Johnson v. Comm'r Safety
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Johnson v. Comm'r Safety
Opinion of the Court
Appellant Commissioner of Public Safety revoked respondent Tyler Lee Johnson's driver's license after his arrest on suspicion of driving while impaired and refusal to submit to blood and urine tests. Johnson petitioned the district court to review the revocation, arguing that his due process rights were violated when he was read an inaccurate implied consent advisory. The district court agreed with Johnson and rescinded the revocation. The court of appeals affirmed. Johnson v. Comm'r Pub. Safety ,
*507FACTS
On November 9, 2015, a police officer responded to the scene of a car accident. Respondent Tyler Lee Johnson had driven through an intersection and collided with a tree. The officer discovered Johnson sitting in the driver's seat of the car, talking on his cell phone, seemingly unconcerned with the accident and unaware of the officer's presence.
The officer asked Johnson to get out of the car and, after Johnson did so, the officer saw a large bottle of pills between the driver's seat and the center console. The pills were a variety of colors and styles. Johnson admitted that the pill bottle belonged to him. Johnson submitted to, and failed, field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a preliminary breath test. The officer suspected, however, that Johnson had not consumed alcohol because Johnson showed no "clues" on the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. The officer arrested Johnson on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
The officer read Johnson an implied consent advisory that stated that refusal to submit to a urine test was a crime. The officer waited a little more than an hour for Johnson to contact an attorney, after which the officer asked Johnson to submit to urine and blood tests. Johnson refused to submit to either test. Appellant Commissioner of Public Safety revoked Johnson's driver's license for refusing to submit to a test.
Johnson sought judicial review of his license revocation. The district court rescinded the revocation, finding that the implied consent advisory was misleading because it incorrectly stated that refusal to submit to a urine test was a crime. Relying on McDonnell v. Commissioner of Public Safety ,
The court of appeals affirmed the district court. Johnson ,
We granted the Commissioner's petition for review.
ANALYSIS
The Commissioner revoked Johnson's driver's license pursuant to the implied consent law. This law governs the administration of blood, urine, and breath tests to drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or controlled or hazardous substances. See Minn. Stat. §§ 169A.50 -.53 (2016). The Commissioner must revoke the driver's license of a person who refuses to submit to a test when a peace officer certifies that there was probable cause to believe that the person was driving a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or a controlled or hazardous substance. See Minn. Stat. § 169A.52, subds. 1, 3.
*508The issue presented involves our decision in McDonnell v. Commissioner of Public Safety ,
In McDonnell , we addressed challenges to license revocations from three appellants. Relevant here is the discussion regarding appellant Moser, who challenged her license revocation after she was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired.
In fact, Moser could not have been prosecuted for the crime of test refusal because, at the time, a person could be prosecuted for test refusal only when the person's driver's license had been previously revoked.
We concluded that Moser's due process rights were violated when, after being threatened with impossible criminal charges, she submitted to testing because of the threatened charges. McDonnell ,
But in McDonnell we did not recognize a due process violation solely because a driver had been misled. Our decision relied on three key elements in holding that a violation of due process occurred in Moser's circumstances. See
Having reviewed the applicable law, we next turn to the facts and circumstances of this case. Johnson's claim clearly fails on the first and second elements. Johnson refused to submit to blood and urine tests. Further, there is no concern here that Johnson was prejudiced by relying on misleading statements by the officer about the consequences of refusing a test because Johnson did not submit to testing. See McDonnell ,
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the decision of the court of appeals is reversed.
Reversed.
Under the implied consent law, "[i]f a person refuses to permit a test, then a test must not be given, but the peace officer shall report the refusal to the commissioner." Minn. Stat. § 169A.52, subd. 1. "Upon certification by the peace officer that there existed probable cause to believe the person had been driving, operating, or in physical control of a motor vehicle in violation of section 169A.20 ..., and that the person refused to submit to a test, the commissioner shall revoke the person's license ... to drive."
Based on the parties' presentation of this case, we assume, without deciding, that Johnson's claim is best analyzed as a challenge under McDonnell .
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Tyler Lee JOHNSON v. COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published