| Mar 7, 2023 | Case: 22-007592MU10A | Judge Levy |
| Facts: | The defendant was attempting to leave a parking lot and subsequently struck two vehicles. The crash was witnessed by three officers who were working a detail at a bar. The officers ran towards the defendant and noticed that she was attempting to leave the scene. They immediately stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver. The lead investigator asked her why she was attempting to leave the scene of a crash. The driver stated that she was not involved in an accident. The officers all observed an extremely strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes as well as slurred speech. They asked the defendant to exit the vehicle, but she was unable to stand on her own and was placed back into the car. One of the officers located the owners of the two vehicles that were struck in the accident and brought them to the crash scene. In court, one of the owners stated that the defendant was extremely uncooperative and could not stand on her own. The defendant was eventually asked to perform field sobriety tests to which she refused. She stated that she was not in an accident and not "drunk." She was subsequently asked to provide a breath test and was arrested for DUI. The defendant blew a .168 at the police station and subsequently refused to provide a second sample of her breath. | |
| Defense: | In order to request a breath test a person must first be placed under lawful arrest for DUI. In this case, Parks & Braxton filed a motion to exclude the breath test and subsequent refusal based on the fact that the request for a breath test was made before the arrest for DUI. In court the officer testified that while his initial request for a breath sample was prior to arrest, he stated that he asked for a breath test again after the defendant was placed under arrest. On cross-examination the officer admitted that he did not actually request a breath test a second time after arrest. Rather, the officer admitted that the defendant stated in the car that she was willing to do whatever it took to go home. He then testified that he drove her straight to the police station to acquire a sample of her breath. Parks & Braxton successfully argued that by his actions the officer led the defendant to believe that she would go home if she provided a breath test. In addition, the officer failed to read Miranda warnings during the initial stages of the investigation. The Court granted the motion to suppress and excluded any evidence regarding a breath test, a refusal to submit to testing as well as any and all statements made by the defendant. The State Attorney dismissed the case. | |
| Result: | The DUI was dismissed. | |