State v. Joseph Martin Blankenship

CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedNovember 7, 2024
Docket2024AP000791-CR
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Joseph Martin Blankenship (State v. Joseph Martin Blankenship) 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. Joseph Martin Blankenship, (Wis. Ct. App. 2024).

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. November 7, 2024 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Samuel A. Christensen 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. 2024AP791-CR Cir. Ct. No. 2023CT86

STATE OF WISCONSIN IN COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT IV

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT,

V.

JOSEPH MARTIN BLANKENSHIP,

DEFENDANT-RESPONDENT.

APPEAL from an order of the circuit court for Grant County: CRAIG R. DAY, Judge. Affirmed.

¶1 KLOPPENBURG, P.J.1 The State of Wisconsin appeals the circuit court’s order granting Joseph Martin Blankenship’s motion to suppress evidence

1 This appeal is decided by one judge pursuant to WIS. STAT. § 752.31(2)(c) (2021-22). All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2021-22 version unless otherwise noted. No. 2024AP791-CR

arising from an investigatory stop. The court determined that the arresting officer lacked reasonable suspicion to administer field sobriety tests and, on that basis, granted Blankenship’s motion to suppress the evidence obtained after Blankenship was directed to step out of his vehicle to perform field sobriety tests. The State argues that the court erroneously granted the motion to suppress because the totality of the circumstances gave rise to reasonable suspicion that Blankenship was operating under the influence of an intoxicant or operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration.

¶2 Like the circuit court, I assume without deciding that the officer had reasonable suspicion to stop Blankenship’s vehicle to investigate whether he was operating under the influence of an intoxicant or with a prohibited alcohol concentration. Also like the circuit court, for the reasons set forth below, I conclude that, after the officer had completed his questioning of Blankenship, the facts and reasonable inferences from those facts did not give rise to reasonable suspicion that Blankenship was operating under the influence of an intoxicant or operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, so as to support the administration of field sobriety tests. Accordingly, I affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶3 The State charged Blankenship with third-offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence and third-offense operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, based on evidence obtained after the arresting officer directed Blankenship to step out of his vehicle to perform field sobriety tests following an initially consensual interaction. Blankenship filed a suppression motion challenging the lawfulness of the arresting officer’s administration of field

2 No. 2024AP791-CR

sobriety tests. Blankenship sought suppression of all evidence obtained after Blankenship was directed to step out of his vehicle to perform field sobriety tests.

¶4 The circuit court held a hearing on Blankenship’s motion to suppress, at which the State offered the testimony of the arresting officer, Max Hougan, and a body camera video of the interaction. The following undisputed facts are taken from the officer’s testimony and video.

¶5 At approximately 11:30 p.m. on July 31, 2023, Hougan received a report from dispatch that a “potential drunk driver” in a blue Ford Escape was heading toward Wisconsin Avenue in the Village of Muscoda. The person who called dispatch (“the caller”) said that the caller was “trying to get the keys” from the driver. Hougan saw a blue Ford Escape turn on Wisconsin Avenue and followed the vehicle in his marked squad car to observe its driving. There were no other vehicles on the road. Hougan did not observe any bad driving or traffic violations by the Escape. Shortly after Hougan initially observed and began following the Escape, the Escape pulled over legally and came to a stop, despite the fact that Hougan had not activated his emergency lights or siren and had not initiated a traffic stop. Hougan pulled over behind the Escape and approached the vehicle “to make contact with the driver to see what was going on.”

¶6 As Hougan approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as Blankenship, handed his identification out of the window without prompting by Hougan. Hougan did not observe an odor of intoxicants and noted that Blankenship did not have bloodshot or glossy eyes or have any difficulty handling his identification. Hougan asked Blankenship if he was involved in the incident that dispatch described. Blankenship confirmed that he was involved and described the incident as follows. Several people made false accusations that

3 No. 2024AP791-CR

Blankenship hit a child with his vehicle a few weeks earlier. The same individuals who accused him of hitting the child then took and threw Blankenship’s keys on the hood of his car. After this incident, Blankenship “grabbed his keys and left.”

¶7 Hougan noticed that Blankenship “had slurred speech” and asked him if he had been drinking that evening. Blankenship responded that he “might have had two or three beers earlier today, but that was like three or four hours ago.” At this point, Hougan directed Blankenship to step out of his vehicle to perform field sobriety tests. Blankenship did as Hougan directed.

¶8 Based on the testimony and video, the circuit court made factual findings that included the following: (1) Blankenship’s speech was “not substantially slurred,” and Blankenship’s demeanor “was not drunk demeanor”; and (2) Blankenship explained the key-throwing incident reported to dispatch as “essentially people picking on” Blankenship, which “reduced the reliability of the initial report.”

¶9 The circuit court concluded that Hougan did not have reasonable suspicion, at the time he directed Blankenship to step out of his vehicle, to support an investigatory stop to administer field sobriety tests. Accordingly, the court granted Blankenship’s motion to suppress the evidence obtained after Hougan directed Blankenship to step out of his vehicle to perform field sobriety tests.

¶10 The State appeals.

DISCUSSION

¶11 The parties dispute whether Hougan had reasonable suspicion that Blankenship was operating a vehicle while intoxicated or with a prohibited alcohol concentration at the time that Hougan directed Blankenship to step out of his

4 No. 2024AP791-CR

vehicle to perform field sobriety tests.2 The State argues that all of the facts and circumstances, taken together, gave rise to reasonable suspicion that Blankenship was operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated so as to justify an investigatory stop for field sobriety testing. As I explain below, I conclude that the investigatory stop to administer field sobriety tests was not supported by reasonable suspicion, and, therefore, the circuit court properly granted Blankenship’s suppression motion.

¶12 I first state the standard of review, next summarize applicable legal principles, then apply those principles to the facts from the suppression hearing and explain my conclusion, and finally address and reject the State’s arguments to the contrary.

I. Standard of Review

¶13 This court analyzes the grant or denial of a suppression motion under a two-part standard of review. State v. Scull, 2015 WI 22, ¶16, 361 Wis. 2d 288, 862 N.W.2d 562. First, we uphold the circuit court’s findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous. Id. A finding of fact is clearly erroneous when “‘it is against the great weight and clear preponderance of the evidence.’” Phelps v. Physicians Ins. Co. of Wis., 2009 WI 74, ¶39, 319 Wis. 2d 1, 768 N.W.2d 615

2 The parties’ briefs do not comply with WIS. STAT.

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Joseph Martin Blankenship, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-joseph-martin-blankenship-wisctapp-2024.