State v. Peters

729 S.W.2d 243, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 4085
Missouri Court of Appeals·Decided May 15, 1987·No. 14939·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

HOLSTEIN, Judge.

This is an appeal by the State of the trial court’s order suppressing evidence of a blood test in a case in which the defendant is charged with the misdemeanors of driving while intoxicated and driving on the wrong side of the road. The action of the trial court in suppressing the evidence of the blood test is affirmed.

The motion to suppress pointed out that inasmuch as §§ 577.020 and 577.026 RSMo 1986 require that chemical analysis of a person’s blood be performed according to satisfactory techniques, devices, equipment, or methods approved by the department of health and the department of health has failed to issue any regulations approving techniques, devices, equipment or methods for determining blood alcohol content from blood samples, such analysis is inadmissible in evidence.

*244 The “Department of Health” includes what was formerly referred to as the “Division of Health”. In the regulations hereafter cited the same agency is referred to as “the division”. We use the terms interchangeably herein.

For the purposes of the hearing on the motion to suppress, the parties stipulated that a trained technician, doctor or nurse had drawn blood from the defendant in compliance with § 577.029 RSMo 1986 and the blood sample was subjected to alcohol content analysis using the gas chromatography method by chemist Bill Marbaker of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Laboratory, who holds a Type I permit. The court took judicial notice of the pertinent portions of the Code of State Regulations, 18 CSR 50-140.

The only testimony at the hearing was by Richard Gnaedinger PhD, chief of chemistry for the Missouri Department of Health. Dr. Gnaedinger testified that it was his duty to approve methods for determining blood alcohol from a blood sample. He is also involved in approving applicants for Type I permits. Each such applicant when approved, is approved only to use the method of blood alcohol analysis upon which he successfully was tested. Three scientifically accepted methods have been approved by Dr. Gnaedinger. These are (1) the gas chromatography method mentioned above, (2) the enzymatic method, and (3) the distillation and titration method. None of the three methods are listed as an “approved” method in the Code of State Regulations. The rationale offered by Dr. Gnae-dinger for not specifically approving methods was the “endless list of variations” in the principal methods, all of which would produce an accurate result. He identified State’s Exhibit 3 as a list of eleven variations of the three methods which he, on behalf of his agency, had approved for use in various laboratories in the state.

After the trial court sustained the motion to suppress, the State perfected its appeal pursuant to § 547.200 RSMo 1986, and Rule 30.02.

The State does not argue nor does the record indicate that the blood sample might be admissible as evidence seized pursuant to a lawful arrest, independent of the “implied consent” law. The sole basis urged for admissibility of the blood sample is §§ 577.020 et seq. We decide this case only on the issue presented.

This court has previously decided that under the former “implied consent” law, § 564.441 RSMo 1969 (now repealed), for a chemical analysis of a person’s breath to be valid it must be performed according to methods approved by the department of health. State v. Crowell, 560 S.W.2d 889, 891 (Mo.App.1978); State v. Sinclair, 474 S.W.2d 865, 868 (Mo.App.1971). The current “implied consent” law uses almost identical language but expands the scope of the implied consent, authorizing the taking of blood, urine or saliva samples, in addition to breath samples. The principles enunciated in cases construing the former statute are applicable here.

Section 577.020 provides:

(1) Any person who operates a motor vehicle upon the public highways of this state shall be deemed to have given consent to, subject to the provisions of sections 577.020 to 577.041, a chemical test or tests of his breath, blood, saliva or urine for the purpose of determining the alcohol or drug content of his blood if arrested for any offense arising out of acts which the arresting officer had reasonable grounds to believe were committed while the person was driving a motor vehicle while in an intoxicated or drugged condition ...
(3) Chemical analysis of the person’s breath, blood, saliva, or urine to be considered valid under the provision of sections 577.020 to 577.041 shall be performed according to methods approved by the state division of health by licensed medical personnel or by a person possessing a valid permit issued by the state division of health for this purpose ...
(4) The state division of health shall approve satisfactory techniques, devices, equipment, or methods to be considered valid under the provisions of sections 577.020 to 577.041 and shall establish standards to ascertain the qualifications and competence of individuals to conduct analyses and to issue permits which shall *245 be subject to termination or revocation by the state division of health.

Section 577.026 provides:

(1) Chemical tests of the person’s breath, blood, saliva, or urine to be considered valid under the provisions of sections 577 020 to 577.041, shall be performed according to methods and devices approved by the state division of health by licensed medical personnel or by a person possessing a valid permit issued by the state division of health for this purpose.
(2) The state division of health shall approve satisfactory techniques, devices, equipment, or methods to conduct tests required by sections 577.020 to 577.041, and shall establish standards as to the qualifications and competence of individuals to conduct analyses and to issue permits which shall be subject to termination or revocation by the state division of health.

The above legislative enactments are a substitute for the common law foundation for the introduction of evidence of analyses for blood alcohol, and are mandatory. State v. Sinclair, supra 868; State v. Paul, 437 S.W.2d 98, 101 (Mo.App.1969). If the State has failed to comply with these statutes the blood analysis is inadmissible and prejudicial.

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State v. Peters, 729 S.W.2d 243, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 4085 (Mo. Ct. App. 1987).

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