Court Opinion

ID: 9661031
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 22:27:02.724125+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:24.560030
License: Public Domain

Carter, J.,
dissenting.
While I concur with the dissent filed by White, C. J., there is one point that needs clarification. The majority opinion states: “The crux of the, difficulty is that two *580separate proceedings, one civil and one criminal, may follow an arrest for driving while intoxicated, and the criminal proceeding may involve either a felony or a misdemeanor. At the time of the arrest and request for a chemical test, the arresting officer cannot be certain which proceeding may ultimately be involved, or whether both of them will be.” The majority opinion places the burden on the arresting officer to prophesy at his peril the nature of the proceeding that may follow the arrest, and when and under what circumstances a lawyer request must be given effect. Consequently the arresting officer in an honest attempt to proceed lawfully and out of an abundance of caution is forced into the position of permitting the person arrested to obtain a lawyer when, in fact, he is not entitled to consult his lawyer at all on the question as to whether or not he should take the test.
The opinion in the original appeal states: “In an appropriate factual context, a request for a brief delay in making the decision to accept or refuse the chemical test in order to consult with a lawyer should be granted where the delay is short and does not jeopardize the effectiveness of the test.” How does a police officer, a nonlawyer, know when “an appropriate factual context” exists when no proceeding has been filed, all the facts have not been determined, and an appropriate factual context is in no way defined. The statement induces confusion as to the law in a case where the law is clear and the action of the arresting officer entirely proper. If the case had been determined in this court solely on the facts determined by the court, there would have been no uncertainty in the law and no confusion arising in the future on similar fact situations. It demonstrates the necessity of deciding cases on the precise facts of each case and leaving to future decision any exceptions to or variances from the rule.