State v. Smith, Unpublished Decision (2-4-2002)
State v. Smith, Unpublished Decision (2-4-2002)
Opinion of the Court
In its sole assignment of error, the state contends that Smith's arrest for driving while under the influence of alcohol ("DUI") was supported by probable cause and that the trial court erred by granting the motion to suppress.
When considering a motion to suppress, the trial court is the primary judge of the credibility of witnesses and the weight of the evidence.State v. Fanning (1982),
In determining whether the police had probable cause to arrest an individual for DUI, a court considers whether, at the moment of arrest, the police had sufficient information, derived from a reasonably trustworthy source of facts and circumstances, sufficient to cause a prudent person to believe that the suspect was driving under the influence. State v. Homan (2000),
In this case, the trial court made factual findings regarding the circumstances of Smith's arrest and determined that the arresting law enforcement acted without probable cause. We find that the trial court's factual findings are supported by competent and credible evidence and the trial court properly applied the appropriate legal standard in this case. Therefore, we must affirm the judgment of the trial court. The assignment of error is overruled.
Pursuant to App.R. 11.1(E), this entry shall not be relied upon as authority and will not be published in any form. A certified copy of this judgment entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27.
Costs to be taxed in compliance with App.R. 24.
Stephen W. Powell, Judge, and Anthony Valen, Judge, concur.
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