Practice Areas:
"PRE-CHARGE" CASES
RELEASE HEARINGS
ASSAULT
CHILD ABUSE / SBS
COMPUTER CRIMES
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
DRUG CASES
DUI / DWI LAWS
DUI DEFENSES
MVD HEARINGS
JUVENILE CASES
PROBATION REVOCATION
PROF. LICENSING
SEX CRIMES
THEFT / WHITE COLLAR
ASSET FORFEITURE
VEHICULAR CRIMES
WARRANTS / EXTRADITION
SENTENCE MODIFICATION
APPEALS / RULE 32
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ARIZONA DUI / DWI / DRUNK DRIVING DEFENSES
Society’s
perspective on DUI (Driving Under the Influence) has changed dramatically
over the past several years. DUI is no longer accepted as an unavoidable
consequence of automobile travel. More and more, DUI is recognized
as a completely preventative crime and, therefore, a very serious
offense with severe consequences. Mandatory jail or prison time,
stiff fines, license suspension or revocation, probation or parole
and increased insurance costs are some of the consequences of being
convicted of DUI.
In 2002, over 80,000 individual DUI / DWI charges were filed in Arizona.
However, research shows many people arrested and charged with DUI are
not guilty because they haven't had too much to drink. In many cases,
police officers who are overzealous, improperly trained, or who otherwise
make mistakes, incorrectly determine a driver who has been drinking is
driving while under the influence. Field sobriety tests can be improperly
administered and misinterpreted. Breath and blood alcohol testing equipment
can malfunction or be improperly used. DUI suspects can be treated unfairly,
resulting in important constitutional rights not being provided. If you
feel your DUI charges are unfair, The Gillespie Law Firm, P.C. can help. The Firm has
the expertise, the knowledge and the experience to help you fight these
charges and win. The Firm has helped well over one thousand people in similar
circumstances, knows the ins and outs of the judicial system, and is ready
to fight to protect your rights.
Successfully defending against a DUI or a DWI charge depends
on first recognizing that many cases are manageable and defensible. In
Arizona, there are many potential defenses to drunk driving charges. Generally,
the most common defenses can be summarized as follows:
- Lack of Driving or Actual Physical Control
- No Reasonable Suspicion to Stop
- No Probable Cause to Arrest
- Improperly Administered Field Sobriety Tests (FST's)
- Denial of the Right to Counsel
- Violation of Miranda Warnings
- Inaccuracy of the Breath Testing Device
- Subtractive Retrograde or "Rising BAC Defense"
- Deficiencies in Blood Alcohol Testing & Issues in Blood Cases
- Denial of Independent Test
1. Lack of Driving or Actual Physical Control. The
prosecution must prove more than mere intoxication. Under Arizona
law, the State must establish the defendant was driving or in actual physical control of
a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drug consumption or with
a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or more within two hours of driving.
In some cases there are no witnesses to testify who was driving
a vehicle. Therefore, the State may be unable
to meet its burden of proving the accused was driving or was in
actual physical control.
2. No Reasonable Suspicion to Stop. An
investigatory stop is unconstitutional if the stop is not supported
by reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88
S.Ct. 1868 (1968); State v. Richcreek, 187 Ariz. 501, 930
P.2d 1304 (1997). Thus, if the law enforcement officer lacked a
constitutionally valid reason for making the
traffic stop, all evidence of drunk driving obtained as a result
of the unlawful stop must be suppressed.
3. No Probable Cause to Arrest. "Probable cause to arrest" means
reliable information within an officer's knowledge, which would lead
a reasonable person to conclude that criminal activity has been or
is being committed. If objective facts and circumstances, indicative of impairment or
intoxication, did not exist at the time of the arrest, the arrest
is unconstitutional and the case must be dismissed.
4. Improperly Administered Field
Sobriety Tests ("FST's"). The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has established
guidelines regarding the administration of FST's. The tests should
not be given if the accused (a) is 50 pounds or more overweight; (b) is
60 years of age or older; (c) has any back, hip, leg, knee, or
ankle injuries;
(d) has any disability effecting balance or (e) is wearing shoes
with heels two inches or higher.
