Opinion ID: 883333
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pertinent Statute

Text: Section 61-8-402, MCA, the statute under which Charles' driver's license was suspended, provides in pertinent part: Blood, breath, or urine tests. (1) Any person who operates or is in actual physical control of a vehicle upon ways of this state open to the public shall be deemed to have given consent, subject to the provisions of 61-8-401, to a test of his blood, breath, or urine for the purpose of determining any measured amount or detected presence of alcohol in his body if arrested by a peace officer for driving or for being in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two. The test shall be administered at the direction of a peace officer having reasonable grounds to believe the person to have been driving or in actual physical control of a vehicle upon ways of this state open to the public, while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two. The arresting officer may designate which test or tests shall be administered. ....... (3) If a driver under arrest refuses upon the request of a peace officer to submit to a test designated by the arresting officer as provided in subsection (1), none shall be given, but the officer shall, on behalf of the department, immediately seize his driver's license. The peace officer shall forward the license to the department, along with a sworn report that he had reasonable grounds to believe the arrested person had been driving or was in actual physical control of a vehicle upon ways of this state open to the public, while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two, and that the person had refused to submit to the test upon the request of the peace officer. Upon receipt of the report, the department shall suspend the license for the period provided in subsection (5). ....... (5) The following suspension and revocation periods are applicable upon refusal to submit to a test: (a) upon a first refusal, a suspension of 90 days with no provision for a restricted probationary license. ....... Right to Counsel Does a police officer have an affirmative duty to advise a driver that he does not have the right to counsel before deciding whether to submit to a BAC test? Initially, we reiterate that a driver has no right to counsel before he must decide whether to submit to a BAC test. State v. Armfield (1984), 214 Mont. 229, 693 P.2d 1226. Secondly, we reaffirm that a continual request to speak to an attorney before submitting to a BAC test is deemed a refusal to take the test. Johnson v. Division of Motor Vehicles (1985), 219 Mont. 310, 711 P.2d 815. The difference between the driver in Johnson and the driver in the instant case is that in Johnson, the police officer informed the driver that he had no right to counsel during the breath test. Here, Charles was not so informed, and hence, there is raised the question of whether a police officer has an affirmative duty to inform the driver that he has no right to counsel before deciding whether to submit to a BAC test. We turn to a prior Montana case for guidance in resolving this issue. In Meyer v. State (1987), 229 Mont. 199, 745 P.2d 694, the appellant was stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence. After being taken to the Great Falls police station and after being read the implied consent law advisory form, the driver requested that he be able to call a friend prior to taking the breath test. The police officer informed him that he could make as many telephone calls as he wanted, but first, he would have to tell the officer whether he would submit to the breath test. The appellant stated that he would not submit to the test and his license was subsequently suspended. In affirming the District Court in Meyer, we concluded that the appellant had to decide without assistance from anyone whether to take a breath test. We stated: Patrolman Wylie informed Meyer that he could not call his friend prior to taking a breath test. In doing so, Wylie effectively told Meyer that he could not speak to his friend, attorney or any other person. If arguendo, Wylie had told appellant Meyer that he had no right to speak to an attorney, the results would have been the same. Appellant Meyer would have been forced to decide without assistance whether he wished to take a breath test. That result is exactly what happened. Appellant has not challenged our holding in Armfield or § 61-8-402, MCA. Nor has appellant presented this Court with evidence of prejudice. The District Court did not err when it held that appellant was not prejudiced by Patrolman Wylie's failure to instruct Meyer that he had no right to counsel. Accordingly, we hold that appellant's driver's license was properly suspended. Meyer, 745 P.2d at 696. (Emphasis added.) In the same manner, Charles was not prejudiced by the police officer's failure to inform him that there is no right to counsel before a driver decides whether to submit to a BAC test. The same result would have obtained if the police officer had instructed Charles that he had no right to counsel. Charles still would have had to decide without assistance, whether to submit to a BAC test. Meyer, 745 P.2d at 696. Since a failure to inform a driver that he does not have a right to counsel prior to deciding whether to take a BAC test does not prejudice the driver's rights, we hold that there is no affirmative duty on the part of a police officer to inform a driver that he has no right to counsel before deciding whether to submit to a BAC test.