State v. Williams

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NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

No. 118,013

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS

STATE OF KANSAS,
Appellee,

v.

BROCK JORDAN WILLIAMS,
Appellant.


MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appeal from Wallace District Court; SCOTT SHOWALTER, judge. Opinion filed December 7,
2018. Affirmed.

Michael S. Holland II, of Holland and Holland, of Russell, for appellant.

Kristafer R. Ailslieger, deputy solicitor general, and Derek Schmidt, attorney general, for
appellee.

Before GREEN, P.J., PIERRON and BUSER, JJ.

BUSER, J.: This is an appeal of the district court's denial of Brock Jordan
Williams' motion to suppress an evidentiary breath test for alcohol consumption.
Williams contends that he did not voluntarily consent to the breath test which resulted in
a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. As a result, he
was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Upon our review, we
affirm the district court's denial of the motion to suppress but on different grounds
because, as argued by the State, the breath test was lawfully administered incident to
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Williams' arrest. Given this holding, whether or not Williams voluntarily consented to the
breath test is not dispositive of the propriety of the search and seizure.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In the district court and on appeal, the parties stipulated to the following facts. On
August 28, 2016, Deputy Corey David received a call from the dispatcher regarding a
driver in a parked car who appeared to be asleep, unconscious, or passed out with all the
doors locked. Upon his arrival at the scene, Deputy David observed that the vehicle was
parked on the highway with the engine running and lights on but in the wrong lane of
travel. David recognized the driver as Williams.

Deputy David attempted to awaken Williams by yelling his name and tapping on
the vehicle's windows and doors, but he was unsuccessful until he activated his patrol
vehicle's siren. Williams awoke confused and had difficulty unlocking the door to exit the
vehicle. Deputy David smelled an odor of alcohol when Williams opened the door and
noticed a drinking glass on the floorboard. Williams said that he was driving home from a
party where he had consumed beer, but he could not remember his address. Deputy David
decided that Williams was unable to walk on his own or perform field sobriety tests. He
arrested Williams for DUI. According to the parties' stipulation, Deputy David had
probable cause to arrest Williams for DUI.

Deputy David transported Williams to the Sherman County jail where he provided
Williams with oral and written implied consent advisories based on a revised DC-70
form. Williams then submitted to an Intoxilyzer 9000 breath test which indicated a blood-
alcohol level above the legal limit.

Prior to trial, Williams filed a motion to suppress the breath test results, arguing
that the implied consent advisories were coercive and violated his rights under the Fourth
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Amendment. The district court denied the motion, concluding that Deputy David had
probable cause to arrest Williams and the advisories provided to him were not so
deficient that they warranted suppression of the results. The district court found Williams
guilty of DUI. He filed a timely notice of appeal.

ANALYSIS

On appeal, Williams contends the district court erred in failing to suppress the
breath test evidence because: (1) the State did not prove voluntary consent because it is
legally impossible to do so under a coercive statutory scheme; (2) the Kansas implied
consent laws are facially unconstitutional as they are currently constructed; and (3)
Deputy David failed to give the implied consent advisories in the exact manner
prescribed by statute.

For its part, the State counters Williams' arguments but at the outset contends that
given the United States Supreme Court's opinion in Birchfield v. North Dakota, 579 U.S.
___, 136 S. Ct. 2160, 195 L. Ed. 2d 560 (2016), and our opinion in State v. Perkins, 55
Kan. App. 2d 372, 379, 415 P.3d 460 (2018), the breath test was admissible under the
search-incident-to-arrest exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement
regardless of whether Williams' consent to the breath test was constitutionally valid.

We begin the analysis with a brief summary of our standard of review. "When
reviewing a motion to suppress evidence, the factual underpinnings of the district court's
decision are reviewed for substantial competent evidence and the ultimate legal
conclusion is reviewed de novo." State v. Cleverly, 305 Kan. 598, 604, 385 P.3d 512
(2016). But, when the material facts are not in dispute, a motion to suppress issue is a
question of law subject to de novo review. 305 Kan. at 604. Because this case involves
stipulated facts, the issues will be reviewed de novo.

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Next, we address a procedural matter. On appeal, the State points out that it raised
the search-incident-to-arrest exception in the district court as a justification for the
alcohol breath test in this case. In its ruling denying suppression, the district court noted
the Birchfield case although it did not rely upon the search-incident-to-arrest exception in
its ruling. Even if this matter had not been raised below, however, on appeal the State
presents a question of law on stipulated facts which is finally determinative of the case.
As a result, we could also consider the applicability of this exception had it been raised
for the first time on appeal. See Cleverly, 305 Kan. at 604; Perkins, 55 Kan. App. 2d at
378. Finally, we note that although the State briefed the search-incident-to-arrest
exception in its appellee's brief, Williams did not avail himself of the opportunity to file a
reply brief responding to the State's argument. See Supreme Court Rule 6.05 (2018 Kan.
St. Ct. R. 36).

