THI RD DI VI SI ON
M I LLER, P. J.

, M CFA DDEN and M CM I LLI A N, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

June 9, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 6 A0 11 8 . SPENCER v . THE STATE.

M C F A D D E N , J u d g e.

Aft er a ju ry t ri al

, M el leci a Sp en ce r w a s c o n v i ct ed o f d ri v in g u n d er t h e

i n fl u en ce o f al co ho l t o t h e ex t en t s h e was a l es s safe d ri v er an d p o ss es s i n g an o p en

co n tai n er o f al co h o l in th e p as s en g er area o f h er v eh i cl e. Sh e ap p eal s , arg u i n g t h at t h e

t ri al co u rt erred al l owi ng t h e arres t i n g o ffi cer t o t es t i fy t h at Sp en cer’ s p erfo rm an ce

o n th e Ho ri zo n t al Gaze Ny s t ag m u s (“ HG N” ) t e s t p ro v ed a s p eci fi c nu m eri c b l o o d

al co h o l co n t en t l ev el

. Ho wev er, t h e o ffi cer di d no t g i v e s u ch tes t im on y , an d i n s t ead

p ro p erl y t es t i fi ed t h at gen eral l y an HGN t es t s h owi n g fo u r o ut o f s i x cl u es i n d i cat es

i m p ai rm en t

. Sp en cer al s o cl ai m s t h at t h e tri al co u rt erred i n g iv i n g a b u rd en -s h i ft i n g

ju ry ch arg e o n reas o n ab le d o u bt

, b u t we fi n d no erro r as t h e co u rt co rrect l y g av e t h e

s u g g es t ed p at t ern ju ry

i n s t ru ct i o n o n reas o n ab l e d o u b t . Acco rd i n gl y , we affi rm

.Co n st ru ed in t he l i g h t m o s t fav o rab l e to t h e v erd i c t

, s e e Ja cks o n v. Vi r g i n i a ,

4 4 3 U. S. 3 0 7 (9 9 SCt 27 8 1

, 6 1 LE2 d 5 6 0 ) (1 9 7 9 ), t he ev i d en c e s h o wed t h at at

ap p ro x i m at el y 2 : 0 0 a.m

. o n J an u ary 3 1

, 2 0 1 5

, a p o li c e o ffi cer st o p p ed Sp en cer fo r

d ri v i ng a car wi t h a n o n -wo rk in g h ead l ig h t

. Up o n ap pro ach i n g t h e v eh i cl e, t h e o ffi cer

s m el l ed th e o d o r o f al co h ol

, saw t h a t S p en cer w as weari ng a p ap er b racel et fro m a

d ri n k i n g es t ab l i sh m en t wi t h t h e wo rd “ Bu d w ei s er” on it

, saw a p l a s t i c c u p wi t h an

ap p aren t al co h o l i c d ri n k i n th e car’ s cen t er co ns o le, an d o b s erv ed t hat Sp en cer’ s

s p e e c h was s l u rred

. Sp en cer i n i t i al l y d en i ed d ri n k i n g an y al co h o l i c bev erag es , b ut

t h en ad m i t t ed dri nk i n g a m arg a r i t a. Sp en cer’ s perfo rm an ce o n fi el d s o bri et y t es t s ,

i n cl u d i n g t h e p res en ce o f fo u r o u t o f s i x cl u es o n t he HGN tes t

, i n d i cat ed i m pai rm en t

.

Sp en cer refu s ed t o t ak e a ro ad s i d e b reat h al y zer t es t o r t he s t at e-ad m i n i s tered t es t fo r

b l o o d al co h o l co n t en t

.

Th e ju ry fo u n d Sp en cer g u i l t y o f t h e DUI an d o p en co n t ai n er o ffen s es , an d t h e

t ri al co u rt d en i ed h er m o t i o n fo r a n ew t ri al . Th i s ap p eal fo l l o w ed

.

1

. HGN t es t i m o ny.

Sp en cer cl ai m s t h at t h e t r i al co u rt erred i n al l o w i n g t h e arres t in g o ffi cer to

t e s t i fy t o a s p eci fi c n u m eri c v al u e o f h er bl o o d al co h o l co n t en t b as ed o n t h e HGN

t es t

. In d eed

, i t i s t ru e t h at an “ arres t i n g o ffi cer’ s t es t i m o n y i d en ti fy i n g a s p e c i fi c

2n u m eri c bl o o d a l co h o l co n t en t b as ed s ol el y o n [a] d efen d an t’ s HGN res u l t s s h o u ld

[b e] ex cl u d ed .” S

co tt v. S t a t e , 3 3 2 Ga. Ap p

. 55 9

, 56 7 (5 ) (7 7 4 SE2 d 1 3 7 ) (2 0 1 5 ). Bu t

t h e o ffi cer h ere d i d n o t g i ve su c h t e s t i m o n y

. Rat h er, h e t es t i fi ed t hat i n p erfo rm i n g

t h e t es t h e lo ok s fo r u p t o s i x c l u e s i n a s ub ject ’ s ey es , t h at o b serv i n g fo ur o r m o re

cl u es i n d i cat es i m

p ai rm en t d ue t o al co h o l

, an d t h at “ fo u r o u t of s i x cl u es g en eral l y

i n d i cat es a b l o o d al co h o l l ev el eq u al t o o r g reat er t h an .0 8.”

