Opinion ID: 887001
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Was Widdicombe lawfully arrested?

Text: ¶ 15 We next address whether Widdicombe was lawfully arrested in compliance with statutory and constitutional requirements, including probable cause. Section 46-6-311, MCA. Probable cause requires a belief, reasonable under the facts and circumstances within an officer's personal knowledge, that an offense has been committed. Bush, ¶ 15. ¶ 16 After stopping Widdicombe's vehicle, Officer Waddell immediately noted the odor of alcohol. Widdicombe walked in a slow and deliberate manner back to the patrol car. His score on the HGN test indicated he was intoxicated, and he refused to take a PBT. After performing poorly in other field sobriety tests, he was arrested. Widdicombe now claims that the State failed to carry its burden of proof because Officer Moody failed to directly say that they had probable cause. It is not necessary for the actual arresting officer to testify to probable cause when another officer such as Moody witnessed and supervised the entire event and testified. Furthermore, as mentioned above, because Widdicombe was seeking reinstatement of his license, he bore the burden of proving that the officers did not have probable cause to arrest him. ¶ 17 Affirmed. KARLA M. GRAY, C.J., JOHN WARNER, JAMES C. NELSON and JIM RICE, JJ., concur.