Opinion ID: 1295913
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Officers'Failure to Allow the Telephone Call.

Text: On Tubbs' claim that the officers failed to provide him the telephone call required by section 804.20, it is necessary to discuss the matter of error preservation. Tubbs' trial attorney failed to file a motion to suppress evidence of the defendant's refusal within forty days after arraignment, as required by Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.11(4). Nevertheless, his appellate counsel urges us to excuse that failure and consider Tubbs' argument on its merits because he received ineffective assistance of counsel, thereby excusing any failure to preserve error. We need not consider Tubbs' suppression argument in the context of ineffective assistance because the State waived any timeliness objection by failing to raise it in the district court. See DeVoss v. State, 648 N.W.2d 56, 63 (Iowa 2002) ([O]ne party should not ambush another by raising issues on appeal, which that party did not raise in the district court.). In fact, the State acknowledges the impact of DeVoss and does not assert a timeliness objection. We deem the preservation issue waived and proceed to Tubbs' suppression argument on its merits. According to Tubbs, the officers' failure to permit him to make the call provided for by section 804.20 requires that any evidence of his refusal be excluded. See State v. Vietor, 261 N.W.2d 828, 832 (Iowa 1978). One purpose of section 804.20, of course, is to allow an arrestee to call an attorney before deciding whether to submit to a chemical test. See id. at 831 ([T]here is a limited statutory right to counsel before making the important decision to take or refuse the chemical test under implied-consent procedures.). Section 804.20 does not require that an arrestee call an attorney; the statute is satisfied by giving him the opportunity to call or consult with a family member or an attorney. It also does not require that an arrestee be informed of any right to counsel. Id. Section 804.20 is to be applied in a pragmatic manner, balancing the rights of the arrestee and the goals of the chemical-testing statutes. See, e.g., id. (balancing arrestee's right to counsel against the practical consideration that [under section 321J.6] a chemical test is to be administered within two hours of the time of arrest or not at all); accord State v. Bowers, 661 N.W.2d 536, 542 (Iowa 2003) (stating that an arrestee's right to contact a family member under section 804.20 is considerably diluted when the requested family member is also in custody for criminal conduct carried on jointly with the arrestee); Bromeland v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 562 N.W.2d 624, 626 (Iowa 1997) (holding an arrestee has the right to contact an attorney, but not a specific attorney who is unavailable when called). In this case, Tubbs was denied the opportunity to speak with his wife because this would have violated the no-contact order. However, he was not denied the opportunity to talk to another family member or to an attorney. Tubbs failed to ask to talk to an attorney or to anyone besides his wife. Under these circumstances, the officers fulfilled their responsibility under section 804.20.