United States v. Webb

12 F. Supp. 3d 816, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187054, 2013 WL 8224297
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. West Virginia
DecidedOctober 3, 2013
DocketCriminal No. 5:12-mj-0171
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 12 F. Supp. 3d 816 (United States v. Webb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Webb, 12 F. Supp. 3d 816, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187054, 2013 WL 8224297 (S.D.W. Va. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

R. CLARKE VANDERVORT, United States Magistrate Judge.

By Violation Notice No. 3173204 dated September 13, 2012, Defendant was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in violation of 36 C.F.R. 4.23(a)(2). (Document Nos. 1 and 2.) National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger Justin Cawiezel stated in the Violation Notice’s Statement of Probable Cause for arresting Defendant that at about 3:00 in the morning on September 13, 2012, he responded to a 911 call that a car had been driven into the river at the Grandview Sandbar in the New River Gorge National River. Arriving there, he found Defendant. He stated, “I could smell the faint odor of alcohol on WEBB’s breath, her speech was slurred and her clothes and hair were wet with mud on her jeans.” Ranger Cawiezel stated that he administered the standard field sobriety test and Defendant failed. He then administered a portable breath test [PBT] at 3:28 a.m. which indicated .107. He arrested Defendant at that point and took her to the Beckley Police Department. Ranger Cawiezel wrote that an Intoxilyzer test was administered there at 4:20 a.m. indicating .094.

After several continuances (Document Nos. 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14.), the Court held a bench trial on June 11, 2013, with Assistant United States Attorney C. Haley Bunn representing the United States and Assistant Federal Public Defender Rhett H. Johnson representing Defendant. The United States called four witnesses and introduced eight exhibits. Ranger Cawiez-el testified on direct examination that at about 1:45 a.m. on September 13, 2012, he received a call from a 911 operator reporting that a woman who sounded intoxicated called stating that her car was in the river and arrived on the scene at 2:31 a.m.1 (Transcript [TrJ at p. 5-6.) When he got there, fire department and ambulance personnel were there. As he spoke with them briefly, he saw a woman “coming out of the wood line off of the sandbar trail that goes down to the actual sandbar.” (Tr. at p. 6.) He determined that she was the woman who made the 911 call and learned her name, the Defendant in this matter. (Id.) Ranger Cawiezel testified that “her clothes [818]*818were wet. Her hair was wet. She was visibly upset. Her speech was a little slurred. I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath slightly and her jeans were wet and mud on her clothes as well.” (Tr. at p. 7.) Ranger Cawiezel’s immediate concern was whether anyone else was in the car. Defendant told him that no one else was in the car, and Ranger Cawiezel proceeded to attempt to determine what happened. Defendant told him that she had four beers and, trying to get down to the sandbar area, mistook the boat ramp for the road to the sandbar area and drove her car into the river. She stated that she realized her mistake when she felt water on her skin and got out of the vehicle through the driver’s side window. (Tr. at pp. 7-8.) Defendant told Ranger Cawiezel the make and model of the car and informed him that it belonged to her boyfriend’s son. (Id.) Ranger Cawiezel then testified that he administered a field sobriety test including the horizontal gaze nystagmus [HGN] test. Defendant’s counsel objected on grounds that the results of the field sobriety test are not relevant because the regulation under which Defendant is charged, 36 C.F.R. § 4.23(a)(2), requires proof of a specific blood alcohol content. Defendant’s counsel acknowledged that the results of field sobriety tests provide probable cause to administer blood alcohol testing and stipulated to probable cause. (Tr. at pp. 9-10.) Having administered the field sobriety test, Ranger Cawiezel placed Defendant under arrest for suspicion of DUI and administered a portable breath test [PBT], (Tr. at p. 11.) Counsel for the United States did not inquire respecting the result of the PBT. Ranger Cawiezel testified that at 3:28 a.m. he transported Defendant to the Beckley Police Department and arrived there at about 4:00 a.m. (Tr. at p. 12.) Ranger Cawiezel testified that he then returned to the scene to assist in the recovery of the car and left the scene to attend Defendant’s initial appearance. (Id.) Defendant’s counsel asked Ranger Cawiezel on cross examination specific probing questions about Defendant’s conduct and demeanor in the early morning hours of September 13, 2012, attempting to establish the extent to which Ranger Cawiezel was testifying from memory or based upon documents produced contemporaneously. (Tr. at pp. 13-21.)

The United States then called Ranger Oaks. Ranger Oaks assisted in recovering the car from the river, searched it and took pictures of the car and some of its contents. Ranger Oaks testified on direct examination that he took pictures of the car with the keys in the ignition-on position and the floor shifter in first gear. He also testified that he found four beer cans in the car, one 12 ounce and three 24 ounce, and took pictures of them. (Tr. at p. 27.) The photographs were admitted into evidence as Exhibit Nos. 1 through 6. Defendant’s counsel inquired on cross examination about other items in the car which appeared to be trash and asked why Ranger Oaks did not take pictures of or inventory them. (Tr. at pp. 28-30.)

Lieutenant Ragland of the Beckley City Police Department was the United States’ third witness. On Defendant’s arrival at his office in the custody of Ranger Cawiez-el, Lieutenant Ragland administered an intoximeter test using an EC/IR II breath testing intoximeter. Lieutenant Ragland testified on direct examination that prior to administering the intoximeter test he waited for a 20-minute period to assure that Defendant did not smoke, eat or drink. (Tr. at p. 33.) Then, as counsel for the United States began inquiring about the results and submitting a printout of them marked as Exhibit No. 7 into evidence, Defendant’s counsel objected on grounds that the United States had not [819]*819introduced evidence respecting the maintenance, accuracy and reliability of the intox-imeter machine which Lieutenant Ragland used.2 (Tr. at p. 35.) The undersigned sustained the objection allowing counsel for the United States to introduce foundational evidence. Counsel for the United States stated that the parties stipulated to the information contained in the maintenance log of the intoximeter which indicated that the intoximeter was tested before and after the date when Defendant was tested and therefore was working properly then. Defendant’s counsel responded reading e-mail correspondence between him and counsel for the United States stating that “I’m willing to stipulate that the EC/IR II was tested on those dates and stipulate to the admission of the log sheet itself, but in doing so, I’m not stipulating that the machine was working properly on 9/13/2012.” (Tr. at pp. 36-37.) Lieutenant Ragland testified that he performed a system check on the intoximeter and believed that the machine was properly maintained when he tested Defendant. (Tr. at p. 38.) Counsel for the United States attempted again to introduce a printout of the results of the test, and Defendant’s counsel objected on grounds that there had been no evidence respecting accepted scientific methods as required under 36 C.F.R. § 4.23(c)(4). (Tr. at pp.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
12 F. Supp. 3d 816, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187054, 2013 WL 8224297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-webb-wvsd-2013.