State v. Clapp , 259 N.C. App. 839 ( 2018 )

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA
No. COA17-1104
Filed: 5 June 2018
Wilkes County, No. 15 CRS 52528
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
v.
JOHN CLAPP III, Defendant.
Appeal by the State of North Carolina from an order entered 31 May 2017 by
Judge Patrice A. Hinnant in Wilkes County Superior Court. Heard in the Court of
Appeals 16 April 2018.
Attorney General Joshua H. Stein, by Special Deputy Attorney General Derrick
C. Mertz, for the State.
Appellate Defender Glenn Gerding, by Assistant Appellate Defender Michele A.
Goldman, for defendant-appellee.
BERGER, Judge.
John Leonard Clapp III (“Defendant”) was arrested on September 5, 2015 for
driving while impaired. Less than three hours later, Defendant was again arrested
for driving while impaired and, because of his first arrest, driving while license
revoked. Defendant moved to suppress evidence which the State planned on using to
prove his second driving while impaired arrest, and the trial court granted this
motion. The State appeals, arguing that the uncontroverted evidence was sufficient
to establish probable cause for Defendant’s arrest. We agree, and therefore reverse.
STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
Factual and Procedural Background
Defendant’s motion to suppress was heard in Wilkes County Superior Court
on May 15, 2017. The State’s witnesses at the suppression hearing were Officer Tyler
Hall and Officer Craig Greer of the North Wilkesboro Police Department. Defendant
did not introduce any evidence.
Evidence presented by the State tended to show that on September 5, 2015,
officers with the North Wilkesboro Police Department pulled Defendant over at a
Wendy’s restaurant and arrested him for driving while impaired at approximately
9:30 p.m. Officer Hall parked Defendant’s BMW 750i in the Wendy’s parking lot and
locked the vehicle.
Officer Hall transported Defendant to the county jail, where Defendant
provided a breath sample for analysis at 10:25 p.m. Defendant’s blood alcohol
concentration based on the EC/IR II breath analysis was 0.16 grams of alcohol per
210 liters of breath. Defendant was then transferred to the magistrate’s office where
he was notified his license had been revoked because of his arrest. He signed a
written promise to appear for his court date, and was released from the county jail at
11:35 p.m.
Thirty minutes later, at 12:05 a.m. on September 6, 2015, Officer Hall saw
Defendant in the driver’s seat of his BMW at a gas station approximately one-half
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
mile from the Wendy’s. No one else was in the vehicle and the engine was running.
Defendant’s fiancée was beside him in a different vehicle. Officer Hall testified:
[The State:] Can you tell the Court about your observations
of [Defendant’s] physical appearance on the second
occasion and what you observed?
[Officer Hall:] [Defendant] had an odor of alcohol coming
from his person, he had slurred speech, red, glassy eyes and
he was unsteady on his feet.
[The State:] You said an odor of alcohol, how strong was
the odor of alcohol?
[Officer Hall:] It was a moderate odor of alcohol.
[The State:] Where did you observe these physical
appearances; was he inside or outside of the car?
[Officer Hall:] He was outside of the car.
[The State:] Where was the odor of alcohol coming from?
[Officer Hall:] From his breath, it was coming from his
person.
[The State:] Prior to arresting [Defendant], did he make
any statements to you?
[Officer Hall:] Yes, he made a few statements.
[The State:] Can you tell the Court what statements he
made to you, Officer Hall?
[Officer Hall:] He repeatedly quoted, "How am I supposed
to leave a $75,000 car sitting in the Wendy's parking lot?"
That's in quote.
[The State:] Did he say anything else to you?
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
[Officer Hall:] Yes. He also informed me that he was just
driving the vehicle to where his son was staying or where
his son was at the time.
[The State:] Anything else that you remember?
[Officer Hall:] He also asked if I would follow him the rest
of the way.
[The State:] You did not perform any field sobriety tests on
him; is that correct?
[Officer Hall:] No. Due to [Defendant’s] safety, he was
unable to safely stand on his feet.
....
Basically, the fact that he had just an hour and 40 minutes
prior blew a positive reading, and for the fact that he was
unsteady on his feet, he couldn't safely perform the task.
He was not asked to perform the standardized field
sobriety testing.
In response to questions on cross examination, Officer Hall testified about
standard elimination rates for alcohol in the blood:
For the average person, which I believe [Defendant] is an
average person, a person's blood-alcohol concentration
after reaching a peak value, which his peak value was
around 16 when he quit drinking, will drop by about 0.015
an hour. For example, if he was to reach a maximum blood-
alcohol level of a 15 which he blew a 16, it would take about
10 hours to completely eliminate that alcohol from his
bloodstream.
....
Due to the positive reading, we formed the opinion that he
still had plenty of alcohol still in his bloodstream.
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court stated, “Upon presentation of
evidence, review of the cases and contentions of counsel, it appears a basis hasn't
been established to allow the Court in its discretion to grant the motion in its
entirety.”
