United States v. Love

141 F.R.D. 315, 1992 WL 42883
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMarch 2, 1992
DocketCase No. 91-1041M
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 141 F.R.D. 315 (United States v. Love) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Love, 141 F.R.D. 315, 1992 WL 42883 (D. Colo. 1992).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BORCHERS, United States Magistrate Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendant’s motion to suppress. A hearing was held on December 11, 1991, and evidence was taken at that time. Present for that hearing were the following: Kateni Leakehe, Special Assistant United States Attorney; Shaun Kaufman, attorney for Defendant; and Defendant. The matter was then taken under advisement.

An opinion was issued by this Court on December 17, 1992 dealing with some of the issues involved in this motion. The Court on its own raised the issue of whether Colorado’s Express Consent Law was applicable at Fort Carson, Colorado. Counsel for the parties were then given an opportunity to submit any additional briefs on this issue.

I.

The issues before the Court are a result of a series of happenings on July 22, 1991. On that date, Defendant was driving an automobile and was attempting to enter onto the Fort Carson military reservation. She was observed by Military Policeman David Samuelson at Gate 4 which is on B Street.

As Defendant attempted to enter Fort Carson at approximately 4:00 a.m., MP Samuelson noted that the vehicle was weaving within its lane. He directed the vehicle to stop at the gate. He then asked Defendant for identification. According to MP Samuelson, Defendant fumbled through her purse and then produced a driver’s license.

MP Samuelson testified that he smelled alcohol on the breath of Defendant. He directed her to pull over to the side of the road and then to step out of her car. MP Samuelson testified that he then directed Defendant to do a series of roadside maneuvers. She did poorly on these tests. He then arrested her for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). She was then placed into a patrol car and taken to the MP headquarters at Fort Carson.

While at the MP headquarters, Defendant was requested to take a blood test. She refused, advising the officers that she was afraid of needles. Defendant testified that she had been advised that the breath testing machine was broken. As a result, no chemical test was taken.

Defendant filed her motion to suppress on a variety of issues. Most of those have been resolved by the previous order of December 17, 1991. Defendant has requested that her refusal to take a chemical test not be used against her at trial. She argues that the advisement given to her, as well as the failure to provide a breath test, renders the refusal inadmissible.

II.

Defendant has been charged with a violation of Colo.Rev.Stat. § 42-4-1202(l)(b). This is the state DUI law which [317]*317is applicable to the Fort Carson military-reservation pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 13, the Assimilative Crimes Act. Defendant faces up to one year in jail, as well as a $1,000 fine.

The State of Colorado, as with virtually all other jurisdictions in the United States, has enacted a drunk driving testing law. This statute is commonly called the Express Consent Law. Colo.Rev.Stat. § 42-4-1202(3). This law states simply that any law enforcement officer having probable cause to believe that a alcohol driving offense has occurred may request that the driver who has been contacted take a blood or breath test. The driver is given the option first of taking a blood test. If that is refused, then a breath test will be given. That may also be refused, but the driver will then face a revocation of his or her right to drive within the State of Colorado. Colo.Rev.Stat. § 42-4-1202(3)(b)(I), (3)(d). That revocation will be for a period of ninety days on the first refusal. If a previous revocation has occurred, then a one-year revocation will be entered.

If a driver refuses to take a test, then that refusal may be used against him or her at trial. Colo.Rev.Stat. § 42-4-1202(3)(b)(I), (3)(e). There is no constitutional basis for excluding such refusal. See South Dakota v. Neville, 459 U.S. 553, 103 S.Ct. 916, 74 L.Ed.2d 748 (1983). It is the refusal, as well as any mention of the test being offered, that Defendant wishes to exclude from trial consideration.

After review of all of the evidence and law, the Court had serious question about the applicability of the Express Consent Law to Fort Carson or another military or governmental reservation. There is case law which indicates that the Assimilative Crimes Act does not incorporate state alcohol testing laws. United States v. Robert's, 845 F.2d 226 (9th Cir.1988); United States v. Rowe, 599 F.2d 1319 (4th Cir. 1979).

After review of file and pleadings of the parties, as well as the applicable law, this Court agrees with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in finding that the Express Consent Law is not applicable to Fort Carson and other governmental reservations. In Roberts, the court held that implied consent laws were state administrative proceedings and not part of the criminal law. In that case, as with the Colorado statute, there was no criminal charge for refusing to take a test, only an administrative revocation of the driver’s license.

' Defendant’s argument about non-compliance with the Express Law cannot simply end at this point. It should be noted that Defendant was provided a document by military police officers that was entitled “Implied Consent Policy IAW Paragraph 2-10, AR 190-5.” This document refers to a repealed Colorado statute (the Implied Consent Law) and discusses procedures that are no longer relevant under Colorado law. The question is whether such notice, in and of itself, is so defective as to preclude evidence of any refusal at trial. As will be seen, this question need not be answered.

III.

Plaintiff has cited this Court to two relatively recent additions to the United States Code. The first is a new provision to the Assimilative Crimes Act. That new provision reads, in part, as follows:

For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, that which may or shall be imposed through judicial or administrative action under the law of a State, territory, possession, or district, for a conviction for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a drug or alcohol, shall be considered to be punishment provided by that law____ (emphasis added).

18 U.S.C. § 13(b). The problem here is that a conviction is required before any action can be deemed taken by state authorities. Indeed, Defendant has had no action taken against her driving privileges in Colorado as a result of her refusal to take a blood or breath test. In Colorado, criminal and administrative actions are separate. Brewer v. Motor Vehicle Division, 720 P.2d 564 (Colo.1986). This section is not applicable to this case.

[318]*318The second statute cited is 18 U.S.C. § 3118. That statute reads as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
141 F.R.D. 315, 1992 WL 42883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-love-cod-1992.