Court Opinion

ID: 9852524
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:32:18.723629+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:29.130432
License: Public Domain

GROSSHANS, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I dissent. I would hold that the trial court erred in allowing the state to introduce into evidence appellant’s refusal statement “I won’t take your ... test” and reverse the conviction for this reason alone. I agree with the majority holding on the second issue concerning the admissibility of defendant’s pre-arrest admissions.
Verbal statements of a defendant, whether pre-arrest or post-arrest, are communicative or testimonial evidence. The tests themselves, that is, the officer’s observations of the defendant’s performance, are non-communicative and non-testimonial. This conforms to our prior holding in State v. Roadifer, 346 N.W.2d 438 (S.D.1984), and the holding of the Supreme Court of Colorado in People v. Ramirez, 199 Colo. 367, 609 P.2d 616 (1980), and the Supreme Court of Hawaii in State v. Wyatt, 687 P.2d 544 (Hawaii 1984).
The refusal statements are an entirely different type of evidence than the performance results of the tests themselves. Therefore, this case is controlled by State *134v. Neville, 346 N.W.2d 425 (S.D.1984), which was decided after appellant’s trial.
In Neville, the arresting officer asked Neville to submit to a blood alcohol test. Neville refused and stated, “I’m too drunk, I won’t pass the test.” This court properly held that a defendant’s refusal to submit to a blood test is an overt communication of the defendant’s thoughts. As a result, a defendant’s refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test is evidence of a testimonial nature and is within the protection of the privilege against self-incrimination preserved in South Dakota’s Constitution. Neville, 346 N.W.2d at 429.
There is very little difference between a refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test and a refusal to submit to a field sobriety test. Both refusals are an overt expression of defendant’s thoughts. Therefore, refusal to submit to a field sobriety test must also fall within the protection against self-incrimination found in our state constitution.
The United States Supreme Court in South Dakota v. Neville, 459 U.S. 553, 103 S.Ct. 916, 74 L.Ed.2d 748 (1983), held that the admission of a defendant’s refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test into evidence does not offend the right against self-incrimination preserved in the federal constitution. However, this holding assumed appropriate procedural protections and our statutory scheme provides those protections. SDCL 32-23-10 and 32-23-10.1.
The element of compulsion or involuntariness is present in our statutory scheme. However, there is no impermissible coercion involved. Neville was given an option. He was warned that there could be adverse consequences if he refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. He had a choice albeit a difficult one as Justice O’Connor stated. While the state cannot require a defendant to submit to a blood alcohol test, at least the defendant has an option and is informed of the consequences. At that point a defendant can decide his course of action and waive his right against self-incrimination through his refusal to submit to the blood alcohol test.
In the instant case, the Neville holding that admission of a refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test is not offensive to the right against self-incrimination is inapplicable. There are no appropriate procedural protections for field sobriety tests. Appellant was not given a choice. He was not warned that if he refused to take the field sobriety test his refusal could be used at trial. There is no practical way the state can compel a suspect to perform field sobriety tests. How can anyone compel another to recite the alphabet or a tongue twister? How can an officer compel an individual to walk, let alone walk a straight line? Or compel a person to touch their nose with their forefinger? Impossible! It is reasonable for the state to impose a penalty for refusing as long as the penalty is known to the defendant.
Further, the instant case has an element of coercion. How much more subtle can the coercion or compulsion be when, as in this case, the defendant does not even know that he is trapped? If he performs the tests he provides evidence. If he refuses the test he provides evidence. This is compulsion of the most insidious nature. At least he should be given the choice of which type of evidence he is going to give against himself.
We have recently stated that constitutional rights, including those in the Bill of Rights, may be waived by a defendant as long as the waiver is made voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently, with sufficient awareness of the relevant circumstances and likely consequences. Jones v. State, 353 N.W.2d 781 (S.D.1984). Implicit in this standard is the supposition that the right waived must be known.
Recently a Colorado court determined that a defendant has a right to refuse the field sobriety tests. In People v. Carlson, 677 P.2d 310 (Colo.1984), the defendant had been advised of his right to refuse and he agreed to do the tests. The Colorado court stated that the sole purpose of roadside sobriety testing was to acquire evidence of criminal conduct on the part of the suspect. The Carlson Court remanded the case *135back to the trial court to determine whether the defendant’s consent was intelligently and freely given. Knowledge of a right to refuse is one factor to be considered in determining whether the consent was voluntary. Therefore, the Colorado court recognized that a defendant has a right to refuse the tests. However, the Colorado court apparently has not addressed the precise issue we decide herein. That is whether an uninformed refusal is admissible evidence.
In the instant case, appellant was not advised of the consequences of his refusal to submit to field sobriety tests. Under our holding in Neville, supra, this violated appellant’s state constitutional protection from giving evidence against himself. As a result, and unbeknownst to him, he provided testimonial or communicative self-incriminating evidence without knowledge of the consequences. Therefore, it cannot be said that appellant knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his constitutional protection from giving evidence against himself. The jury’s note during deliberations indicates that the admission of this evidence constitutes prejudicial error.
I believe that South Dakota Constitution, art. VI, § 9, protects a person from compelled self-incrimination at all times.
Whenever an individual is requested to perform field sobriety tests by the police he is compelled to do one of two things — perform the tests or refuse. Under the majority holding in this case that person has no choice that will prevent self-incrimination. He is truly in a “Catch 22” situation. Worse yet, he does not even know it.
I believe that the majority holding places an impermissible burden on the exercise of state and federal constitutional rights. Ne-ville was at least advised that there would be adverse consequences flowing from his refusal to take the test. Hoenscheid're-ceived no warnings; it cannot be said that he knew there would be adverse consequences flowing from his refusal. He did not have the option that Neville had-., s He had no way of knowing that the harbor he was sailing into was booby-trapped.