Court Opinion

ID: 9896081
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-09 15:08:36.777518+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:13:48.403339
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                          IN THE OFFICE OF THE
                                                                       CLERK OF SUPREME COURT
                                                                           SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
                                                                        STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA

                 IN THE SUPREME COURT
                 STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA

                                2023 ND 168

Winston Ross Suiter,                                               Appellant
     v.
Director, North Dakota
Department of Transportation,                                       Appellee

                                No. 20230109

Appeal from the District Court of Divide County, Northwest Judicial District,
the Honorable Robin A. Schmidt, Judge.

AFFIRMED.

Per Curiam.

Michael R. Hoffman, Bismarck, ND, for appellant; submitted on brief.

Michael T. Pitcher, Assistant Attorney General, Bismarck, ND, for appellee;
submitted on brief.
                              Suiter v. NDDOT
                                No. 20230109

Per Curiam.

[¶1] Winston Ross Suiter appeals from a district court judgment affirming an
administrative suspension of his driver’s license.

[¶2] On appeal, Suiter argues the hearing officer erred by concluding the
community caretaker exception justified the law enforcement officer’s contact
with Suiter and did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights. We conclude the
hearing officer did not err because the factual findings made by the agency are
supported by a preponderance of the evidence, and the conclusions of law and
order of the agency are supported by its findings of fact. We summarily affirm
under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(5) and (7); see, e.g., State v. Foote, 2020 ND 266, ¶
10, 952 N.W.2d 37 (internal citations omitted) (concluding an officer is engaged
in the role of community caretaker when the officer approaches a parked
vehicle to inquire in a conversational manner whether the occupant is okay or
needs assistance, and requests that the occupant open the door, roll down the
window, or exit the vehicle, but the same is not true if the officer orders these
actions).

[¶3] Jon J. Jensen, C.J.
     Daniel J. Crothers
     Lisa Fair McEvers
     Jerod E. Tufte
     Douglas A. Bahr

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