State v. Patrick K. Kozel

2017 WI 3, 889 N.W.2d 423, 373 Wis. 2d 1, 2017 Wisc. LEXIS 3
Wisconsin Supreme Court·Decided January 12, 2017·No. 2015AP000656-CR·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinions

| 1.

ANNETTE KINGSLAND ZIEGLER, J.

This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals, State v. Kozel, No. 2015AP656-CR, unpublished slip op. (Wis. Ct. App. Nov. 12, 2015), which reversed the Sauk County circuit court's1 judgment of conviction of defendant Patrick K. Kozel ("Kozel") and remanded the case to the circuit court to suppress evidence of drunk driving obtained from a sample of Kozel's blood. Kozel, unpublished slip op., ¶ 1.

¶ 2. After being arrested for drunk driving, Kozel was taken to the Sauk County jail where he agreed to have his blood drawn. In a clean room at the jail, an emergency medical technician ("EMT") trained in drawing blood and acting at the request of law enforcement used a new blood draw kit containing a sterile needle to take samples of Kozel's blood. The EMT was authorized in writing by a physician to draw blood when asked to do so by law enforcement. Kozel argues that the results of testing of his blood must be suppressed because the EMT who drew Kozel's blood was not a "person acting under the direction of a physician" as required by statute, Wis. Stat. § 343.305(5)(b) (2011-12),2 and because the blood draw was taken in a constitutionally unreasonable manner under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution.

[6] ¶ 3. We conclude that the EMT who drew Kozel's blood was a "person acting under the direction of a physician," Wis. Stat. § 343.305(5)(b), and that Kozel's blood was drawn in a constitutionally reasonable manner. Accordingly, we reverse the decision of the court of appeals.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

f 4. On August 20, 2013, at about 2:10 a.m., while "sitting stationary" at the Greenfield Town Hall in Sauk County, Wisconsin, Deputy Brian Schlough ("Deputy Schlough") of the Sauk County sheriffs department allegedly observed a vehicle make a wide right turn onto Bluff Road. Deputy Schlough began following the vehicle. Bluff Road is a relatively "narrow," "hilly" roadway "with several curves," and there are no lane markers on the road. According to Deputy Schlough, the ditches on either side of the road are "very steep" at certain locations and "a creek . . . runs along the road" at various points, so the road is somewhat dangerous. According to Deputy Schlough's testimony, the vehicle Deputy Schlough was following drove across the road and almost into the ditch on the east side of the road, and more than once the vehicle drove into the ditch on the west side of the road. After following the vehicle for about half of a mile, Deputy Schlough stopped the vehicle and spoke with its driver, Kozel.

¶ 5. Kozel "had difficulty retrieving" his driver's license from his wallet, and Deputy Schlough eventually obtained the license for him. Deputy Schlough noticed that Kozel had "bloodshot, glassy" eyes and the deputy smelled "a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle." Kozel's speech was slurred. Upon questioning, Kozel informed Deputy Schlough that he [7] was traveling from Black River Falls and that he had consumed two beers. Deputy Schlough returned to his vehicle whereupon he learned that Kozel had a prior conviction for operating while intoxicated. Deputy Schlough decided to have Kozel perform field sobriety tests and went back to Kozel's vehicle.

f 6. Deputy Schlough asked Kozel to exit his vehicle and once again asked him "how much he had to drink and where he was coming from." This time, Kozel replied that "he was coming from a friend's house in Baraboo and that he had three 12-ounce cans of Budweiser." Deputy Schlough asked Kozel if he had any physical or medical problems, and Kozel stated that he did not. Kozel did not perform well on the field sobriety tests. Deputy Schlough then administered a preliminary breath test; Kozel blew a 0.17, that is, the preliminary breath test results were well in excess of the 0.08 legal limit. See Wis. Stat. § 340.01(46m) (2013-14). Deputy Schlough placed Kozel in handcuffs and under arrest. Kozel was then taken to the Sauk County jail.

¶ 7. At the jail, Kozel agreed to have his blood drawn. At 3:20 a.m., Matthew Goethel ("Goethel"), an EMT employed by Baraboo District Ambulance Service ("BDAS"), conducted the blood draw, obtaining two specimens. Testing by the Medical Toxicology Section of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene showed a blood ethanol level of 0.196, again, well in excess of the legal limit of 0.08. See Wis. Stat. § 340.01(46m) (2013-14).

II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

f 8. On October 7, 2013, a criminal complaint was filed against Kozel in Sauk County circuit court charging him with one count of operating a motor [8] vehicle while intoxicated, contrary to Wis. Stat. § 346.63(l)(a) (2013-14), second offense, see Wis. Stat. § 346.65(2)(am)2. (2013-14), and one count of operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, contrary to Wis. Stat. § 346.63(l)(b) (2013-14), second offense, see Wis. Stat. § 346.65(2)(am)2. (2013-14). On November 5, 2013, Kozel filed motions to suppress evidence obtained as a consequence of Deputy Schlough's stop and detention of Kozel and to suppress the results of the analysis of Kozel's blood.

f 9. On June 23, 2014, a hearing was held on the suppression motion pertaining to the traffic stop initiated by Deputy Schlough. The circuit court orally denied the motion. On June 27, 2014, the court entered an order to the same effect.

¶ 10. On September 26, 2014, a hearing was held on the suppression motion pertaining to the draw of Kozel's blood. Kozel made two primary arguments relevant to this appeal: (1) his blood was not taken by a person statutorily authorized to do so, namely a "person acting under the direction of a physician," Wis. Stat. § 343.305(5)(b); and (2) his blood was taken in a constitutionally unreasonable manner, see U.S. Const, amend. IV ("The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated . . . .").

f 11. In order to meet these claims, the State called Goethel, the EMT who had drawn Kozel's blood, to testify at the hearing. Questioning of Goethel provided the following relevant pieces of information.

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State v. Patrick K. Kozel, 2017 WI 3, 889 N.W.2d 423, 373 Wis. 2d 1, 2017 Wisc. LEXIS 3 (Wis. 2017).

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