Opinion ID: 2076369
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mr. Eilers' Testimony.

Text: Mr. Eilers testified that he was working on expense reports at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, at approximately 11:15 p.m. on December 19, 1988 when he received a telephone call from Ms. Shelley, an on and off girlfriend. Ms. Shelley told him that she was at an office party at the River Club, which is located at 3223 K Street, N.W. near Wisconsin Avenue and the Potomac River. She asked Mr. Eilers to pick her up because her car was out of commission and because she wanted him to meet her boss and some of her co-workers. Somewhat reluctantly, [6] Mr. Eilers drove to the River Club, where he drank a single beer. [7] They left the club and drove up Wisconsin Avenue. Ms. Shelley was telling him about the party, and they had no argument or physical altercation whatever. Soon, however, Mr. Eilers came behind an automobile which was stopped at a red light. This car remained in place for some time as the light went through its cycle. He eventually drove around the stationary vehicle while the light was flashing yellow. According to Mr. Eilers, it was at this point that Officer Braswell pulled up next to him, asked him to roll down his window, and asked why he had gone through the [red] light. Mr. Eilers denied that he had done so and explained what had happened. He testified that the officer told him to pull over to the side of the road. After Mr. Eilers parked and stepped out of the car, the officer asked him if he had had anything to drink. Mr. Eilers responded that he had had one beer. Mr. Eilers admitted that he declined to take one breathalyzer test, but his account of the circumstances differed sharply from Officer Braswell's. He stated that after the inquiry regarding how much Mr. Eilers had had to drink, the officer stepped into the van and brought out a handheld RBT, or roadside breath test. According to Mr. Eilers, the officer was rubbing the device and placed it in front of the headlight. Mr. Eilers testified that I asked to take another breathalyzer and he wouldn't give me another breathalyzer. [8] The reason I didn't take the one breathalyzer is that a breathalyzer runs on infrared. I've got a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. And in rubbing it, if you're breathing in and ethanol is going to be registering, the infrared is based on heat. [9] Mr. Eilers agreed that the officer had given him some field sobriety tests, but he claimed that he had performed them all successfully. He also testified that this was a cold December night, that Ms. Shelley's coat had been locked in the car, and that she was pounding on the window of the van and requesting a chance to get her coat while he was being processed. According to Mr. Eilers, the officer told him that I should tell the girl to quit yelling through the window and making a scene or she was going to jail too. Mr. Eilers stated that he signed the implied consent form without reading all of it, [10] and that the words DID NOT FEEL LIKE IT, as well as the answers to the questions, were not filled in when he affixed his signature. He testified that he was not taken to 501 New York Avenue, N.W. at all, but released from the van. He was warned by Officer Braswell that he would be arrested if he attempted to drive his car. For that reason, he gave the keys to Ms. Shelley, who then drove home.