Zanesville v. Reaver

2017 Ohio 4149
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 5, 2017
DocketCT2016-0054
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2017 Ohio 4149 (Zanesville v. Reaver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zanesville v. Reaver, 2017 Ohio 4149 (Ohio Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

[Cite as Zanesville v. Reaver, 2017-Ohio-4149.]

COURT OF APPEALS MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

JUDGES: CITY OF ZANESVILLE : Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J. : Hon. John W. Wise, J. Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. Earle E. Wise, J. : -vs- : : Case No. CT2016-0054 ZACHARY REAVER : : Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Criminal appeal from the Zanesville Municipal Court, Case No. 15TRC03199A

JUDGMENT: Affirmed

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: June 5, 2017

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendant-Appellant DAVID TARBERT BRIAN BENBOW EMILY STRANG TARBERT 605 MARKET ST. SCOTT D. EICKELBERGER ZANESVILLE, OH 43701 401 MARKET STREET, STE. 209 ZANESVILLE, OH 43701 Muskingum County, Case No. CT2016-0054 2

Gwin, P.J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant Zachary Reaver [“Reaver”] appeals his conviction and

sentence in the Zanesville Municipal Court on one count of OVI “prohibited level” in

violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1)(d). Plaintiff-appellee is the State of Ohio.

Facts and Procedural History

{¶2} At around 3:00 a.m. on December 24, 2015 Sergeant Jeffrey Jirles of the

Ohio State Highway Patrol believed Reaver was speeding and began pacing Reaver's car.

Sergeant Jirles noting speeds of up to 45 mph in a 35-mph zone. While he was following

Reaver, Sergeant Jirles observed Reaver failing to stop properly at a red light and an

improperly turning at that same light. Based on these violations, Sergeant Jirles initiated a

traffic stop.

{¶3} Reaver "fumbled" around his vehicle trying to find his license and registration.

During this initial encounter, Sergeant Jirles noted there was a strong odor of alcohol coming

from Reaver’s vehicle. There was a passenger in the vehicle, so Reaver was removed from

his car and placed in the front seat of Sergeant Jirles' cruiser. While in the cruiser, Reaver

admitted to coming from several bars and consuming "three beers" and then later admitting

to "four drinks.” Sergeant Jirles noted the odor of alcohol intensified when he was alone with

Reaver in his cruiser.

{¶4} Sergeant Jirles administered the standardized field sobriety tests [“SFST’s”],

including the horizontal gaze nystagmus test [“HGN”], the "walk and turn divided attention

skills test” [“WAT”]," and the "one-leg stand" [“OLS”]. Muskingum County, Case No. CT2016-0054 3

{¶5} Reaver exhibited four out of four clues on the OLS, indicating a failure on the

test. Sergeant Jirles provided instructions regarding the WAT, demonstrated the test, and

administered it to Reaver. Sergeant Jirles noted three clues on Reaver’s WAT test.

{¶6} Reaver’s was arrested and charged with one count of OVI “under the

influence” a violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1)(a) and one count of OVI “prohibited level” in

violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1)(d).

{¶7} Reaver filed a Motion to Suppress. The court held a hearing on May 5,

2016. At this hearing, the court heard the testimony of Sergeant Jirles and Reaver’s OVI

expert, Harold Copen ("Copen"). The court overruled Reaver’s motion noting in part,

Based upon the evidence presented, the court finds that the officer

had a valid reason to conduct a traffic stop and that he further had

reasonable, articulable suspicion to suspect the defendant may have been

operating a motor vehicle while under the influence and to request that the

defendant submit to field sobriety tests.

The court further finds that the HGN test was not conducted within

substantial compliance of NHTSA standards, and the results thereof are not

admissible.

The court finds that the "one legged stand" and the "walk and turn"

tests were conducted within substantial compliance of the NHTSA

standards and are therefore admissible.

The court further finds that the statements made by the defendant

admitting to the consumption of alcohol prior to the traffic stop are

admissible even though he was not given the Miranda warnings since they Muskingum County, Case No. CT2016-0054 4

were made prior to the defendant being placed under arrest or placed into

custody.

{¶8} Reaver pled "no contest" to one count of OVI “prohibited level” in violation

of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1)(d) and was found guilty on September 26, 2016.

Assignments of Error

{¶9} Reaver raises three assignments of error,

{¶10} “I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING APPELLANT'S MOTION TO

SUPPRESS BY FINDING THAT THE ARRESTING OFFICER ADMINISTERED THE

FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS IN SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH THE TESTING

GUIDELINES SET FORTH BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION AND

SAFETY ADMINISTRATION.

{¶11} “II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE ARRESTING

OFFICER HAD PROBABLE CAUSE TO PLACE APPELLANT UNDER ARREST

FOLLOWING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS BASED ON

THE TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

{¶12} “III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE STATEMENTS

MADE BY APPELLANT WERE ADMISSIBLE FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING

PROBABLE CAUSE.”

I. & II.

Standard of Review.

{¶13} Appellate review of a motion to suppress presents a mixed question of law

and fact. State v. Burnside, 100 Ohio St.3d 152, 154-155, 2003-Ohio-5372, 797 N.E.2d

71, ¶ 8. When ruling on a motion to suppress, the trial court assumes the role of trier of Muskingum County, Case No. CT2016-0054 5

fact and is in the best position to resolve questions of fact and to evaluate witness

credibility. See State v. Dunlap, 73 Ohio St.3d 308,314, 1995-Ohio-243, 652 N.E.2d 988;

State v. Fanning, 1 Ohio St.3d 19, 20, 437 N.E.2d 583 (1982). Accordingly, a reviewing

court must defer to the trial court's factual findings if competent, credible evidence exists

to support those findings. See Burnside, supra; Dunlap, supra; State v. Long, 127 Ohio

App.3d 328, 332, 713 N.E.2d 1(4th Dist. 1998); State v. Medcalf, 111 Ohio App.3d 142,

675 N.E.2d 1268 (4th Dist. 1996). However, once this Court has accepted those facts as

true, it must independently determine as a matter of law whether the trial court met the

applicable legal standard. See Burnside, supra, citing State v. McNamara, 124 Ohio

App.3d 706, 707 N.E.2d 539(4th Dist. 1997); See, generally, United States v. Arvizu, 534

U.S. 266, 122 S.Ct. 744, 151 L.Ed.2d 740(2002); Ornelas v. United States, 517 U.S. 690,

116 S.Ct. 1657, 134 L.Ed.2d 911(1996). That is, the application of the law to the trial

court's findings of fact is subject to a de novo standard of review Ornelas, supra.

Moreover, due weight should be given “to inferences drawn from those facts by resident

judges and local law enforcement officers.” Ornelas, supra at 698, 116 S.Ct. at 1663.

The Traffic Stop

{¶14} The Ohio Supreme Court has emphasized that probable cause is not

required to make a traffic stop; rather the standard is reasonable and articulable suspicion.

State v. Mays, 119 Ohio St.3d 406, 2008-Ohio-4358, 894 N.E.2d 1204, ¶ 23. Further,

neither the United States Supreme Court nor the Ohio Supreme Court considered the

severity of the offense as a factor in determining whether the law enforcement official had

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2017 Ohio 4149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zanesville-v-reaver-ohioctapp-2017.