| May 1, 2023 | Case: 22-CF-09338 | Judge Siracusa |
| Facts: | The defendant was the at fault driver in a crash whereby he made a turn and struck another car head on. When officers arrived, they noticed an odor of alcohol, the defendant admitted to having smoked pot in the morning, the defendant was unsteady on his feet, and he had bloodshot/glassy eyes. He then performed various roadside tests such as HGN (eye test), walk and turn, and the one leg stand. He was then arrested for DUI. Believing he was impaired by the marijuana, a urine test was requested. The defendant compiled and it came back from the lab positive for marijuana. The defendant was charged with Felony DUI due this being his Fourth offense. | |
| Defense: | There were numerous inconsistencies between the police reports and the video tape. The officer's reports exaggerated the defendant's level of impairment on the observations, as well as the field sobriety tests. In addition, there was no odor of marijuana or marijuana found. The officer, while doing HGN (eye test), noticed nystagmus in the defendant's eyes and other cues on HGN. However, if one is under the influence of marijuana, there should be no cues detected on HGN per the DRE manual (drug recognition expert). Thus, the officer was wrong. The State Dropped the defendant's Fourth Felony DUI. | |
| Result: | The State dropped the DUI. | |