State v. Martin, Unpublished Decision (4-7-2005)

2005 Ohio 1732
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 7, 2005
DocketNo. 04CA24.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 2005 Ohio 1732 (State v. Martin, Unpublished Decision (4-7-2005)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Martin, Unpublished Decision (4-7-2005), 2005 Ohio 1732 (Ohio Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

DECISION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY
{¶ 1} This is an appeal from a Circleville Municipal Court judgment of conviction and sentence. A jury found Brenda E. Martin, the defendant below and the appellant herein, guilty of driving while under the influence of alcohol in violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1).

{¶ 2} Appellant raises the following assignments of error for review:

First Assignment of Error:

"Did the trial judge commit prejudicial error when he, sua sponte, questioned the ohio state patrol officer, the only witness presented by the state?"

Second Assignment of Error:

"Did the trial court commit prejudicial error when it restricted appellant's direct examination?"

Third Assignment of Error:

"Did the court commit prejudicial error when it gave curative instructions to disregard anything about drugs?

{¶ 3} On February 26, 2004, the authorities charged the appellant with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1), and failing to drive in marked lanes in violation of R.C. 4511.33.

{¶ 4} On July 20, 2004, the court held a jury trial. Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Shad Caplinger testified that on February 26, 2004, at approximately 2:50 a.m., he observed the appellant's vehicle weaving outside the State Route 23 marked lane of travel. Appellant's vehicle crossed the white fog line by at least a tire width and again crossed the fog line on four or five different occasions. Trooper Caplinger then stopped the vehicle.

{¶ 5} When he first contacted the appellant, the vehicle's driver, she was smoking a cigarette. He noticed her bloodshot and glassy eyes and he asked her if she had been drinking. She stated that she had not. When the trooper asked her to exit the vehicle she asked if she first could put on her shoes. As the appellant stepped from the vehicle, the trooper smelled alcohol and noticed that the appellant had difficulty putting on her coat. He stated that she could not find the zipper, so he pointed it out to her. Trooper Caplinger testified that the appellant's speech was fine and that she did not stumble when she exited her vehicle.

{¶ 6} Trooper Caplinger decided to administer standardized field sobriety tests and he first administered the horizontal gaze nystagmus test (HGN). At trial, he explained the test as follows:

"Basically the [HGN] test is the involuntary jerking of your eye is what nystagmus is defined as. Basically if you've consumed alcohol or if you have taken any type of illegal substance, controlled substance or a drug, you cannot control your eye muscles and they will involuntarily jerk, if you have some type of one of those substances in your system. The [HGN] test is designed to detect that if it is present."

{¶ 7} He explained that if a person has not consumed alcohol, the eyes move smoothly when following a stimulus. If the person has consumed alcohol, however, "those eyes will start jerking depending on what level [of alcohol] that you've consumed." He further stated that the HGN test consists of three clues, one in each eye, for a total of six clues. "[T]he first clue would be lack of smooth pursuit of one's eyes." The trooper explained the second clue as follows:

"The second clue that I'm checking for is nystagmus at a maximum deviation. We refer to it as maximum deviation but that would be where your eye's completely buried into the corner of your eye, if you could imagine looking over as far as you can see where's [sic] there's no white of your eye showing, totally taking out to look in your peripheral vision, so to speak, that is maximum deviation. The eye cannot move any farther over."

He stated that once he sees the maximum deviation point, he holds the stimulus there for at least four seconds.

{¶ 8} Trooper Caplinger then explained the third clue:

"The third clue that I'm looking for is onset of nystagmus prior to a 45 degree angle, 45 degree angle meaning if you have what would be a maximum deviation, basically a 45 if you look at a 90 degree angle, which would be a right angle, 45 degrees would be about in the middle of that. Usually this occurs on or about someone's shoulder. If you're moving the stimulus then, once you get to about their shoulder, their eye's at about a 45 degree angle, at that point you hold the stimulus for at least four seconds. If you have nystagmus shown prior to getting to that 45 degree angle you hold the stimulus and see if that nystagmus is then shown."

{¶ 9} The trooper stated that he also checked the appellant for vertical nystagmus:

{¶ 10} "Basically vertical nystagmus is not shown if you're using alcohol. Vertical nystagmus has been proven that it's shown if someone has been using a controlled substance or has some other type of substance, sometimes prescription medications and what not will show a vertical nystagmus. By moving the [stimulus] vertically directly above their head, and having their eyes look up as far as they can see and then holding that stimulus for at least four seconds, you then see if the eye is involuntarily jerking vertically."

{¶ 11} Trooper Caplinger testified that the appellant indicated all clues on both the HGN and the vertical nystagmus test. We note that the appellant did not object to the vertical nystagmus test testimony.

{¶ 12} Trooper Caplinger then instructed the appellant on the walk and turn test. He stated that he advised her to keep her "feet heel to toe[,] without beginning the test[,] keep their arms down to their side, at which point she did move her feet several times from that position and could not maintain that position of keeping her heel to her toe." He had instructed her to turn to the left when she finished the first nine steps, but she turned to her right. As she finished the first nine steps, she asked whether she was to take nine steps back.

{¶ 13} He also instructed her on the one leg stand test and gave a demonstration. When appellant began the test, "immediately * * * she raised her arms[;] the clue is if they're [sic] arms are approximately six inches or greater then that constitutes that they've raised their arms during the test. During my explanation I do say to keep your arms down to your side so her arms were up about waist high during the test. Then she placed her foot on the ground on two occasions, on [count] number twelve and on [count] number 22."

{¶ 14} After he observed her performance on the three tests, Trooper Caplinger decided to arrest the appellant for driving under the influence. When he returned to her vehicle to lock it, he noticed two empty Bud Light bottles inside and he found a bottle opener on her key ring. Subsequently, at the Highway Patrol post he offered the appellant a urine test. She refused.

{¶ 15} During cross-examination, the trial court did not permit appellant's counsel to ask the trooper about the appellant's marital problems. After the state re-examined the trooper, the court, over the appellant's objection, asked the trooper some questions. The court asked: "how many factors does it take to fail a test?" The trooper stated:

"Basically the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] has come out with the NHTSA manual. It shows the probability and the validity of each [of the] three test that I performed.

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

Related

State v. Hertzler
2025 Ohio 758 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2025)
State v. Sanyasi
2024 Ohio 2042 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2024)
Clough v. Watkins
2020 Ohio 3446 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Godoy
2019 Ohio 4625 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Shelton
2019 Ohio 4207 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2019)
Brummitt v. Seeholzer
2019 Ohio 1555 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Grizovic
894 N.E.2d 100 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Norman, Unpublished Decision (2-15-2007)
2007 Ohio 629 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)
State v. Dunn, Unpublished Decision (12-7-2006)
2006 Ohio 6550 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2005 Ohio 1732, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-martin-unpublished-decision-4-7-2005-ohioctapp-2005.