily structure (i.e., challenges in finding a vein with adequate blood supply). Ultimately, Ms. Jenkins was subject to a needle being

2 No. 2020AP1243-CR

inserted into her body at three (3) different locations and the process was unusually long in duration. The overall blood draw caused more pain and discomfort as to Ms. Jenkins than the ordinary person subject to a blood draw. A sample of her blood, albeit below the standard amount in volume required by the Laboratory of Hygiene, was collected. Officer Miller was present for and witnessed the blood draw procedure.

¶4 The circuit court held an evidentiary hearing on Jenkins’ motion. Officer Miller testified that he first observed Jenkins’ vehicle while it was traveling eastbound on Wisconsin Avenue. He thought her vehicle appeared to be traveling “a little bit fast,” but he was unable to confirm its speed. Miller testified that he began following Jenkins’ vehicle and observed both of her vehicle’s driver’s side tires cross “the centerline at Wisconsin [Avenue] and Popp [Lane],” with “at least a third of the vehicle” entering the oncoming lane of traffic. Miller stated that he continued following Jenkins’ vehicle and observed its driver struggle to “maintain[] a straight line in its lane of traffic,” despite staying within its lane. He further recalled, however, that about one-third of Jenkins’ vehicle again crossed the centerline “[a]t the intersection of Badger [Avenue] and Wisconsin [Avenue].” Miller testified that he then activated his vehicle’s emergency lights, and that Jenkins eventually pulled over her vehicle.

¶5 Officer Miller also testified that once Jenkins was arrested, he took her to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton for a blood test. Miller recalled that “Jenkins was not necessarily cooperative with [the phlebotomist]” while the phlebotomist attempted to collect a blood sample from Jenkins. When asked if he could be more specific, Miller testified that Jenkins was not following the phlebotomist’s directions. However, he could not specifically recall what directions Jenkins had failed to follow. Miller also could not recall how long it took the phlebotomist to obtain the blood sample from Jenkins.

3 No. 2020AP1243-CR

¶6 On cross-examination, Officer Miller testified that Popp Lane was approximately one mile away from the border of Grand Chute and Appleton. Miller stated that he decided to stop Jenkins when her vehicle crossed the centerline for the first time, but he did not do so immediately because “[he] was obtaining evidence.” He also testified that Jenkins had entered Appleton before her vehicle crossed the centerline for the second time, and he estimated that he followed Jenkins’ vehicle for approximately one mile before activating his vehicle’s emergency lights. Jenkins’ counsel did not ask Miller any questions regarding the blood draw, and Jenkins did not call any witnesses on her behalf at the hearing.

¶7 Following the hearing, Jenkins submitted a brief that included a “screenshot” that she had obtained from Google Maps depicting where Wisconsin Avenue crosses Popp Lane. Based on that screenshot, Jenkins asserted that there is “a raised concrete center median between the opposing lanes of travel” on Wisconsin Avenue.2 Jenkins argued that “[b]ased on this physical feature, it would be impossible for about one-third of [her vehicle] to cross the centerline into the opposing lane,” and that Officer Miller’s testimony was therefore “incredible as a matter of law.”

¶8 Jenkins also filed a supplemental brief regarding a video recording obtained from a camera in Officer Miller’s police vehicle. Jenkins asserted that the video showed her vehicle had crossed the centerline roughly two and one-half blocks past the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Badger Avenue, and that

2 To put the “concrete center median” into perspective, the median appears to be about the height of a typical curb and less than the width of a traffic lane.

4 No. 2020AP1243-CR

only the width of her tires crossed the centerline. Jenkins further asserted that the video demonstrated that Miller activated his vehicle’s emergency lights at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Mason Street—approximately one-half mile past the Grand Chute border in Appleton.

¶9 The circuit court viewed the video at a later hearing and then denied Jenkins’ motion to suppress in an oral ruling. The court found that the video “appears to be consistent with the testimony of Officer Miller.” The court also found that the pursuit lasted approximately two minutes “on the video,” and the court recognized that Miller did not utilize “any type of unnecessary … or prolonged surveillance into the other jurisdiction.” The court further found that “[t]he original violation was observed by the officer in Grand Chute,” which occurred before the camera had started recording. The court concluded that Miller “exercised reasonable discretion by continuing to follow the subject vehicle into the City of Appleton.”

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State v. Jennifer A. Jenkins, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jennifer-a-jenkins-wisctapp-2022.