[I] t i s w el l set tl ed i n Geo rg i a t h at t h e HGN t es t i s an accep t ed

,
co m m o n p ro ced ure t h at has reach ed a s t at e o f v eri fi ab l e cert ai n t y i n th e

s ci en t i fi c co m

m un i t y an d i s ad m i s s ib l e as a b as is u p o n w h i ch an o ffi cer

can det erm in e t h at a dri v er was i m p ai red b y al co h o l

. An d w e h a v e
p rev io us l y co n cl u d ed th at fi el d s o b ri et y t e s t s , i n cl u d i ng th e HGN, are ad m i s s i b l e t o s h o w t h at a d et ai n ee’ s [b l o o d al co h ol co n t en t ] ex ceed s a
p art i cu l ar i m

p ai ri n g l ev el

.

Br a vo v. S t a te , 3 0 4 Ga. Ap p . 2 4 3 , 2 4 7 -2 4 8 (1 ) (6 9 6 SE2 d 7 9 ) (2 0 1 0 ) (ci t at i o n s an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m it t ed ).

Here, t he o ffi cer d id n o t id en t i fy a s p eci fi c n u m eri c b l oo d al co h o l co n t en t l ev el

fo r Sp en cer b as ed s ol el y o n h e r HGN res u l t s , an d i n s tead m erel y t es t i fi ed t h at

g en eral l y , fo u r o u t o f s ix cl u es o n t he HGN sh o w s th at a b l o o d a l c o h o l co n t en t

ex ceed s t h e i m

p ai ri n g lev el o f

. 0 8

. As t h i s co u rt h as prev i o u s l y reco gn i zed

, “ [u ] n d er

l a w en fo rcem en t g u i del i n es , a s co re o f fo u r ou t o f s i x cl u es o n an HG N t e s t

co n st i t u t es ev i d en ce of i m p ai rm en t .” P a r k

e r v. S ta t e , 3 0 7 Ga. A p p

. 6 1

, 6 4 (2 ) (7 0 4

3SE2 d 4 38 ) (2 0 1 0 ) ( c it at i o n an d p u n ct u at io n o m i t t ed ). M o reo v er, t h e o ffi cer’ s

t es t i m o ny i n t h e i n s t an t cas e i s s i m i l ar t o t he t es t i m o n y f o u n d t o b e ad m i s s i b l e in

Ki r kl a n d v. S t a t e , 2 5 3 Ga. Ap p

. 4 1 4 (5 5 9 SE2 d 1 6 1 ) (2 0 0 2 ), w h ere an o ffi cer t es t i fi ed

t h at “ i n g en eral

, wh en y o u s ee s i x o ut o f s i x cl u es [o n t h e HGN] , t he b l o o d-al co h ol

c o n t en t wi l l b e

. . . 0 .1 0 g ram s o r g reat er.” Id

. at 4 16 (p un ct u at io n o m i t t e d )

. A s i n

Ki r kl a n d

, t h e t ri al co u rt h ere d i d n o t err i n al l o wi n g t h e o ffi cer’ s t es t i m o ny s i n ce h e

d i d n o t i den ti fy

a s p eci fi c n u m eri c b l o o d al co ho l co n t e n t b a s e d o n Sp en cer’ s HGN

res u l ts

, an d i n s t ead p ro p erl y t es t i fi ed t h at g en eral l y an HGN t es t s h o wi ng fo u r o u t o f

s i x cl u es i n d i cat es i m

p ai rm en t

.

2

. Ju r y ch a r g e.

Sp en cer co m

p l ai n s t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred i n g i v i n g t h e p at t ern ju ry

i n s t ru ct i o n o n reas on ab l e d o u b t i n st ead o f h e r r eq u es ted ch arg e on t h e s u b ject

.

W i th o u t ci t at i o n to an y s u p p o r t i n g l eg al au t h o ri ty

, s h e cl ai m s t h at t h e p at t ern ju ry

i n s t ru ct i o n i s i m

pro perl y b urd en -s h i ft i n g an d sh e req ues t s t h at we m ak e n ew l aw by

o v ert u rn i n g t h e p at tern i n s t ru ct i o n . W e d ecl i n e t h e req u es t

.

“ W h en a l eg al is s u e i n v o l v es s u ch wel l-es t ab l is hed p ri n ci p les as t h e d efi n i t i o n

o f reas o n ab l e do u b t

, th ere are few, i f an y , ci rcu m s t an ces wh i ch wo u l d ju s t i fy a t ri al

co u rt ’ s fai l u re t o u s e t h e s ug g es t ed p at t ern cri m i nal ch arg es co m p i l ed b y t h e Co u n ci l

4o f Su p eri o r Co u rt J u d g es o f Geo rg i a.” Co l ema n v. S ta t e , 2 7 1 Ga. 8 0 0

, 8 0 5 (8 ) (5 2 3

SE2 d 8 5 2 ) (1 9 9 9 ). Sp en cer h as s h o wn n o ci rcu m s t an ce i n t h is cas e t h at wo u l d h av e

ju s t ifi ed t h e t ri al co u rt fai l i n g t o fo l l o w t he p at t ern ch arg e o n reas on ab le d o u b t

, wh i ch

“ s p eci fi cal l y h as b een ap p r o v e d b y [t h i s co u rt ] .” An t h on y v. St a te

,

_

_ _ Ga.

_ _ _ (5 )

(Cas e N o

. S1 6 A0 0 59

, d eci ded Ap ri l 4

, 2 0 1 6) (ci t at i o n s o m i t ted ). Acco rd i n g l y , t h i s

en u m erat i o n o f erro r i s wi t ho u t m eri t

.

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Mi l l er

, P. J. a n d McMi l l i a n, J., co n cu r

.

5