Opinion ID: 1593519
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Elements of License Revocation Under Section 321B.16.

Text: Persons who drive motor vehicles while intoxicated risk loss of their driving privileges by reason of several statutes which authorize revocation by the department in administrative proceedings or the court in criminal proceedings. See State v. Tuitjer, 385 N.W.2d 246 (Iowa 1986) (interpreting habitual traffic offender statute and referring also to other statutes authorizing license revocation). In this case the department revoked Westendorf's driver's license pursuant to Iowa Code section 321B.16, which provides in pertinent part: Upon certification by the peace officer that there existed reasonable grounds to believe that the person had been operating a motor vehicle in violation of section 321.281, that there existed one or more of the necessary conditions for chemical testing described in section 321B.4, subsection 1, and that the person submitted to chemical testing and the test results indicated an alcohol concentration of ten hundredths or more, the department shall revoke the person's license or permit to drive.... The reference to section 321.281 is to the crime of operating while under the influence, while the reference to section 321B.4(1) is to four additional conditions for chemical testing, only one of which must be satisfied, which are: a. A peace officer has lawfully placed the person under arrest for violation of section 321.281. b. The person has been involved in a motor vehicle accident or collision resulting in personal injury or death. c. The person has refused to take a preliminary breath screening test provided by this chapter. d. The preliminary breath screening test was administered and it indicated an alcohol concentration of ten hundredths or more. When we consider the evidence presented during the contested case hearing before the agency, without regard to the district court's use of a probable cause test and application of an exclusionary rule, the statutory conditions for revocation by the department were clearly satisfied. The chemical test indicated intoxication, satisfying the condition of section 321B.4(1)(d). The other three conditions of section 321B.16 were also met. First, the officer had reasonable grounds to believe Westendorf had been operating while intoxicated, because he had received two phoned complaints concerning reckless driving and thereafter detected the odor of alcohol on Westendorf's breath, observed his unsteady gait, and obtained a positive result from the preliminary breath test. See Saunders v. Commissioner of Public Safety, 226 N.W.2d 19, 22 (Iowa 1975); Shellady v. Sellers, 208 N.W.2d 12, 14 (Iowa 1973). Second, Westendorf did submit to chemical testing. And third, his test result did indicate an alcohol concentration of ten hundredths or more. Had the evidence demonstrated that any one of the listed statutory conditions was not presentfor example that the officer did not have reasonable grounds to believe Westendorf had been operating the motor vehicle in violation of section 321.281 the department would not have been warranted in revoking Westendorf's driver's license. But the evidence did satisfy the statutory requirements for revocation.