State v. Martinez, Jesus Enrique

155 S.W.3d 316, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7155, 2004 WL 1798110
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 11, 2004
Docket08-02-00248-CR
StatusPublished

This text of 155 S.W.3d 316 (State v. Martinez, Jesus Enrique) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Martinez, Jesus Enrique, 155 S.W.3d 316, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7155, 2004 WL 1798110 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

RICHARD BARAJAS, Chief Justice.

This is a State’s appeal from the order of the trial court granting Appellee Jesus Enrique Martinez’s motion to suppress evidence. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

I. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE

Officer Michael Macias of the El Paso Police Department testified that on April 15, 2001 at approximately 5 p.m., he arrived at the scene of an accident. He observed that a single-vehicle accident had occurred on a street median. There was extensive damage to the vehicle. There were two people in the vehicle — Martinez was in the driver’s seat. Officer Macias testified that he believed he was told that the other occupant was deceased and That she was Martinez’s mother. Martinez was extracted from the vehicle and placed on a stretcher in an ambulance. While he was being attended to by the emergency medical personnel, Officer Macias interviewed Martinez. He stated that he lost control of the vehicle while driving home from Easter church services and lunch. Officer Macias testified that Martinez’s eyes were glassy looking and bloodshot. He smelled an odor of alcohol about Martinez’s person. Officer Macias asked Martinez if he had been drinking and he responded affirmatively. When the officer asked how much he had to drink, Martinez stated that HE would not answer any more questions. Officer Macias arrested Martinez and read the Miranda warnings. He arrested Martinez for DWI because there was insufficient information to indicate that it was an intoxication manslaughter case. The officer rode with Martinez to the hospital. He was uncooperative and refused to speak.

At the hospital, Martinez refused to answer the questions of the medical staff about the accident while Officer Macias was in the treatment area. He refused medical treatment. However, as time passed, Martinez asked Officer Macias about his mother’s condition. The officer advised Martinez about a blood test and read a form called the “DIC 24” that he obtained from the blood specimen kit. Officer Macias testified that Martinez gave verbal and written consent to have a blood specimen drawn. A nurse drew the blood and the specimen was sent to police headquarters. The witness stated that Martinez volunteered the statement that he had been an alcoholic since the age of thirty-seven when his father died. Officer Macias told Martinez that he would also be given the opportunity to submit to a breath test at the police station. Martinez stated that he would fail that test because he had a lot of vodka drinks the night before.

Officer John Pennington, an officer with the El Paso Police Department, testified that he assisted in the investigation of the accident. Officer Pennington testified that he read DIC forms 23, 24, and 25 to Martinez at police headquarters after the blood specimen was taken and he refused to sign the forms, although he initially testified that he read the forms to Martinez before the blood sample was taken and he refused to sign the forms.

In further testimony, Officer Macias testified that he read a DIC form to Martinez prior to taking the blood specimen but he could not say what was stated on the form that he used. He could not produce the form. Officer Macias stated that he thought that the form he read to Martinez was less detailed than the DIC 24 that was read to him at the police station after the *319 blood sample was taken. The witness gave some indication that the form did not inform Martinez of the consequences of refusing the test.

The State argued to the court that Martinez had consented to the blood test. The court ruled that there was no evidence before it that Martinez signed a statement consenting to the blood test and he suppressed the blood test evidence. Subsequently, on April 29, 2002, the State filed a document entitled “State’s Motion to ReOpen/Reconsider.” In this document, the State maintained that the documents that were purportedly read to Martinez to obtain his consent for the blood test could not be located and the officers could not remember what admonishments were contained on the form. The State conceded that there was no evidence before the court that Martinez was admonished of the warnings contained in forms DIC 23, 24, and 25 prior to the blood specimen being taken. The State argued in its motion that the blood test results were still admissible as there was no need to present proof that any admonishments were read to an accused with regard to voluntarily taken tests.

On May 29, 2002, the court issued an order holding that any statements obtained from Martinez after his arrest were obtained in violation of his rights. The court ruled that Martinez did not voluntarily consent to the blood test. Also, the court held that there was.no deemed consent to the taking of a blood specimen under “Article 6701 1 — 5, § 1 (Vernons) [sic].” 1 Further, the court ruled that the officers failed to give Martinez the required statutory warnings under “Article 1-5, § 2 (Vernons) [sic].” 2 Accordingly, the order stated that the blood seized from Martinez and the blood alcohol concentration analysis was suppressed as the blood was taken in violation of Martinez’s rights.

II. DISCUSSION

In a motion to suppress hearing, the trial court is the sole trier of fact and *320 judge of witness credibility and may believe or disbelieve all or part of a witness’s testimony. State v. Ross, 32 S.W.3d 853, 855 (Tex.Crim.App.2000). A trial court’s ruling on a suppression motion lies within the sound discretion of that court. Villarreal v. State, 935 S.W.2d 134, 138 (Tex.Crim.App.1996). We review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress for abuse of discretion, giving almost total deference to the trial court’s determination of historical facts, but review the application of the law de novo. Balentine v. State, 71 S.W.3d 763, 768 (Tex.Crim.App.2002); see also Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex.Crim.App.1997)(we review mixed questions of law and fact de novo if the resolution of the ultimate questions does not turn on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor).

In Issue No. One, the State maintains that consent is irrelevant to the determination of the admissibility of a blood sample. Specifically, the State urges that regardless of any lack of consent, there is no constitutional impediment to the taking of a blood specimen. Martinez argues that the State has waived this contention on appeal. We agree. Where the State is the party appealing, the basic principle of appellate jurisprudence that points not argued at trial are deemed to be waived applies equally to the State and the defense. State v. Mercado, 972 S.W.2d 75, 78 (Tex.Crim.App.1998). During the suppression hearing, the only argument urged by the State to the trial court was that Martinez actually consented to the blood test.

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Related

Landgraff v. State
740 S.W.2d 577 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Balentine v. State
71 S.W.3d 763 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2002)
Jones v. State
7 S.W.3d 172 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
State v. Ross
32 S.W.3d 853 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Villarreal v. State
935 S.W.2d 134 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Etheridge v. State
903 S.W.2d 1 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1994)
State v. Mercado
972 S.W.2d 75 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Guzman v. State
955 S.W.2d 85 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Hogue v. State
752 S.W.2d 585 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
155 S.W.3d 316, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7155, 2004 WL 1798110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-martinez-jesus-enrique-texapp-2004.