However, the trial court filed a written order on June 8, 2017 granting the
motion to suppress. The trial court made findings of fact that Defendant had a blood
alcohol concentration of 0.16 one hour and forty minutes prior to the second encounter
with Officer Hall, and that Officer Hall issued an affidavit and revocation report
which stated he observed that “Defendant was unsteady on his feet, had a moderate
odor of alcohol coming from his person, had red glassy eyes, and had slurred speech.”
In granting the motion to suppress, the trial court concluded that “the facts
and circumstances known to Officer [Hall] as a result of his observations . . . are
insufficient, under the totality of [the] circumstances, to form an opinion in the mind
of a reasonable, objective, and prudent officer that there was probable cause to arrest
the Defendant for the offense of driving while impaired.”
The State entered timely notice of appeal, and argues the trial court erred in
granting Defendant’s motion to suppress. We agree.
Standard of Review
In determining whether the trial court properly granted a defendant’s motion
to suppress, our review “is strictly limited to determining whether the trial judge's
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
underlying findings of fact are supported by competent evidence, in which event they
are conclusively binding on appeal, and whether those factual findings in turn
support the judge's ultimate conclusions of law.” State v. Cathcart, 227 N.C. App.
347, 349, 742 S.E.2d 321, 323 (2013) (citation omitted). “Conclusions of law are
reviewed de novo.” State v. Gerard, ___ N.C. App. ___, ___, 790 S.E.2d 592, 594 (2016)
(citation omitted).
Analysis
I. Trial Court’s Findings of Fact
First, the State challenges the trial court’s findings of fact in the written order.
Specifically, the State argues that the following findings of fact are not supported by
competent evidence:
10. Officer [Hall] encountered the Defendant at the
Wilco-Hess gas station public vehicular area
approximately one hour and 40 minutes after the
Defendant had blown a 0.16 breath alcohol concentration
on the Intoximeter EC/IR-II, and approximately 40
minutes after the Defendant had been released on the
initial DWI charge.
....
12. Officer [Hall] noted in an affidavit to support his
traffic report items that were not included in his traffic
report – which were that he observed the Defendant was
unsteady on his feet, had a moderate odor of alcohol coming
from his person, had red glassy eyes, and had slurred
speech.
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
13. Officer [Hall] did not administer any field sobriety
tests to the Defendant. Officer [Hall] did not administer a
portable breath test to the Defendant. Officer Hall
observed that Defendant was unsteady during the 10-15
minutes of the encounter. Officer Hall did not inquire
whether Defendant had any mobility problems although
Defendant had a leg brace; whether he had consumed any
food, beverage or medication in the interim; what he had
done nor where he had been.
....
16. Except as noted herein, Officer [Hall] did not observe
any other signs of impairment during the second encounter
with the Defendant.
The State contends finding of fact 10 is inaccurate because it states that
Defendant encountered Officer Hall on the second occasion “approximately 40
minutes after the Defendant had been released on the initial DWI charge.” We agree.
The uncontroverted evidence was that Defendant had been released from the jail at
11:35 p.m. and Officer Hall approached Defendant in the gas station parking lot at
12:05 a.m. Finding of fact 10 is not supported by competent evidence, and is not
binding on this Court.
The State next challenges finding of fact 12 “out of an abundance of caution.”
The trial court’s finding of fact that Officer Hall included his observations that
Defendant “was unsteady on his feet, had a moderate odor of alcohol coming from his
person, had red glassy eyes, and had slurred speech” in an affidavit and revocation
report was supported by competent and uncontroverted evidence. The trial court
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
noted the observations were not in Officer Hall’s incident report, but the trial court
found they were included in an affidavit and revocation report. This Court is bound
by the trial court’s finding that Officer Hall issued an affidavit and revocation report
which included his observations that Defendant “was unsteady on his feet, had a
moderate odor of alcohol coming from his person, had red glassy eyes, and had slurred
speech.”
The State next argues finding of fact 13 is not supported by competent
evidence. We agree. There was no evidence presented that Defendant wore a leg
brace or had mobility issues related thereto on September 5-6, 2015. The trial court
found as fact that “Defendant had a leg brace” without any evidence to support that
finding. On cross examination, Officer Hall testified:
[Defense Counsel:] Now, [he’s] unsteady on his feet, we've
had a prior hearing and you know his brace, can you see
his brace?
[Officer Hall:] I cannot see his brace.
[Defense Counsel:] May he stand up? Sir, just come right
here so you can see his brace. You never seen his brace?
[Officer Hall:] I never seen his brace.
[Defense Counsel:] Did you ask him before, when he was
unsteady on his feet, if he had any mobility problems?
[Officer Hall:] I do not recall.
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
The trial court’s finding that Defendant wore a leg brace at any time relevant
to Defendant’s arrest for impaired driving is not supported by competent evidence.
