State v. Hedgpeth
State v. Hedgpeth
Opinion of the Court
*401Defendant appeals a judgment convicting him of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII). ORS 813.010.
The relevant facts are few and undisputed. Oregon State Police Trooper Dunlap stopped defendant for riding his motorcycle without a helmet. Following that stop, Dunlap took defendant into custody for DUII and brought defendant to the North Bend Police Department for a blood alcohol test using an Intoxilyzer. That test began approximately one hour and 45 minutes after defendant was initially stopped. The test indicated that defendant's BAC was .09 percent. Between the time that defendant was stopped and the time that his BAC was tested, Dunlap did not observe defendant consume any alcohol.
Defendant was charged by information with DUII. A short bench trial was held in which the state relied solely on a per se theory of intoxication-i.e. , that defendant was legally intoxicated under the relevant statute because he *402had a .08 percent or higher BAC when he was riding his motorcycle. ORS 813.010(1)(a).
"Well, in this case, I will find [defendant] guilty because the only evidence before me is what he blew, and I don't have evidence at all that suggests one way or the other what you do with *** that to equate it with time of driving. But that's the evidence I have.
"So, I'll find him guilty of that."
Defendant appealed.
As noted, on appeal defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal because no factfinder could infer beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant had a BAC of .08 percent or higher when he was riding his motorcycle.
"The sufficiency of the evidence is a question of law." State v. Reynolds ,
Here, the state attempted to establish an element of its DUII case by inference. That is, the state contends that, based on defendant's blood alcohol test result of .09 percent obtained one hour and 45 minutes after defendant was driving, the fact that defendant had not consumed any alcohol during that intervening time, and the common knowledge that alcohol dissipates over time, a reasonable factfinder could infer that defendant's BAC was .08 percent or higher at the time that he was riding his motorcycle.
The state is allowed to rely on "circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences flowing from that evidence" to prove an element of a crime. State v. Bivins ,
*1083speculation and guesswork are not."
We begin by noting that we agree with the proposition, as does the dissent, that it is common knowledge that alcohol dissipates from the body over time. 290 Or. App. at 409, 415 P.3d at 1085 (Powers, J., dissenting). That proposition has long been recognized, at least in dictum , by Oregon courts. See, e.g. , State v. Eumana-Moranchel ,
We also agree that a factfinder can rely on that common knowledge in determining whether the state has sustained its burden of proof. "The jury is entitled to draw inferences from matters of common knowledge." Dodge v. Tradewell Stores ,
The fact that blood alcohol dissipates does not logically lead to any conclusion regarding a specific person's earlier BAC at a specific time. The fact that blood alcohol dissipates is notable for what it does not tell the court. It does not, for example, by itself inform the court whether, at any given time , a person's blood alcohol is dissipating or increasing. After all, it is also a matter of common knowledge that, before a person's blood alcohol can dissipate, alcohol must accumulate in the blood. See generally State v. Trujillo ,
Further, while it may be common knowledge that alcohol accumulates and dissipates in the blood over time, we can safely conclude that the precise rates of alcohol accumulation or dissipation in the blood are not matters of common knowledge. See Eumana-Moranchel , 352 Or. at 9, 14,
Furthermore, no additional "predicate" facts in this case could help a factfinder determine defendant's BAC at the time he was driving. See Bivins ,
The difficulty in this case is that the state proceeded solely on a per se theory under ORS 813.010(1)(a), which required the state to prove that defendant's BAC was .08 or higher at the time of driving, a minimum calculated amount of alcohol in the bloodstream at a particular time. Without additional evidence guiding the trier of fact on rates of accumulation and dissipation either through an expert's "retrograde extrapolation" or perhaps other admissible evidence that could lead to a permissible inference of likely BAC at the time of driving based on the subsequent Intoxilyzer test, the factfinder cannot, at least on this record, apply the common knowledge that blood alcohol goes up and down over time to make a reasonable inference about when defendant's BAC likely reached .08 or above and whether that occurred while defendant was driving. See State v. Miller ,
Because the limited evidence presented by the state in this case does not include any evidence bearing on the movement of alcohol through defendant's body or the presence of alcohol in defendant's body at the time or shortly before defendant drove, Eumana-Moranchel , Parker , and Conway do not inform our analysis. Without that additional evidence, it does not follow solely as a matter of probability and logic that a person whose BAC is measured at .09 percent would have necessarily had a BAC of at least *407.08 percent an hour and 45 minutes earlier if he or she consumed no alcohol during that intervening time period.
The dissent asserts that there are "multiple reasonable inferences" that can be drawn by a factfinder regarding defendant's BAC at the time of driving, including that: (1) defendant's BAC could have been lower than the later test result (supporting an acquittal); (2) it could have been higher than the later test result (supporting a conviction); or (3) it could have been the same as the later test result (also supporting a conviction). 290 Or. App. at 414, 415 P.3d at 1088 (Powers, J., dissenting). While it is true that we generally let the factfinder draw the inferences from the evidence, without more information, there is nothing but speculation that guides a factfinder to select from one of those three possible inferences. It could be that defendant's BAC was still rising and had not reached .08 at the time that he was pulled over and, thus the first inference-that defendant's BAC was lower than the later test result-is correct. It could be that defendant's BAC had reached .08 or .09 at the time that he was pulled over, peaked either then or later, and was falling at the time of the test, as we can generally infer that alcohol ultimately dissipates over time. The factfinder is left to speculate.
