Opinion ID: 4540318
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Other Acts Testimony

Text: Prior to trial, the government notified Merritt it intended to introduce evidence of other incidents in which Merritt had been driving while under the influence of alcohol under Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). Over Merritt’s objections, the district court decided to allow testimony about the other incidents. The government introduced 4 testimony regarding three other incidents through the arresting officers for each incident. Their testimony is summarized as follows.
Officer Grant Keams testified about Merritt’s 2012 driving-under-theinfluence conviction (“DUI”). ROA Vol. VI at 772. Keams was driving on a fourlane highway around noon when he saw Merritt driving southbound in the northbound lane of traffic. Id. at 774. Amidst a “high volume of traffic,” Merritt’s sedan forced vehicles to halt or even pull onto the shoulder in order to avoid Merritt’s car. Id. at 776–77. Keams turned on his emergency lights and siren, but Merritt did not pull over. Id. at 777. Instead, Merritt vomited out the car window and threw an empty beer can out of his car. Id. at 777–78. Keams then saw Merritt cut across two lanes of traffic to pull into a gas station. Id. at 778–80. As Merritt was pulling into the gas station, another police car pulled in front of Merritt’s car, blocking its path. Id. at 781–82. Keams approached Merritt’s vehicle and opened the door. Id. at 782. Keams observed fresh vomit on Merritt’s beard and reported it was pretty clear that Merritt was in an intoxicated state. Id. Merritt’s eyes were bloodshot and he slurred his speech. Id. at 783. Because Merritt was unable to maintain his balance, Keams could not safely administer a field sobriety test. Id. at 782–83. Keams arrested Merritt and a subsequent search of Merritt’s car revealed an open can of beer in the center console, two empty beer cans in the back seat, 45 unopened cans of beer, and a 750 ml bottle of vodka that was mostly empty. Id. at 5 784–86. Ultimately, Merritt pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and reckless driving. Id. at 787.
Brett Von Laner, then a security officer at the Ute Mountain Casino, testified about Merritt’s 2014 intoxication conviction. Id. at 749. In March 2014, Laner was called to the travel center near the casino. Id. When he arrived, Laner saw Merritt’s truck parked by a gas pump at the travel center. Id. at 750. Merritt had just paid for gas and was walking back to his car. Id. Laner observed that Merritt looked intoxicated, had poor balance, smelled of alcohol, and had bloodshot eyes. Id. Laner asked whether there was alcohol in the vehicle, and Merritt said no. Id. at 753. Laner called the police, and the responding officer similarly concluded that Merritt was drunk and thus arrested him. Id. at 754, 763. After the arrest, officers found an empty beer can in the center console and a six-pack of Bud Light in the car. Id. at 755. Laner testified that the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation is a dry reservation, so Merritt could not have bought alcohol at the travel center or casino. Id. at 753. Merritt eventually pleaded guilty to an intoxication charge based on this incident. Id. at 763–64.
Officer Rusty Smith and Lieutenant Gwendolyn Smith testified about Merritt’s November 2016 arrest—while he was out on bond for his August 2016 arrest. Rusty Smith was driving home from work around 1:00 a.m. on November 9, 2016 when he observed Merritt driving at speeds between 50 and 70 miles per hour in a 65 mile per 6 hour zone. Id. at 708–09. Merritt was also weaving and drifting over the center line of a two-lane highway. Id. at 709. Rusty Smith did not immediately arrest Merritt because he was out of his jurisdiction. Id. at 710. Instead, he called the local police for backup. Id. But when Rusty Smith saw Merritt come close to swerving over the center line and into the path of an 18-wheeler tractor trailer, he decided to pull the truck over. Id. at 710–11. When Rusty Smith pulled Merritt over, he observed the car’s windows were down even though it was a cold night. Id. at 711. Merritt denied he had been drinking, but Rusty Smith smelled alcohol and observed that Merritt’s speech was slurred and slow. Id. at 712. When questioned about his erratic driving, Merritt insisted he “was driving straight the whole time.” Id. Asked for identification, Merritt first handed Rusty Smith a bank card before eventually handing over his driver’s license after prompting. Id. at 712–13. Rusty Smith inquired again whether Merritt had been drinking, and Merritt said, “I only had about three beers but I told you I only had two earlier” (even though he had previously denied having any alcohol). Id. at 713–14. Lieutenant Gwendolyn Smith eventually arrived and took over the investigation. Id. at 714–15. Like Rusty Smith, Gwendolyn Smith reported smelling alcohol on Merritt and observed that his eyes were red and speech was slurred. Id. at 352. She tried to have Merritt stand on one leg and count to test his sobriety, but Merritt could not balance, and Gwendolyn Smith had to steady him. Id. at 354–55. Gwendolyn Smith was unable to administer this part of the sobriety test, because she 7 worried Merritt would fall over and injure himself. Id. at 355. She ultimately arrested Merritt for driving under the influence, weaving, and disobedience of a lawful order of the court (for violating the conditions of his bond). Id. at 357–58.