Seewar v. Town of Summerdale
Seewar v. Town of Summerdale
Opinion
The appellant, Debra Jean Brown Seewar, was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, a violation of §
The prosecution's evidence tended to show that on May 1, 1991, Officer Roy Nix of the Summerdale Police Department clocked the appellant driving 57 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone as she drove north on Alabama Highway 59 in Baldwin County. When Nix pulled into a convenience store parking lot to turn around and pursue her, an off-duty officer with the Foley Police Department drove up next to him and told him that he had seen the appellant "driving all over the highway" (R. 104).
Nix then pursued the appellant and, after noticing that she was weaving as she drove, pulled her over just inside the Summerdale police jurisdiction. The appellant got out of her car and walked towards the police car and spoke with Nix. He noticed that the appellant swayed as she walked, that her speech was slurred, and that she smelled of alcohol. When Nix asked her if she had been drinking, the appellant replied that she had had "several drinks" (R. 108).
When the appellant failed to successfully complete two field sobriety tests (namely, the "one-leg stand test" and the "walk-and-turn test"), Officer Nix arrested her for driving under the influence.1 An Intoxilyzer *Page 200 5000 test was administered to the appellant at the Robertsdale Police Department. The test indicated that her blood alcohol content was .132, exceeding the legal limit by .032.
The appellant presents four issues on appeal.
Obviously, before Frye is applicable, the test in dispute must qualify as a scientific one. Ex parte Dolvin,
Thus, the "one-leg stand test" and the "walk-and-turn test" are not novel scientific tests that require the application ofFrye and expert testimony. Cf., Dolvin, supra (forensic odontology test is in the nature of a physical comparison rather than a scientific test); Handley, supra (admissibility of dental witness's bite mark comparison does not depend on meeting the Frye standard).
The appellant also contends that the results of the Intoxilyzer 5000 test should not have been received into evidence because, under Frye and Prewitt, the state failed to establish the test's reliability and general acceptance in the particular scientific field in which it belongs.
"Tests conducted to determine the alcohol . . . content in a . . . breath sample have been recognized as having attained sufficient scientific acceptance to satisfy the . . .Frye test." McElroy's § 490.01(2) (footnote omitted). See also, §
Because the Intoxilyzer 5000 has been generally accepted as a valid test under §
Bush,"This predicate may be established by showing, first, that the law enforcement agency has adopted the particular form of testing that was in fact used. Second, there must be a showing that the test was performed according to methods approved by the State Board of Health. This may be proved by the introduction of the rules and regulations the officer followed while administering the test and the officer's testimony that he did, in fact, follow those rules when he administered the test in question. Third, there must be a showing that the person administering the test has a valid permit *Page 201 issued by the State Board of Health for that purpose."2
After applying the Bush predicate to the facts of this case, we find that the state met the requirements for the admissibility of the Intoxilyzer 5000 test results. See, e.g.,Woods, supra.
The circuit court did not err by failing to require the state to prove the general acceptance of the Intoxilyzer 5000 underFrye and Prewitt and by receiving its results into evidence.
The circuit court did not err in denying the appellant's motion to suppress.
However, Section
Summerdale Municipal Ordinance Number 123-89, a certified copy of which is contained in the record, incorporates by reference all "laws of the State of Alabama now existing or hereafter enacted" that set out the elements of misdemeanor andfelony offenses, including §
A municipal ordinance that incorporates by reference the criminal code of the State of Alabama is not within the scope of §
The judgment in this case is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Debra Jean Brown Seewar v. Town of Summerdale.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published