Opinion ID: 880545
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: This Court has long adhered to the rule that neither the results of the breathalizer test nor a defendant's refusal to submit to the breathalizer test are communications protected by the Fifth Amendment. State v. Jackson (1983), 206 Mont. 338, 672 P.2d 255, citing South Dakota v. Neville (1983), 459 U.S. 553, 103 S.Ct. 916, 74 L.Ed.2d 748; State v. Armfield (1984), 214 Mont. 229, 693 P.2d 1226. Therefore, our discussion of the principle will remain brief. As a part of the program to deter drinkers from driving, Montana has enacted an Implied Consent Law. The statute declares that any person who operates a motor vehicle within the State shall be deemed to have given his consent to a chemical test to determine the alcohol content of his blood if arrested by a police officer for driving under the influence of alcohol. Section 61-8-402(1), MCA. The test is not compelled, yet refusal results in attendant penalties, including an immediate seizure of one's driver's license, § 61-8-402(3), MCA, and the admissibility of the refusal upon trial for DUI. Section 61-8-404(2), MCA. Appellant contends the statute cannot override Miranda guarantees. As such, appellant argues evidence of his initial refusal, prior to Miranda warnings, must be suppressed. We disagree. In discussing the origins of the rights protected by Miranda warnings, we stated: The Massiah, Escobedo and Miranda decisions link the Fifth Amendment privilege to the Sixth Amendment's right to counsel. Escobedo and Miranda sought to preserve the privilege against self-incrimination through protection of defendant from the coercive aspects of custodial interrogation ... Massiah sought similar protections where uncounseled and undisclosed post-indictment non-custodial interrogation elicited incriminating statements ... All three decisions characterize the right to assistance of counsel as a means of preserving defendant's privilege against self-incrimination  his absolute right to refuse to testify or communicate. (Citations omitted.) Armfield, 693 P.2d at 1229. The Fifth Amendment affords no protection against the prosecutor's use of fingerprints, measurements, handwriting, voice identification or blood tests; all constitute physical or real evidence. Schmerber v. California (1966), 384 U.S. 757, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908. Similarly, appellant's claim of constitutional prohibition against self-incrimination by the admission of his refusal to submit to the blood-alcohol test is foreclosed by the Neville decision, which defined the refusal as non-testimonial conduct. Further, the statements made prior to Miranda warnings which fell outside the scope of the Implied Consent Law were properly suppressed by the District Court and cured any potential Miranda violations.