The trial court erred in denying defendant's motion for a judgment of acquittal.
ORS 813.010 has been amended since the acts that gave rise to the DUII charge in this case; however, because that amendment does not affect our analysis, we refer to the current version of that statute in this opinion.
In his first assignment of error, defendant contends that the trial court erred when it excluded evidence that an individual's conversion ratio from the amount of alcohol in breath to the amount of alcohol in blood can be lower than the ratio used to calculate his BAC in this case. Because our disposition of defendant's second assignment of error makes any ruling on his first assignment unnecessary, we do not address that assignment.
ORS 813.010(1)(b) and (c) provide that a person commits a DUII offense if the person drives a vehicle while "under the influence of intoxicating liquor, cannabis, a controlled substance or an inhalant" or any combination of those. This appeal has no bearing on those statutory provisions.
Defendant never made a formal motion for judgment of acquittal but, rather, argued to the trial court in his closing statement that the state's evidence was legally insufficient to sustain a conviction. However, as we have previously noted, in a bench trial, "as long as a defendant clearly raises the issue" of the legal sufficiency of the evidence at trial in closing argument, we will treat that argument as a preserved motion for judgment of acquittal. State v. Forrester ,
Dissenting Opinion
In this case that involves the "sometimes faint" line between permissible inferences and impermissible speculation, I respectfully *1085dissent from the court's holding that the evidence was insufficient for a reasonable factfinder to conclude that defendant's blood alcohol content (BAC) was over the legal limit of .08 percent when he was driving his motorcycle. In my view, a reasonable factfinder could infer that defendant's BAC was over the legal limit at the time that he was driving based on the later-administered blood alcohol test that registered his BAC at .09 percent and where it was undisputed that he had not consumed any additional alcohol between the time that he was stopped and the time that *408he was tested. See State v. Eumana-Moranchel ,
The Supreme Court's reasoning in Eumana-Moranchel is informative. In that case, the court considered "whether the state [could] introduce an expert's testimony to prove that [a] defendant's [BAC] was over the legal limit of .08 percent when a police officer stopped him for driving erratically, even though [that] defendant's BAC was under the legal limit at the time of his breath test, approximately an hour and a half later." 352 Or. at 3,
The court began its analysis by noting that "[s]omething more is necessary to connect [a] breath test result to the statutory requirement of a BAC of .08 percent or more at the time of driving" because "it is virtually always the case that the chemical test of the breath or blood is administered some time after the person has stopped driving."
"suggested that, when a breath test taken after the time of driving establishes a BAC of .08 percent or higher, the trier of fact reasonably may infer the necessary connection. That is, the jury may infer that the driver's BAC while driving was at least as high as the later test result."
*409As the court continued its analysis, it once again reiterated that an inference that blood alcohol rates dissipate over time can serve as the necessary connection between a breath test and the defendant's BAC at the time that he or she was driving:
"[ ORS 813.010(1)(a) ] requires the chemical analysis to 'show' the actual presence of alcohol in the blood at the time of driving; it does not merely require a certain instrument reading. That is, under the statute, the 'chemical analysis' is the numerical result that the machine produces together with an explanation of that result. That explanation can simply be an inference that blood alcohol rates dissipate over time."
Applying the reasoning in Eumana-Moranchel here, the trial court, acting as a factfinder, could have inferred that defendant's BAC at the time that he was driving was at least as high as his BAC at the time that he took a breath test, based on the following evidence and permissible inference: (1) defendant's *1086breath test was performed one hour and 45 minutes after he drove; (2) there was evidence that defendant had not consumed alcohol between the time that he was stopped and the time of his breath test; and (3) the permissible inference based on common knowledge that blood alcohol rates dissipate over time. See also State v. Parker ,
That conclusion is also supported by our reasoning in State v. Conway ,
" 'If you find from the evidence that the chemical analysis of the defendant's breath obtained within a reasonable time after his arrest shows that the blood alcohol content was at a certain level, you may infer that the defendant's blood alcohol content was not less than that at the time of driving and arrest.' "
Id. at 432, 434,
To be sure, the statements from Eumana-Moranchel , Parker , and Conway that support affirmance in this case are dicta . Those statements, however, are well reasoned and *411comport with our observations on reasonable inferences. As we have explained previously:
"In establishing [an] element, the state may rely on circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences flowing from that evidence. An inferred fact must be one that the [factfinder] is convinced follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the underlying facts. But the requirement that the [factfinder] be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean that a particular inference must inevitably follow from the established facts. Rather, the established facts may support multiple reasonable inferences and, if they do, which inference to draw is for the [factfinder] to decide."
