Opinion ID: 1613782
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: During the late afternoon of October 17, 1990, Marlyn Jacobsen, a county highway employee, was driving east on Highway 18 (near Canton, South Dakota) when he observed a 1976 Chevy pickup stopped in the driving lane. After Jacobsen passed the pickup, it began moving again. Jacobsen noticed the pickup was being driven erratically. In fact, the pickup caught up with Jacobsen and passed him when cars were approaching, forcing traffic from both directions onto the shoulder. Jacobsen, concerned that the driver may harm someone, radioed the license plate number to the dispatcher of the civil defense channel. [1] Jacobsen radioed a second time to report the last location of the pickup, which had pulled off to the south and was sitting at the end of a gravel road near the intersection of Highways 18 and 11. Sheriff Ken Albers was in his office when Jacobsen radioed the dispatcher. He drove to the intersection of Highways 18 and 11 and found a pickup meeting the description given by Jacobsen with the same license plate number. The engine was running and Sickler was in the driver's seat fiddling with the radio. Sheriff Albers noticed the strong odor of alcohol and the fact that Sickler had urinated on himself. (Sheriff Albers conducted no field sobriety tests and never searched the vehicle for empty containers.) Sheriff Albers was later joined by police officer Carroll Johnson. Sheriff Albers placed Sickler under arrest and later advised him of his implied consent rights. He transported Sickler to the Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls, where a blood sample was drawn. The blood test results later revealed Sickler's blood alcohol level was 0.222%. Sickler was subsequently convicted for violating SDCL 32-23-1 and SDCL 32-23-4.6 (fourth conviction of SDCL 32-23-1). Sickler appeals.