State v. Krause

405 So. 2d 832
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedSeptember 28, 1981
Docket81-K-0877
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 405 So. 2d 832 (State v. Krause) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Krause, 405 So. 2d 832 (La. 1981).

Opinion

405 So.2d 832 (1981)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Patrick A. KRAUSE.

No. 81-K-0877.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

September 28, 1981.

*833 Lewis O. Unglesby, Baton Rouge, for defendant-relator.

Willim J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Duncan Kemp, Dist. Atty., Frank L. Koles, Abbott J. Reeves, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-respondent.

DIXON, Chief Justice.[*]

Patrick A. Krause was charged by complaint-affidavit with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, second offense, in violation of R.S. 14:98 C. Following a bench trial, defendant was found guilty and sentenced to a $500.00 fine plus 115 days imprisonment. The jail term was suspended upon the condition that defendant attend the Substance and Abuse Program for one year. This court granted defendant's application for judicial review pursuant to our supervisory jurisdiction. Defendant assigns three errors for reversal of his conviction; there is merit in two of the three assignments.

On August 6, 1980 defendant was found on the 4-H Club Road near Denham Springs, Louisiana by Officer Lamar G. Tolbert. On direct examination, Officer Tolbert testified that defendant's truck had left the road at a bad curve and struck two trees, causing extensive damage to the vehicle and bodily injuries to Krause. Defendant was arrested and taken to the police station in Denham Springs. After several refusals, defendant submitted to a Photo Electric Intoximeter (PEI) test. The PEI reading revealed a .18% blood-alcohol level which was sufficient to create a statutory presumption of intoxication.[1]

Assignment of Error No. 1

Defendant contends that the trial judge erred in finding him guilty as a second offender because no evidence of a prior conviction was introduced at trial. In order to find a defendant guilty, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each element of the crime. R.S. 15:271. See also, C.Cr.P. 804 A(1). An essential element of the crime of driving while intoxicated, second offense, is a first conviction. City of Monroe v. French, 345 So.2d 23 (La.1977); State v. Neal, 347 So.2d 1139 (La.1977). Where an accused is charged as a second DWI offender, the information or indictment must allege the prior conviction. State v. Neal, supra.

In the instant case, the state failed to allege a prior conviction in the complaint-affidavit. Although the record contains a copy of Krause's previous conviction of driving while intoxicated, no evidence of the prior offense was offered at the trial. The state failed to prove an essential element of the crime charged, namely, defendant's first conviction. Therefore, the trial court erred in finding defendant guilty of driving while intoxicated, second offense.

Assignment of Error No. 3

In this assignment defendant objects to the trial court's admission into evidence of the PEI test results on the ground that the state did not prove compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the *834 Department of Public Safety.[2] Before the state may avail itself of the statutory presumption of a defendant's intoxication arising from a chemical analysis of his blood, it must show that (1) the state has officially promulgated detailed methods, procedures and techniques which will insure the integrity and reliability of the chemical tests, including specifically the standard quality of chemicals used; and (2) the state has strictly complied with the officially promulgated methods, procedures and techniques in the chemical analysis offered as evidence in the case on trial. State v. Gregory, 403 So.2d 1225 (La.1981); State v. Goetz, 374 So.2d 1219 (La.1979); State v. Graham, 360 So.2d 853 (La.1978); State v. Jones, 316 So.2d 100 (La.1975).

The rationale behind requiring strict compliance with the regulations was clearly enunciated by this court in State v. Goetz, supra, at 1220:

"Because an intoxication test conducted with chemicals of inferior quality could bring to bear a practically conclusive presumption of guilt against an innocent person, it is essential that the officially promulgated methods, procedures and techniques include a thorough analysis of the chemicals by a chemist under laboratory conditions to insure that they are of proper composition, strength and volume at the time a test is conducted...."

Pursuant to R.S. 32:663, the Department of Public Safety adopted certain regulations which require a maintenance check of all PEI machines at least once every four months accompanied by a spot check of the lot of ampuls used with each machine.[3] This spot check is to be conducted by the Applied Technology Unit and a recertification form filled out. The recertification may be filed with the appropriate court in the parish where each device is located and it will serve as prima facie evidence of the chemical accuracy of the tests performed on that machine with chemicals taken from the lot of ampuls checked.[4]

The trial court refused to allow introduction of the recertification of machine # 168 dated June 30, 1980.[5] The recertification *835 contained a spot check of ampul lot # 14, from which the chemicals used to test Krause were taken. In denying the introduction of the certificate the court referred to the fact that the inspecting technician, George Dunn, was not present to testify.[6] See State v. Goetz, supra. Hence, the sole proof of the chemical reliability of the ampuls utilized in the test conducted on defendant was the manufacturer's "Certificate of PEI Standard of Quality," dated November 6, 1979, introduced by the state;[7] this certificate from the manufacturer was over nine months old when defendant was tested.

The issue presented by this assignment becomes whether the manufacturer's certificate remains prima facie proof of the chemical accuracy of the test after it is four months old. In State v. Goetz, supra, decided under the current regulations, this court held that the manufacturer's certificate of standard chemical quality is deemed prima facie evidence of the good quality of the test chemicals. However, where the manufacturer's certificate is over four months old, the regulations must be read to require a recertification by a local technician.[8] As pointed out in Goetz, the present regulations constitute an apparent attempt by the Department of Public Safety to implement the preferred practice in other states whereby all chemicals are kept under the supervision of a local chemist who conducts periodic spot checks. In any event, we hold that although the manufacturer's certificate may be afforded prima facie weight during the initial four month period, the regulations demand that the Applied Technology Unit perform a maintenance check of all PEI machines at least once every four months accompanied by a spot check of the lot of ampuls used with each machine. The recertification by the Applied Technology Unit will replace the manufacturer's certificate as prima facie proof of the chemical accuracy of the tests.

The trial court based its decision to allow the introduction of the PEI test results upon the manufacturer's certificate as prima facie proof of standard chemical quality. Since we hold that the manufacturer's certificate is not entitled to prima facie weight, the introduction of the PEI results was improper. Without those results, there is no presumption of defendant's intoxication.

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Bluebook (online)
405 So. 2d 832, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-krause-la-1981.