State v. Myers
Annotate this Case
The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court finding Defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of operating while intoxicated (OWI) in violation of Iowa Code 321J.2, holding that an initial laboratory test that was positive for controlled substances was insufficient to support Defendant’s conviction.
On appeal, Defendant argued that the evidence was insufficient to establish the presence of a controlled substance in his system because the initial screen test found only the “possible presence” of drugs, not their actual presence. Without a confirmatory test, Defendant contended, the evidence was insufficient to support a finding of guilt. The Supreme Court agreed and reversed, holding (1) without other evidence, a test that identifies only the “possible presence” of a controlled substance falls short of satisfying the reasonable doubt standard; and (2) the plain meaning of section 321J.2(1)(c) could not be satisfied in this case by relying on the circumstantial evidence of impairment.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.