Court Opinion

ID: 9876335
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-26 22:56:56.883215+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:47:11.134289
License: Public Domain

Sandstrom, Surrogate Judge,
concurring specially.
[¶ 22] For reasons set forth in my special concurrence in Barrios-Flores v. Levi, 2017 ND 117, 894 N.W.2d 888, I concur in the result here.
[¶ 23] Here, as in Barrios-Flores, there was probable cause to arrest before requesting the screening test. The utility of the screening test, however, is not limited to a determination of probable cause. Under N.D.C.C. § 39-20-14(3), the “results of such screening test must be used only for determining whether or not a further test shall be given under the provisions of section 39-20-01.” Under N.D.C.C. § 39-20-01(1), a “further test” means “a chemical test, or tests, of the blood, breath, or urine for the purpose of determining the alcohol concentration or presence of other drugs, or combination thereof, in the individual’s blood, breath, or urine.” If the person appears under the influence but the screening test reflects insufficient alcohol to cause the condition, the officer would appropriately choose a blood or urine test capable of determining other drugs in the person’s system.
[¶ 24] Dale V. Sandstrom, S.J.