Opinion ID: 2221159
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Elements of Driving While License Revoked Offense.

Text: Defendant's second and third issues both involve the same basic question: What are the elements of the offense defined in section 321B.38? He alleges that strict compliance with all of the procedural steps of section 321B.16 must be shown and constitute essential elements of the offense. Defendant contends that his motion for directed verdict should have been sustained because proof of such elements is lacking in the present case. In particular, he contends that the State should have, but did not, present evidence that at the time of the revocation the arresting officer seized his driver's license and sent it to the Department of Transportation with an affidavit stating the basis for the revocation. The State contends that if defendant wished to challenge the legality of the revocation of his license, as he apparently now seeks to do, this required an exhaustion of the administrative remedies provided in section 321B.26 and 321B.27. Failure to pursue these administrative remedies, the State contends, renders the revocation conclusive for purposes of establishing the present charge that defendant was operating a motor vehicle while his license was revoked. Ordinarily, a final decision of an agency is not subject to collateral attack in a subsequent proceeding. Walker v. Iowa Department of Job Service, 351 N.W.2d 802, 805 (Iowa 1984); Toomer v. Iowa Department of Job Service, 340 N.W.2d 594, 598 (Iowa 1983). Given the administrative review process which was available to defendant with respect to the revocation of his operator's license and the right of judicial review which was available upon exhaustion of those administrative remedies, we conclude that the legislature did not intend that the State must retry the elements of the revocation procedure in a criminal prosecution based in whole or in part upon the act of revocation. The same reasons which lead us to conclude that the elements upon which the revocation was based need not be established a second time in a prosecution under section 321B.38 also sustain the trial court's refusal to include such elements in the marshalling instruction given to the jury. In the marshalling instruction, the State was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) defendant's license had been revoked, and (2) defendant had operated a motor vehicle while his license was thus revoked. We conclude that this instruction was sufficient to convey to the jury the elements of the offense. We have considered all issues presented and find no basis for reversing the judgment of conviction on the charge of driving while license revoked. The judgment of conviction under section 321.281 is reversed, and that charge must be retried. AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART.