State v. Huffman, Unpublished Decision (11-24-1998)
State v. Huffman, Unpublished Decision (11-24-1998)
Opinion of the Court
Subsequently, appellant entered a no contest plea to the charge. The trial court found appellant guilty and sentenced him accordingly.
Appellant filed a notice of appeal and assigns as error:
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IF FOUND THE DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS THE BLOOD ALCOHOL RESULTS TO BE A PRELIMINARY EVIDENTIARY MOTION AND RULED AS IF SAID MOTION WAS A MOTION IN LIMINE RATHER THAN A MOTION TO SUPPRESS.
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN NOT SUPPRESSING THE BLOOD ALCOHOL TEST RESULTS BECAUSE THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WITNESS TESTIFIED TO MATTERS THAT ARE HERESAY (SIC) AND DO NOT QUALIFY UNDER ANY RECOGNIZED EXCEPTION TO THE HERESAY (SIC) RULE.
Accordingly, we overrule this assignment of error on the basis of waiver and/or the invited error doctrine.
Dr. Sutheimer's concerns were with the establishment of "target values" by the laboratory in question. After his review of the laboratory testing techniques, a protocol was established for the manufacturer. Despite Dr. Sutheimer's ruminations about proper target selling, the batch sub judice, when tested by the Department of Health met all of the new standards. He opined there was nothing wrong with batch number 97010. T. at 30.
In State v. David B. Sebach (September 25, 1998), Knox App. No. 97CA24, unreported, and State v. Saundra M. Miracle (September 25, 1998), Knox App. No. 97CA25, unreported, this Court upheld the results of the datamaster tests, stating as follows:
The Department of Health qualifies a batch of calibration solutions by using its own procedures and affirms that the testing samples fall within the manufacturer's target concentration value. Once the Department of Health makes that quality assurance determination, it is not necessary to know the manufacturer's procedures. Further, the Department of Health's five percent deviation standard is not per se unreasonable or unconscionable.
In light of our decisions in Sebach and Miracle, we find the trial court did not err in not suppressing the breath test result.
Appellant claims Dr. Sutheimer's testimony was based upon hearsay. Appellant presented the witness and initiated the testimony he now characterizes as hearsay. There was no objection to his testimony. We find appellant has waived any error with respect to the admission of Dr. Sutheimer's testimony. Accordingly, we overrule appellant's second assignment of error.
The judgment of the Coshocton Municipal Court of Coshocton County, Ohio is hereby affirmed.
By: Hoffman, J., Gwin, J. concur.
Farmer, P.J. concurs in part; dissents in part.
Dissenting Opinion
I concur in part with the majority's opinion in Assignment of Error I.
I find by the specific language of the decision of the trial court, the decision is termed a denial of a motion in limine/suppress. The only indication that the trial court did not treat it as a motion to suppress was the requirement that the appellant proceed in the prosecution of the issue by presenting Dr. Sutheimer on direct and placing the burden upon appellant to prove the evidence was inadmissible or unduly prejudicial.
The trial court decision to require appellant to proceed did not effect the outcome of the issue sub judice, but this should not be our sole guide. In City of Defiance v. Kretz (1991)
`This case requires us to decide whether a pretrial motion to suppress followed by a no contest plea is a proper procedural mechanism by which a defendant, charged with a violation of R.C.
4511.19 (A)(3), may challenge the results of a breathalyzer (*3) test based on an alleged failure to comply with Ohio Department of Health ("ODH") regulations. * * *'
I find this court sanctioned the extension of Kretz to issues similar to the issues raised sub judice.
JUDGE SHEILA G. FARMER.
For the reasons stated in our accompanying Memorandum-Opinion, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Coshocton County, Ohio is affirmed. Costs assessed to appellant.
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