Opinion ID: 1846967
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Expert Witnesses at Daubert/Schafersman Hearing

Text: Daly also argues that the State's other experts should not have been permitted to testify at the Daubert/Schafersman hearing. His arguments present something of a moving target: He seems to be contending that the police officer who helped develop the DRE protocol should not have been permitted to testify because he was not a medical expert; an optometrist should not have been permitted to testify because he was not a medical doctor; Zuk, a medical doctor, should not have been permitted to testify because he was not a specialist; and a toxicologist should not have been permitted to testify because she was not an expert on impaired driving. But each witness testified to relevant issues that were within their competence. Thomas Page, the police officer who helped develop the DRE protocol, testified about how the protocol was developed, the steps involved, and the literature that supports its validity. Karl Citek, an optometrist and associate professor, has a degree in physics from Columbia University and a doctor of optometry degree and a master of science and Ph.D. in vision science from the State University of New York College of Optometry. Citek coauthored two journal articles about the use of nystagmus testing to detect impairment in drivers, [44] and he testified about nystagmus observation and its use in detecting impairment. Michelle Spirk, a forensic toxicologist, testified about the physiological effects of marijuana intoxication, specifically on the ability to operate a motor vehicle. And as described above, Zuk testified as a medical doctor about the medical validity of the steps in the DRE protocol. The witnesses' testimony was sufficiently related to their research and experience. Furthermore, a trial court has broad discretion in determining how to perform its gatekeeper function, [45] and we presume in the absence of anything to the contrary that a trial court considered only competent and relevant evidence in rendering a decision. [46] Given the nature and scope of the pretrial hearings, we cannot find that the trial court abused its discretion in permitting the witnesses to testify. The trial court was certainly capable of determining the effect the witnesses' qualifications should have on the weight to be afforded their testimony, and we find no abuse of discretion in the court's conclusions. Daly also argues that Thomas Schwarten, a DRE instructor with the Nebraska State Patrol, should not have been permitted to testify about Hilger's DRE certification and proficiency. But the ultimate issue to be determined at the Daubert/Schafersman hearing was whether Hilger's DRE training qualified him to testify that Daly was under the influence of drugs. Schwarten was qualified to testify as an expert in DRE instruction, and his testimony about Hilger's training, and successful completion of that training, was relevant.