State v. Bell
Annotate this CaseAfter Plaintiff was stopped for a moving violation, a law enforcement officer administered several field sobriety tests. The officer arrested Plaintiff for DUI because he had been driving in the wrong direction on a divided highway, smelled of alcohol, and admitted he had been drinking. Plaintiff filed a motion to suppress the evidence and to dismiss the charges of DUI and DUI per se. The trial court dismissed the charges, concluding that the officer lacked probable cause to arrest Plaintiff in light of his performance on the field sobriety tests. The Supreme Court reversed and reinstated the charges, holding that the officer had probable cause to arrest Plaintiff for DUI because, even considering Plaintiff’s successful performance on the field sobriety tests, Plaintiff’s moving violation, the odor of alcohol, and Plaintiff’s admission to drinking were sufficient to permit a prudent person to believe Plaintiff was driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
Court Description: Authoring Judge: Justice William C. Koch, Jr.
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