State v. Kain
State v. Kain
Opinion of the Court
¶ 1 Jesse J. Kain appeals from a judgment convicting him of operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration (PAC), third offense, under WIS. STAT. § 346.63(1)(b). Kain argues that the officer did not have probable cause to arrest him. We affirm.
¶ 2 On August 21, 2017, Officer Zach Mulroy of the Neenah Police Department was on patrol when he ran the license plate of Kain's vehicle, which showed an active warrant for Kain. Mulroy also learned that Kain had a revoked license.
¶ 3 Mulroy learned that Kain was subject to a .02 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) restriction and asked him to submit to a preliminary breath test (PBT). Kain refused, saying that he had an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle.
¶ 4 Kain's motion to suppress based on a lack of probable cause was denied, and a jury later found Kain guilty. Kain challenges the denial of his motion to suppress.
¶ 5 On a motion to suppress evidence, we will uphold the circuit court's findings of fact unless the findings are clearly erroneous, but we independently apply constitutional principles to those facts. State v. Stout ,
¶ 6 This case is controlled by State v. Goss ,
¶ 7 Kain acknowledges Goss but asks us to distinguish Goss based on the fact that his vehicle was equipped with an ignition interlock device: "[T]he fact that Mr. Kain was using the functioning ignition interlock device diminishes the officer's conclusion that Mr. Kain was probably over .02. Had Mr. Kain had any alcohol in his system, his vehicle would not have started." Kain is asking us to create a bright line rule that when an ignition interlock device is in a suspect's vehicle, it negates a finding of probable cause when an officer detects an odor of alcohol and has knowledge of a .02 BAC restriction. We will not do so.
¶ 8 The obvious purpose of the ignition interlock device is to make vehicles inaccessible to drunk drivers. The ignition interlock device is a factor to consider in determining probable cause-it is not a negating factor. In this case, the knowledge of Kain's prior OWI convictions, see State v. Lange ,
By the Court. -Judgment affirmed.
This opinion will not be published. See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(1)(b)4.
This appeal is decided by one judge pursuant to
Mulroy later learned that Kain had a valid occupational license.
Mulroy did not check Kain's vehicle to confirm the presence of the ignition interlock device, and the record is unclear as to whether Kain did in fact have the device installed in his vehicle.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.