Opinion ID: 1834906
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: was the involuntary blood draw an unreasonable search and seizure?

Text: This Court recently addressed the blood draw/search and seizure issue in a similar case. State v. Lanier, 452 N.W.2d 144 (S.D.1990). In that case, Lanier became argumentative and questioned the medical technologist's qualifications. The medical technologist gave the defendant his certification card. Lanier threw the card on the ground and refused to submit to the blood draw. When the medical technologist attempted to draw blood, Lanier resisted. Lanier tried to kick one of the jail personnel and was then restrained by five or six officers while blood was drawn. In the present case, officers testified that Myers was verbally abusive and threatening and was adamant in his refusal to submit to the blood draw. Myers was asked several times if he would allow the blood draw and Myers consistently said he would not. When the medical technologist arrived the officers restrained Myers in a chair with one officer holding each leg, one officer on the right arm and two officers on the left arm, from which the blood was drawn. No attempt to draw blood was made prior to the restraining Myers. However, Myers repeatedly refused to submit to the draw and indicated that he would resist. Although Myers had not yet physically assailed a police officer, his refusal to submit to the blood draw was unequivocal. In Lanier, we noted that we do not depart from the general rule that such force must be reasonable under the facts and circumstances of the individual case. Id. at 147. Under these facts, it was not unreasonable for the police officers to forego a futile and potentially dangerous, unrestrained blood draw.