State v. Turkel

11 Fla. Supp. 2d 98
CourtCircuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida
DecidedApril 15, 1985
DocketCase No. 83-0089AC
StatusPublished

This text of 11 Fla. Supp. 2d 98 (State v. Turkel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Circuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Turkel, 11 Fla. Supp. 2d 98 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

MARK A. SPEISER, Circuit Judge.

Defendant/Appellee, Turkel was charged by the State/Appellant with Driving while Under the Influence. The trial, scheduled to begin [99]*99on June 14, 1983 was preceded by a Motion of the Defendant to suppress the breathalyzer test, premised upon the arresting officer’s refusal to allow the Defendant the right to contact his attorney prior to submitting to the test.

County Court Judge Berkowitz granted Defendant’s Motion to Suppress the breathalyzer test indicating that Defendant had the right to telephone his lawyer and seek advice regarding the test and the failure of the police to afford him that request is a basis to preclude the admissibility of the breathalyzer results.

On June 15, 1983, following Judge Berkowitz’s oral pronouncement of his decision of the Motion to Suppress, the State orally moved for an extension of the speedy trial period to enable the State to appeal the granting of the suppression order. Following this request further argument on the merits of the Defendant’s suppression motion ensued wherein the Court noted:

The State is exercising their right not to continue the trial today in order to have a higher Court rule in this particular issue of law (R-43)

On September 20, 1983, Defendant moved for a discharge of the case contending that the period of time provided by Rule 3.191 of the F.R.C.P. had expired and that there had been no written order entered by the Court extending the speedy trial period, so as to allow the State to take an appeal of Judge Berkowitz’s order. The State countered that such an order was not submitted for the Court’s signature, since the Court had not yet entered an order granting the Motion to Suppress, a prerequisite before the extension order can be entered.

On October 20, 1983, a written order was entered extending the Speedy Trial Time Period Pending Appeal.

On October 25, 1983, the lower Court entered a written order denying Defendant’s Motion for Discharge. On November 17, 1983, a written order was entered by Judge Berkowitz granting the Motion to Suppress the Breathalyzer Test.

OPINION

POINT I

Both the Florida Supreme Court in State v. Mitchell, 245 So.2d 618 (Fla. 1971) and the United States Supreme Court in Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757 have held that the results of tests to determine blood alcohol content are not self-incriminating testimonial communications barred by the Fifth Amendment. Thus, the products of field [100]*100sobriety and chemical breath tests are admissible as potential incriminating evidence against an accused if he consents to such testing. By operation of law, Section 322.261(l)(a), Florida Statutes, a driver impliedly furnishes his consent to submit to such testing procedures by applying for and being granted the privilege to operate a motor vehicle in the State.

Although under Section 322.261, Defendant had no right to be informed of his right to refuse to submit to the testing, Sambrine v. State, 386 So.2d 546 (Fla. 1980) the record below (R.7) indicates he nevertheless was informed of his right to refuse to be tested. This refusal privilege was communicated to the Defendant following the arresting officer’s repeated admonishment to him that he would not be allowed, despite his several requests, to contact his attorney before deciding whether to take the breathalyzer test.

Concededly, the results of refusing to submit to the breathalyzer test leave one with a Hobson’s Choice since Section 316.1932(l)(a) provides that the refusal to submit such testimony shall be admissible in an criminal proceeding, see Lampkin v. State, 445 So.2d 673 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984) and State v. Whitehead, 443 So.2d 196 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1983) upholding the constitutionality of said statute, relying upon South Dakota v. Neville, 459 U.S. (1983). Moreover, Section 322.261(l)(a) further provides that failure to undertake a breathalyzer will result in a three month suspension of one’s driving privilege.

It is readily apparent that the Legislature of the State of Florida through its comprehensive and indisputably tough D.W.I. statutory scheme, i.e. Section 316.1932(l)(a) and Section 322.261(l)(a) has expressed a compelling state interest in regulating highway safety and protecting the operators of motor vehicles from the ill-fated consequences of incapacitated drivers, State v. Bender, 382 So.2d 697 (Fla. 1980).

Although the courts are uniform in analogyzing breathalyzer testing to voice exemplars, fingerprinting and handwriting samples, photographing and lineups insofar as characterizing them as non-testimonial in nature and nonviolative of one’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, a distinction needs to be drawn between chemical breath tests and the remaining aforementioned testing insofar as one’s Sixth Amendment right to contact counsel or have an attorney present before such testing is initiated. Rule 3.220, F.R.C.P., implicitly provides for the Sixth Amendment right to counsel since it is only after the filing of an information, when an accused has legal representation can the State obtain fingerprints, blood, hair, voice and handwriting samples.

[101]*101An accused’s blood type, his hair, voice and handwriting will not alter with the passage of time and thus the lapse of hours, weeks and months will not aifect the validity of the testing and comparison process. With respect to a breathalyzer test on the other hand, the timing of the testing is quite crucial since the passage of time and inherent physiological processes may very well eliminate a true reading of a suspected intoxicated driver’s alcohol composition at the time he is confronted by law enforcement personnel.

Defendant cites State v. Bristor, 682 P.2d 122 (Kan. App. 1984) for the proposition that an individual has a right to counsel before deciding whether to take a breathalyzer test. Counsel for Defendant however, omitted to note that the above cited case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Kansas, State v. Bristor, 691 P.2d 1 (Kan. 1984) which in reversing the Court of Appeals, held that a person arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor has no constitutional right to counsel in order to determine whether to submit to a breathalyzer test because' criminal prosecution had not begun at that point.

Relying on the “critical stage analysis” of United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218 (1967), the Kansas Supreme Court in Bristor, supra, p. 5. concluded:

While the decision is “critical” to each individual who is arrested for DUI, we do not believe it is critical in the constitutional sense. The United States Supreme Court has not found a right to counsel attaches when there is merely an important decision to be made. Nor has the Court found a right to counsel for every person from whom evidence is sought during the course of an investigation. Not every evidence gathering procedure is a critical stage.

The United States Supreme Court in Kirby v. Illinois,

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

Related

Schmerber v. California
384 U.S. 757 (Supreme Court, 1966)
United States v. Wade
388 U.S. 218 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Kirby v. Illinois
406 U.S. 682 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Sambrine v. State
386 So. 2d 546 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1980)
Campbell v. Superior Court
479 P.2d 685 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1971)
State v. Fitzsimmons
610 P.2d 893 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Bristor
682 P.2d 122 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1984)
Law v. City of Danville
187 S.E.2d 197 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1972)
Seders v. Powell, Comr. of Motor Vehicles
259 S.E.2d 544 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1979)
State v. Newton
636 P.2d 393 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1981)
State v. Bristor
691 P.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1984)
Spradling v. Deimeke
528 S.W.2d 759 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1975)
State v. Bender
382 So. 2d 697 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1980)
Lampkin v. State
445 So. 2d 673 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1984)
Holmberg v. 54-A Judicial District Judge
231 N.W.2d 543 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)
State v. Mitchell
245 So. 2d 618 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1971)
Talton v. State
362 So. 2d 686 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1978)
Pastori v. State
456 So. 2d 1212 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1984)
State v. Welch
376 A.2d 351 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1977)
State v. Jones
457 A.2d 1116 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 Fla. Supp. 2d 98, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-turkel-flacirct-1985.