Court Opinion

ID: 9741561
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:58:04.092182+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:24.811834
License: Public Domain

STRINGER, Justice
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent from the holding of the majority that the trial court erred in concluding that the deputies did not have probable cause to arrest Horner for boating while intoxicated. The majority supports its conclusion stating, “the district court’s findings do not clearly support its conclusion that no probable cause existed.” What could be more clear than the trial court’s conclusion that the only three bases for probable cause were readily explainable by circumstances unrelated to intoxication? Regardless of whether the trial court did or did not credit the deputies’ testimony, its concern for lack of indicia of intoxication is clearly stated and we accord wide deference to its conclusions. See State v. Camp, 590 N.W.2d 115, 118 (Minn. 1999) (stating that trial court’s finding of probable cause to arrest not reversible unless clearly erroneous). The majority does not identify other indicia of intoxication and, on the basis of this record, I cannot agree with the majority in substituting its judgment for the trial court’s considered review of the facts. The trial court’s conclusion as to lack of probable cause was not clearly erroneous.