State v. Bivins ,
The majority opinion attempts to distinguish Eumana-Moranchel , Parker , and Conway by attaching significance to the absence of evidence in this case "bearing on the movement of alcohol through defendant's body or the presence of alcohol in defendant's body at the time or shortly before defendant drove." 290 Or. App. at 406, 415 P.3d at 1084. As the majority opinion frames it, "[w]ithout that additional evidence, it does not follow solely as a matter of probability and logic that a person whose BAC is measured at .09 percent would have necessarily had a BAC of at least .08 percent an hour *1087and 45 minutes earlier if he or she consumed no alcohol during that intervening time period." Id. at 406-07, 415 P.3d at 1084. That approach, however, runs contrary to Bivins , and therefore we should conclude that Eumana-Moranchel , Parker , and Conway are persuasive in this case.
First, Bivins explains that both circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences flowing from that evidence may be used to establish an element of a crime.
*412violated the legal limit and further that his BAC exceeded the legal limit for some amount of time. The evidence does not tell us how long he was at or above the .08 percent BAC threshold or when he crossed that threshold, but the evidence is conclusive that he crossed the threshold. Further, it is not unreasonable to conclude that the alcohol he did consume would, at some point, leave or dissipate from defendant's system. Again, we do not know the precise rate of dissipation given the minimal evidence in the record, but not knowing the rate of dissipation is substantively different from the majority opinion's conclusion that this case "does not include any evidence bearing on the movement of alcohol." 290 Or. App. at 406, 415 P.3d at 1084 (emphasis in original).
Although the majority opinion requires "additional evidence guiding the trier of fact on rates of accumulation and dissipation," 290 Or. App. at 406, 415 P.3d at 1084, two hypotheticals show why additional evidence is not necessary. First, if a breath or blood test administered a mere nine minutes after a person drove-instead of one hour and 45 minutes later, which is presented in this case-revealed a .09 percent BAC, it would be reasonable to infer that the driver was over the legal limit at the time of driving.
One possible explanation is because the majority opinion looks for the conclusion to "follow solely as a matter of probability and logic" and that the conclusion "necessarily" would have had to occur. 290 Or. App. at 406, 415 P.3d at 1084. But those requirements run contrary to Bivins , which explains that "the requirement that the [factfinder] be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean that a particular inference must inevitably follow from the established facts. Rather, the established facts may support multiple reasonable inferences and, if they do, which inference to draw is for the [factfinder] to decide."
Another possible explanation for the approach set out in the majority opinion involves the possibility that defendant's BAC was still rising at the time he was driving. Under that scenario, because whatever alcohol he consumed was still being absorbed, it is possible that his BAC was not .08 percent or higher when he was driving and that alcohol continued to enter his blood after he was stopped such that an hour and 45 minutes later he had a .09 percent BAC (either because his BAC peaked at some higher level and was on the way down or because it took that long to absorb sufficient alcohol to reach a .09). Although a plausible scenario-and *414possibly even a reasonable inference-given the state of the record in which there is neither evidence to establish how alcohol is absorbed and eliminated generally in the body, nor evidence specific to defendant, or someone similarly situated, on absorption and dissipation of alcohol, the majority opinion's reliance on the possibility of a rising BAC does not align with our standard of review. In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we examine the evidence "in the light most favorable to the state to determine whether a rational trier of fact, accepting reasonable inferences * * * could have found the essential element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt." State v. Cunningham ,
The established facts in this case support multiple reasonable inferences about defendant's BAC when he was driving: it could have been lower than the later test result; it could have been "at least as high" as the later test result; or it could have been the same as the later test result. Because there are multiple reasonable inferences, the motion for judgment of acquittal should have been denied, as it was for the factfinder to decide "which inference to draw." Bivins ,
In short, in analyzing the sufficiency of the evidence, because "we make no distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence as to the degree of proof required," State v. Hall ,
DeVore, J., joins in this dissent.
In practice, however, a chemical analysis of the breath or blood takes much more time to administer. As the Supreme Court explained:
"[I]t is virtually always the case that the chemical test of the breath or blood is administered some time after the person has stopped driving. That is so for several reasons. First, a breath test may not be administered until after the driver actually has been arrested for DUII. In all cases, a certain amount of time will have passed after the stop and before the arrest, while a police officer investigates the crime. In addition, to test the driver, the police officer must use a specific machine, the Intoxilyzer 5000 or the Intoxilyzer 8000, which are the only breath test machines approved by the Oregon State Police for use in performing a chemical analysis of a person's breath, *** and which typically are located at the police station. Finally, before administering the test, the police officer must inform the person of the consequences of refusing to take a breath test, *** and then wait at least 15 minutes to be certain that the person has not taken anything by mouth, vomited, or regurgitated."
Eumana-Moranchel , 352 Or. at 9,
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court has recognized that, "for purposes of the Oregon Constitution, the evanescent nature of a suspect's blood alcohol content is an exigent circumstance that will ordinarily permit a warrantless blood draw" depending on the circumstances of the case. State v. Machuca ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of Oregon, Plaintiff-Respondent v. John Charles HEDGPETH
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published