Case Name: STATE OF HAWAII, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. HEINZ LENGWENUS, Defendant-Appellee
Court: Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii
Jurisdiction: Hawaii
Decision Date: 1988-10-26
Citations: 70 Haw. 118
Docket Number: NO. 12839
Parties: STATE OF HAWAII, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. HEINZ LENGWENUS, Defendant-Appellee
Judges: LUM, C.J., NAKAMURA, PADGETT, HAYASHI, AND WAKATSUKI, JJ.
Reporter: Hawaii Reports
Volume: 70
Pages: 118–119

Head Matter:
STATE OF HAWAII, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. HEINZ LENGWENUS, Defendant-Appellee
NO. 12839
(TRAFFIC NO. Z73164A)
OCTOBER 26, 1988
LUM, C.J., NAKAMURA, PADGETT, HAYASHI, AND WAKATSUKI, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT BY
PADGETT, J.
This is an appeal by the State of Hawaii from the dismissal of a charge of refusal to consent to testing, under HRS § 286-155, on the basis that the hearing was not held within 20 days after the receipt of the affidavit. The trial judge construed HRS § 286-156 as forbidding a waiver of the 20-day period.
While we have held that, absent waiver, the 20-day statutory requirement must be strictly complied with, we think it clear that the defendant can waive that requirement Here, the record indicates that the appellee requested a continuance in order to complete discovery and that the court below granted that continuance. We hold that a defendant, charged with failure to submit to testing, can waive the 20-day period. Reversed and remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.
Arthur E. Ross, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, on the briefs for appellant.
Bruce A. Masunaga on the brief for appellee.