That Defendant wore a leg brace to a court proceeding seventeen months after his
arrest, without more, is irrelevant at best. By his testimony, Officer Hall did not
observe any medical device worn by Defendant during their encounters on September
5-6, 2015. Finding of fact 13, as it relates to Defendant’s leg brace, is not supported
by competent evidence and is not binding on this Court.
The State also argues finding of fact 16 is not supported by competent evidence
because there was additional evidence of Defendant’s impairment during the second
encounter that was known and available to Officer Hall when he arrested Defendant
for the second driving while impaired charge. We agree.
Officer Hall’s knowledge of Defendant’s prior blood alcohol concentration and
his observation of the time that had elapsed since the administration of the EC/IR II
breath test were signs that Defendant was still impaired during the second
encounter. Officer Hall testified that because of Defendant’s positive reading less
than two hours prior to the second encounter, he believed Defendant “still had plenty
of alcohol still in his bloodstream.” Officer Hall’s opinion was based upon the training
he received that the average person eliminates alcohol from the body at a rate of 0.015
per hour from the peak blood alcohol concentration result. Officer Hall observed that
Defendant was an average-sized person. Based on his observations of Defendant, his
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
personal knowledge of the time that had passed since Defendant’s breath analysis,
and his training on alcohol elimination rates, Officer Hall concluded Defendant would
still be impaired. Since it should take approximately ten hours for the alcohol in
Defendant’s blood to be removed from his system, this was a red flag to Officer Hall
and a sign that Defendant was probably impaired at the time of the second encounter.
The trial court’s finding that Officer Hall did not observe any other signs of
impairment is not supported by competent evidence, and is therefore not binding on
this Court.
Moreover, the uncontroverted evidence presented by the State does not support
the trial court’s conclusion of law that “the facts and circumstances known to Officer
[Hall] as a result of his observations on September 6, 2015, of the Defendant are
insufficient, under the totality of [the] circumstances” to establish probable cause.
II. Probable Cause
An officer may arrest an individual if the officer has probable cause to believe
that individual has committed a criminal offense. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-
401(b) (2017). Our Supreme Court has stated that
[p]robable cause is defined as those facts and
circumstances within an officer's knowledge and of which
he had reasonably trustworthy information which are
sufficient to warrant a prudent man in believing that the
suspect had committed or was committing an offense.
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
State v. Biber, 365 N.C. 162, 168-69, 712 S.E.2d 874, 879 (2011) (citations and
quotation marks omitted). To establish probable cause, “it is not necessary to show
that the offense was actually committed, only that the officer had a reasonable ground
to believe it was committed.” State v. Tappe, 139 N.C. App. 33, 36, 533 S.E.2d 262,
264 (2000) (citation omitted). “Probable cause is a flexible, common-sense
standard[,]” State v. Zuniga, 312 N.C. 251, 262, 322 S.E.2d 140, 146 (1984), that
“deals with probabilities and depends on the totality of the circumstances.” State v.
Overocker, 236 N.C. App. 423, 433, 762 S.E.2d 921, 927, writ denied, disc. review
denied, 367 N.C. 802, 766 S.E.2d 686 (2014) (citation and quotation marks omitted).
The offense of driving while impaired for which Defendant was arrested is
committed when an individual
drives any vehicle upon any highway, any street, or any
public vehicular area within this State:
(1) While under the influence of an impairing substance; or
(2) After having consumed sufficient alcohol that he has, at
any relevant time after the driving, an alcohol
concentration of 0.08 or more. The results of a chemical
analysis shall be deemed sufficient evidence to prove a
person's alcohol concentration; or
(3) With any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance,
as listed in G.S. 90-89, or its metabolites in his blood or
urine.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-138.1 (2017).
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
Here, the State presented sufficient and uncontroverted evidence establishing
probable cause to arrest Defendant for driving while impaired. Defendant admitted
to Officer Hall that he had driven his BMW between their two encounters. During
the second encounter, Officer Hall observed that Defendant had red-glassy eyes, a
moderate odor of alcohol, slurred speech, and that Defendant was unsteady on his
feet to the extent that it was not safe to conduct standard field sobriety tests. While
Officer Hall did not observe Defendant’s driving behavior, he did have personal
knowledge that Defendant had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16 one hour and
forty minutes prior to the second encounter. Officer Hall testified that based upon
the standard elimination rate of alcohol for an average individual, Defendant would
probably still be impaired. Thus, there was a reasonable basis for Officer Hall to
believe that Defendant had driven his BMW while under the influence of alcohol.
The information available to Officer Hall, along with his personal observations
of Defendant, when taken as a whole, provided Officer Hall with probable cause to
believe Defendant had probably committed the offense of driving while impaired.
Conclusion
Based upon the totality of the circumstances, probable cause existed to justify
Defendant’s second arrest for impaired driving. The trial court erred in granting
Defendant’s motion to suppress. Accordingly, we reverse and remand to the trial
court.
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STATE V. CLAPP
Opinion of the Court
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
Chief Judge MCGEE and Judge STROUD concur.
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