Court Opinion

ID: 9762020
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:07:47.32416+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:29.169852
License: Public Domain

Grimes, J.

dissenting:

I agree that defendant’s confrontation claim is disposed of by State v. Larochelle, 112 N.H. 392 (1972), decided this date.
I would hold, however, that the result of the test in this case was nevertheless inadmissible because of lack of any evidence that defendant was afforded an opportunity to request an additional test by a person of his own choosing as required by statute. RSA 262-A:69-c provides: “Before any test specified in section 69-a is given, the law enforcement officer shall (1) inform the arrested person of his right to have a similar test or tests made by a person of his own choosing, (2) afford him an opportunity to request such additional test, and (3) inform him of the consequences of his refusal to permit a test at the direction of the law enforcement officer. If the law enforcement officer fails to comply with the provi*385sions of this section, the test shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding before any administrative officer and court of this state.”
This section imposes a positive duty on the officer to do three equally important things before taking the test and specifically excludes the results if he fails to comply. In such instances, it has uniformly been held that the State has the burden of showing compliance. State v. LaFountain, 108 N.H. 219, 231 A.2d 635 (1967); State v. Gallant, 108 N.H. 72, 227 A.2d 597 (1967); State v. Scanlon, 110 N.H. 179, 263 A.2d 669 (1970); cf. State v. Traxler, 110 N.H. 410, 269 A.2d 864 (1970).
In this case there is no evidence whatever that the officer complied with one of the three equally important requirements of admissibility by affording defendant the opportunity to request the additional test. The legislature in its wisdom expressly provided that the arrested person not only be told by the officer of his right to have an additional test, but also that he “afford him the opportunity to request such additional test.” This is a recognition that, without the opportunity to request the additional test, the instruction about the right to have one would be valueless. Since the State failed to introduce any evidence that this condition of admissibility was complied with, the evidence should have been excluded as the legislature has expressly provided.