State v. Blazek, Unpublished Decision (9-1-2004)
State v. Blazek, Unpublished Decision (9-1-2004)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Cory Blazek appeals from his conviction in the Belmont County Court, Western Division. Blazek pleaded no contest to charges brought against him under R.C.{¶ 3} As a result, Blazek was arrested and transported to an Ohio Highway Patrol post, where a BAC DataMaster test was administered. Blazek blew a 0.139. (Police Report). This result and all other information and evidence were submitted to James Ferguson, an expert, to determine the alcohol content of Blazek's breath at the time he operated his motor vehicle. On October 22, 2003, Ferguson gave a report, which was submitted as stipulated testimony. According to his report, Blazek's alcohol level at the time he was stopped on January 10, 2003 was at least .093 and as much as .150. (Ferguson Report, 4).
{¶ 4} Based on the report given by Ferguson, Blazek moved to dismiss his BAC test results, or in the alternative, suppress them from being admitted into evidence at trial. The trial court overruled this motion, stating that this argument went to the weight of the evidence rather than admissibility. Blazek entered a plea of no contest to the DUI charge; the other two traffic violations were dismissed. The trial court found him guilty of violating R.C.
{¶ 5} Blazek timely appeals raising two assignments of error.
{¶ 7} "The trial court erred in ruling the BAC test was admissible at trial."
{¶ 8} Blazek argues that the trial court erred in admitting his BAC test results into evidence at trial. He contends that the expert's report stated that at the time of the violation, Blazek's breath alcohol level was between .093 and .150. He claims that this opinion renders the BAC test result unreliable and, thus, the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the test results. The state rebuts this argument by stating that the BAC test was administered within the statutory time limit and performed in accordance with Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regulations, and thus the trial court did not abuse its discretion.
{¶ 9} Blazek was prosecuted under R.C.
{¶ 10} Accordingly, it is within the trial court's discretion to admit the results of breath tests that are given within two hours of the arrest. Courts have stated that as long as the test (urine, blood, or breath) is done within the time limit, and the ODH regulations are substantially (unless actual prejudice is shown then strict compliance is required) complied with, then the results are admissible. State v. Shaffer, 4th Dist. No. 01CA21, 2002-Ohio-4167 (stating test was admissible when it was administered within the two hour time period). See, also, Cityof Cincinnati v. Sand (1975),
{¶ 11} The trial court stated and Blazek admits that the BAC test was performed within two hours of his arrest. (Tr. 10). Thus, any arguments, other than one based on a failure to substantially or strictly comply with the ODH regulations, that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the breath test performed within the period allowable by R.C.
{¶ 12} Blazek did not argue in his suppression motion that there was no substantial compliance with the ODH regulations. Rather, Blazek admitted that the BAC test was administered in substantial compliance with Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regulations. He then argued they were unreliable and inadmissible based upon an expert's report. His argument fails.
{¶ 13} Substantial compliance with the ODH regulations renders the test results reliable and, thus, admissible. SeeState v. Burnside,
{¶ 14} Accordingly, given all the above, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the admission of the BAC test results into evidence. This assignment of error lacks merit.
{¶ 16} The trial court erred in finding defendant guilty of RC [sic] 4511.19 A3 [sic] based upon the weight of the evidence.
{¶ 17} Blazek argues that the trial court should have determined that the results of his BAC test did not provide enough evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The state argues that the trial court did not lose its way or create a manifest miscarriage of justice in finding Blazek guilty.
{¶ 18} When reviewing a manifest weight of the evidence argument, an appellate court weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of witnesses and determines whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered. State v. Thompkins,
{¶ 19} Blazek argues that Ferguson's findings and testimony do not support the conviction. The relevant portion of Ferguson's findings are that, based on the facts of the case and his calculations, the amount of alcohol in Blazek's breath was at least .093 and as much as .150 at the time of the incident. (Ferguson Report, 4). The legal limit in Ohio at the time of the incident was .10. R.C.
{¶ 20} The trial court admitted the result of the BAC test into evidence, which was .139 less than two hours after Blazek's arrest. When it declared that Blazek was guilty, the court stated that it considered Ferguson's report in determining that the BAC test results may not have accurately reflected Blazek's actual blood alcohol content at the time of the incident. (Tr. 10). However, the trial court did not place "great weight" on the report because it both inculpated and exculpated him. (Tr. 10). Therefore, relying on the BAC test results, the observations made by Officer LaRoche, and Blazek's admission that he had consumed six to eight beers prior to driving, it found him guilty. (Tr. 10-11).
{¶ 21} Considering that the report was inconclusory as to whether or not Blazek was over the legal limit at the time of the violation, we cannot state that the trial court lost its way and created a manifest injustice in finding Blazek guilty. Officer LaRoche's observations, Blazek's failed field sobriety tests, Blazek's admission to drinking six to eight beers prior to driving, and the BAC test result is substantial evidence which the court could rely on to reasonably conclude that Blazek was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. As such, this assignment of error lacks merit.
{¶ 22} For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed.
Donofrio, J., concurs.
DeGenaro, J., concurs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.