Maine V. Burton

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L"'NIFIED CRLl1,1[1'.1AL COURT STATE OF \fA.["{E CllMBERLAl\D, ss. PORTLAND Docket:'-lo. CR-14-5127 c ! ~ - J STATE OF M_AJ>.IE Z~J: ~P.N 21 fll'l 1 £'-1 K- CW}I- OP.H5 ffi!p)ER ON MOTION TO SUPPRESS ) ) HANNAH BURTON ) A hearing was held on Defendant's Motion to Suppress on Dec=ber 16, 2014. The State was represented by ADA Matthew lice. Defendant was represented by Attorney James Boulos. Defendant seeks to suppress all of the evidence resulting from the stop of her vehicle. She alleges that the stop violated her Fourth !\.r:nendment rights because it was effected without the requisite '"reasonable articulablc suspicion." She also argues that the officer did not have authority to order her to participate in field sobriety tests. The court beard testimony from Officer Lee Maher, the officer who conducted the stop. He testified that he was on patrol in J'l.'orth Windham shortly after midnight on August 2, 20!4 when he got a call about a fight m progress at the Big Apple on Route 302 in North Wtndham. The information he received was that there were four people involved in the fight and that three ofthem had left the store in a white Ford SUV. Office Maher spotted a vehicle matching that description about a mile or Jess from the store, beaded in the opposite direchon from him. He turned around and w1th his high beams observed that there were three people inside. Be then conducted a traffic stop. Officer Maher smelled alcohol coming from the whicle and observed that the driver, Defendant, had glassy and bloodshot eyes. Officer Maher asked 1f she had been drinking and she responded !hat she had had alxmt a drink every hollT. Officer Maher then ordered Defemlant out of the vehicle so that he could conduct field sobriety tests. The standard governing automotive stops is well-establlshed: "In order to support a brief investigatory stop of a motor vehicle, such as the stop in this case, a poli~e officer must have an objectively reasonable, articulablc suspic10n that either criminal conduct, a civil violation, or a threat to public safety has occL!ITed, is occurring, or is about to occur. The officer's suspicior. that any of these circumstances exist must he objectively reasonable in the totality of the circumstances." See, e.g. Stale v. Porter, 20()8 ME 175, ~ 8. 960 A.2d 321, 323 (citing Srale v Sylvain, 2003 ME 5. ~ 11.814 A.2d 984, 987). Applying this standard, the court fmds that the informatmn as to the fight gave rise to reasonable articulable suspicion just1f)'ing the stop of Defendant's vehicle. Officer Maher need not have per.<onally observed the fight in progress in order to have had reasonable arlJCulable suspicion for the stop. See. e.g., Stale v. Carr, 1'}97 ME 221, ~ 7, 704 A.2d 353, 356 ("Reasonabk and articulable suopidon to conduct an investigatory stop can rest on the collective knowledge of the police") (citing Stare v_ Gervais, 394 A.2d 1183, 1189 (Me. 1978) (holCmg that collective knowledge of the polJCe transmitted :,y raCio dispatch jushfied stopping a vehlcle)). Furthermore, on observing Defendant's glas.~), bloodshot eyes and on learning that st:te had been drinking, Officer Maher acted appropriately in requiring her to particinate in field sobriety tests. See, e.g., Stale v_ Kmg, 2009 ME 14, ~ 9, 965 A.2d 52, 54 (officer had objectively reasonable suspicion that 6i•er might have been impaired when smelled odor of alcohol, observed beer bottles or cans m vet:ticle, and drner admitted 10 being a "three" where "one" meant total sobriety). All the Law Court stated inState v. Sylvain, 2003 ME 5, 814 A.2d 984: When, as here, an officer has observed bloodstJot eyes and has heard an admission from a driver that the driver has had two beers, it is objectively reasonable for that officer to entertain a suspicion that the driver may be impmred by the a]C{)hol. Subjecting the driver to field sobnety tests following that admission does not offend the Fourth Amendment fd_ ,[18, 814 A.2d at 989. Accordin_gly. it is hereby ORDERED that Defendant's Motion to Suppress is DEhlED. &C'.\'l >. GF GRI~II'ii'.~ MAIN~ DOUJ•"" :C:M3ER:.I\ND, HAI'<'NAH ~ .)CC.<eC NO OLk'O'';N ss C'JMCll-'CR 2Cl4-00'_)/ 351 LM'-"lNCe i l "C·•'~AL ~oB, DOCKET RECORD ME C< 06' cs,os/:9" -~tr.cr-.~y JAME£, -•CEOE ~J<> 5CULOS LAW CEM PO BOX 8>0 s::: 05 -"CRT~ >AC~ ME 010-.,-c·e55 RE~AlN6D 08, CC/20- 4 Charge(s) 1 QUI (ALCOHOL) Seq 12942 29-A 0810212014 WINDHAM I MAHER 2 Class D 2411 (1-A) (A) WND QUI (ALCOHOL} Seq 12942 29-A 0810212014 WINDHAM Class D 2411 (1-A) (A) I MAHER WND Docket Events: NCN CASH BAH BCI-iD FILE~ QN "'!04 '20C', Ball -~'"t' >O,SOO ~dte ~~lled oa. L';<JH Parr.y:o: "I•"· 2014 HAN~AH L EORT~N R6TA:IE~ A'JTORNE~ ~NT''<~~ ON 08/::,<·JC4 C>.MES 3CULCS 03,'20,'«-J:' C'caqe (si · 1, 2 He~XCNG- 03tC·Ot>JlC ARRA:Gm<};NT SCIE~C'LE~ l'OR C9105,'?·J:< C'-.urg~ls•' 1,2 o>CPP~'""EIITc\;, H C8 ;ca.~. , .. 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