Court Opinion

ID: 9792019
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:22:08.168247+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:40.225993
License: Public Domain

RIGGS, J.,
dissenting.
The real meaning of the lead opinion is that, if a police officer has a reasonable suspicion that a suspect has been drinking and driving, the officer may require sobriety tests even though there is no reasonable basis for believing that there is any impairment. I do not believe that ORS 813.010 creates criminal liability for drinking and driving, however desirable such legislation might be.
The specially concurring opinion correctly points out that there must be some objective evidence that the defendant’s mental or physical faculties are affected by the intoxicant or that he had consumed a sufficient quantity of alcoholic beverage to be in violation of the statutory blood alcohol limit. The only objective evidence in the record consists of a malfunctioning headlight. There was absolutely no other evidence of inappropriate vehicle usage, slurred speech, watery eyes or any of the many other physical or mental “signs” of inebriation that typically are present.
A headlight or taillight may suddenly quit functioning without the driver’s being aware of the loss or being able to repair it immediately. We do not know from this record when, if ever, defendant became aware of his malfunctioning headlight before the officer stopped his vehicle. If there were support in the record, it might be reasonable to infer that defendant exhibited inattention, if it could be shown that he was aware of the malfunctioning headlight and then made a choice to drive anyway. Such a choice could be the result of diminished attention or judgment resulting from the consumption of alcohol. This record has no such evidence.
Without something more than what is provided in this record, there is nothing that could have created reasonable suspicion in the officer’s mind that defendant was impaired or that he was exceeding the statutory blood-alcohol limit before the request to perform the field sobriety tests. The trial court so found, and we should affirm.