Opinion ID: 3135109
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On the evening of April 26, 2001, Illinois State Trooper Richard Largen stopped defendant’s vehicle for speeding. After noticing that defendant smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech, Officer Largen administered a battery of field sobriety tests, which defendant failed. Officer Largen then arrested defendant for driving under the influence of alcohol (625 ILCS 5/11–501(a)(2) (West 2002)). At the station, defendant submitted to a breath-alcohol test, which showed that defendant had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.174. Accordingly, defendant was also charged with driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more (625 ILCS 5/11–501(a)(1) (West 2002)). In addition, defendant’s driving privileges were summarily suspended (625 ILCS 5/11–501.1(c) (West 2002)), and that suspension was later confirmed by the Secretary of State (625 ILCS 5/11–501.1(h) (West 2002)). On July 26, 2001, defendant asked the trial court to rescind the summary suspension. In his motion, defendant argued that the results of his breath-alcohol test were unreliable because the test was administered in violation of the statutorily mandated procedures. Specifically, defendant argued that, in violation of section 1286.310(a) of chapter 20 of the Illinois Administrative Code (20 Ill. Adm. Code §1286.310(a) (2002)), Officer Largen failed to observe defendant continuously for 20 minutes prior to administering the test and failed to confirm that defendant had not regurgitated during the 20-minute observation period. On September 10, 2001, a hearing was held on defendant’s petition to rescind. At the hearing, Officer Largen testified that he is trained and certified in the administration of breath-alcohol tests. Pursuant to that training, Officer Largen observed defendant continuously for at least 20 minutes prior to administering the breath-alcohol test. During that period, defendant did not ingest anything by mouth, did not show any outward manifestations of pain, and did not burp, belch, or regurgitate. Although defendant did request a glass of water during the observation period, his request was denied. When asked by Officer Largen whether he had taken any medications within the last six hours, defendant responded that he had taken both aspirin and Prilosec. Defendant, in turn, testified that he suffers from esophageal reflux disorder, which causes acid from his stomach to rise through his esophagus to the back of his throat. This process causes defendant to suffer pain “similar to a heart attack,” and defendant was experiencing a reflux episode during his wait at the police station. Although he did not tell anyone at the station that he was experiencing a reflux episode, he did request a glass of water, which relieves the burning sensation caused by such episodes. Defendant testified that he takes Prilosec to control the buildup of acid in his stomach, and that reflux episodes, while often painful, are usually silent. The trial court denied defendant’s petition for rescission. In so doing, the trial court specifically found that Officer Largen was credible and that there was no reason to doubt that Officer Largen observed defendant continuously for at least 20 minutes prior to administering the test and did not observe any burping or regurgitation during that time. Moreover, the trial court noted the absence of any medical testimony to support defendant’s assertions about the effects of esophageal reflux disorder or the uses of Prilosec. Finally, the trial court believed that, if defendant had in fact experienced pain on the magnitude of a heart attack, defendant would have brought that to Officer Largen’s attention. Four days later, defendant filed a “Supplemental Motion to Exclude Breath Test Evidence.” Unlike defendant’s previous request, which was aimed at rescinding the summary suspension of defendant’s driver’s license, this motion was aimed at keeping the breath-alcohol test results out of defendant’s criminal trial. The supplemental motion was set for hearing on September 18, 2001. Prior to that hearing, the parties agreed that the trial court should base its decision not only on the new evidence presented at the September 18, 2001, hearing, but also on the evidence already presented at the September 10, 2001, hearing. The September 18, 2001, hearing began with the testimony of Dr. Karl Rudert, defendant’s treating physician. Dr. Rudert testified that defendant has suffered from and been treated for gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) since 1992. GERD results in acid and fluid from the stomach traveling back up the esophagus and into the back of the throat. Defendant treats this condition with Prilosec, a drug that neutralizes stomach acid and thereby reduces the burning sensation associated with a reflux episode. In other words, Prilosec eliminates the pain associated with reflux but not necessarily the reflux itself. Reflux is usually a silent process that is not outwardly manifested, and an episode can be triggered by, among other things, the consumption of alcohol. According to Dr. Rudert, “reflux” and “regurgitation” are synonymous. At the conclusion of Dr. Rudert’s testimony, defendant returned to the stand to confirm both that he experienced an episode of reflux shortly before the breath-alcohol test was administered and that, other than asking for a glass of water, he exhibited no outward manifestations of his condition. This time, the trial court granted defendant’s motion. In so doing, the trial court noted that, in contrast to the prior hearing, defendant presented medical testimony to support his claims. According to the trial court, Dr. Rudert’s testimony confirmed that defendant has suffered from and been treated for GERD for several years, that GERD causes acid and fluid from the stomach to travel up the esophagus to the back of the throat, that reflux episodes are often silent and unnoticeable to an outside observer, and that “reflux” is synonymous with “regurgitation.” On the basis of this testimony, the trial court concluded that defendant met his burden of demonstrating that the breath-alcohol test results were unreliable. Accordingly, those test results were suppressed. The State appealed from the order suppressing the breath-alcohol test results, and defendant appealed from the order denying his petition to rescind the summary suspension. The appellate court affirmed both orders. 338 Ill. App. 3d 333. We allowed the State’s petition for leave to appeal. 177 Ill. 2d R. 315(a).