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits unreasonable
searches. Blood and breath tests administered by the police constitute searches which
must conform to the Fourth Amendment. See Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2173; State v.
Ryce, 306 Kan. 682, 684, 396 P.3d 711 (2017). Any warrantless search is intrinsically
unreasonable unless it falls within one of the exceptions to the search warrant
requirement recognized in Kansas. One exception relevant to this case is the search-
incident-to-arrest exception. See State v. Neighbors, 299 Kan. 234, 239, 328 P.3d 1081
(2014).

Generally, the search-incident-to-arrest exception permits police officers to
conduct a warrantless search of the arrested person and the area within the control of that
person. Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 763, 89 S. Ct. 2034, 23 L. Ed. 2d 685 (1969).
In Birchfield, the United States Supreme Court concluded that warrantless breath tests,
under the Fourth Amendment, were permitted incident to an arrest for drunk driving.
Because warrantless blood tests for alcohol are significantly more intrusive than breath
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tests, however, the United States Supreme Court concluded that warrantless blood tests
were unreasonable. 136 S. Ct. at 2184-85.

Our Supreme Court in Ryce took note of Birchfield and acknowledged that the
search-incident-to-arrest exception is "a categorical exception to the warrant requirement
permitting an officer to demand a breath test from a person arrested for a DUI violation."
Ryce, 306 Kan. at 690-91. As a result, "'a breath test, but not a blood test, may be
administered as a search incident to lawful arrest for drunk driving.'" 306 Kan. at 693. In
other words, our Supreme Court recognized the "validity of conducting a breath test in a
DUI case where an arrest is made under the warrant exception of a search incident to
lawful arrest." 306 Kan. at 693.

Our court has also weighed in on this issue in Perkins. In that case, Perkins was
stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation. After exhibiting classic indicators of
intoxication, and admitting to drinking beer, Perkins failed field sobriety tests and was
arrested for DUI. Upon being transported to the law enforcement center, Perkins was
orally advised and provided written notices mandated by the Kansas implied-consent law.

Perkins submitted to an evidentiary breath test which revealed a significant level
of intoxication. He was charged with DUI. Subsequently, Perkins sought suppression of
the incriminating breath test results, contending—as in Williams' case on appeal—that
his consent was coerced and involuntary and that the test was in violation of the Fourth
Amendment. The motion to suppress was denied, and Perkins was found guilty of DUI
on stipulated facts. Perkins appealed to our court.

In upholding the district court's denial of Parker's motion to suppress, our court
observed that Perkins submitted to the breath test at the police facility after his DUI
arrest. We additionally observed:

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"It does not matter that Perkins' consent for the breath test was coerced. For the results to
be admissible, the State need only prove the applicability of one of the exceptions to the
search warrant requirement. See Los Angeles v. Patel, 576 U.S. __, 135 S. Ct. 2443,
2451, 192 L. Ed. 2d 435 (2015)." 55 Kan. App. 2d at 380.

Based on the holdings in Birchfield and Ryce, our court in Perkins held that the
officer lawfully conducted the breath test under the constitutional exception for searches
incident to arrest. As a result, the incriminating breath test reading was admissible as
evidence that Perkins was guilty of DUI. 55 Kan. App. 2d at 380-81.

From Perkins, our court has established this rule of law:

"The search-incident-to-arrest exception to the search warrant requirement is a
categorical exception to the warrant requirement and permits an officer to demand a
breath test from a person arrested for a driving under the influence violation. Thus, a
breath test—but not a blood test because it is more intrusive—may be administered as a
search incident to lawful arrest for drunk driving." 55 Kan. App. 2d 372, Syl. ¶ 5.

Returning to the Williams case on appeal, under the stipulated facts of this case,
Deputy David had probable cause to arrest Williams for DUI. Given this lawful arrest, it
was constitutionally justified for the deputy to request that Williams submit to a breath
test incident to that arrest to obtain evidence of alcohol consumption. We are persuaded
that the district court's ruling denying Williams' motion to suppress was not error
although we uphold the ruling on a different basis than the one provided by the court. See
State v. Overman, 301 Kan. 704, 712, 348 P.3d 516 (2015). Because of our holding, we
decline to address the claims of error relating to the consent exception to the Fourth
Amendment's warrant requirement raised by Williams on appeal.

Affirmed.