Note: Arrests based solely on the accused's refusal
to perform FST's are unconstitutional.
Although NHTSA has only officially standardized three FST's, (the
horizontal gaze nystagmus, the walk and turn and the one leg stand),
Arizona law enforcement
agencies often request the performance of additional FST's not
standardized by NHTSA, such as, counting backward, reciting the A B
C's, touching finger to nose, and counting your fingers forward and backward
to determine whether the person being investigated should be arrested for DUI.
The three standardized FST's include:
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(a) Horizontal
Gaze Nystagmus Test ("HGN"): HGN is an eye
test where the observer looks for "nystagmus" or
an involuntary jerking of the eyes. Basically, the test measures
the eyes' ability to follow a moving object in a horizontal
and sometimes vertical plane. Although this phenomenon is
frequently caused by the consumption of alcohol and/or certain
drugs, nystagmus appears naturally in some people and may
also be caused by the ingestion of certain antihistamines
and other over-the-counter medications.
To properly administer the test, the officer must (1) hold the stimulus 12 -
15 inches in front of the suspect's face; (2) keep the tip of the stimulus slightly
above the suspect's eyes; (3) move the stimulus smoothly; (4) check for all three
clues in each eye; (5) check for clues in the order of lack of smooth pursuit,
distinct nystagmus at maximum deviation and onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees;
and (6) check for each clue at least twice in each eye. Consequently, the administering
officer looks for three clues of neurological dysfunction in each eye, including:
(1) lack of smooth pursuit; (2) moderate to distinct nystagmus at maximum deviation;
and (3) onset prior to 45 degrees, for a total of six clues of impairment.
(b) Walk And Turn Test: The walk and turn test is a divided attention
test intended to test your ability to follow instructions while standing heel
to toe during the instruction phase and to walk a line heel to toe, for nine
steps, turn around in small steps to your left, and return by taking nine heel
to toe steps back. Should you (1) start before the instructions are finished;
(2) lose your balance while listening to the instructions; (3) stop while walking
to steady yourself; (4) miss heel to toe (5) step off the line; (6) use your
arms to balance; or (7) walk the incorrect number of steps, these factors will
count against you.
(c) One Leg Stand Test: The one-leg stand test is designed to test a person's
ability to balance on one foot, while raising the other 6 inches off of the ground,
and count 1 to 30. The administering officer will consider the following clues
as signs of impairment: (1) sway back-to-front or side-to-side while balancing;
(2) use your arms to balance; (3) hop; (4) put your foot down or (5) count incorrectly.
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Note: You have the right to refuse to do any of
the field sobriety exercises mentioned above. Indeed, if you elect
to perform the field sobriety exercises,
you do so at your risk. Under stressful conditions, few people
can perform the tests perfectly. Remember, if you have been drinking
the police will attribute the poor performance of the FST's to possible intoxication.
If arrested after performing these field sobriety exercises, this
evidence will be used to prosecute you.
For each of the standardized NHTSA tests, a qualified DUI lawyer
will be prepared to address inadequacies of the administering officer's
instructions, demonstration, administration and scoring. In challenging the results
of your performance on the FST's, an experienced DUI lawyer
will investigate the possibility of inaccurate and/or unfair testing based upon,
but not limited to, the following:
The Interested, Imperfect Officer. Experienced DUI lawyers
can establish police officers have an interest in the outcome of
the case and are capable of making mistakes. In almost all
cases the officer has only told half the story in his police report.
This is confirmed during the pretrial interview
where the officer admits he only recorded the signs or symptoms
which he believed were indicative of impairment and did not write
down any behavior consistent with nonintoxication, i.e., that the client did
not fumble retrieving his license from his wallet and had no trouble
getting out of his car or
that he was able to converse intelligently without slurring his
words or stuttering. Through confirming he only wrote down the things
he thought the driver did wrong we can establish the officer was more interested
in creating a limited record for the sole purpose of supporting his
decision to arrest, rather than making a fair and accurate record
of all the facts and events as they actually transpired.
The Nervous Client. At trial, the officer may
testify the driver fumbled with is wallet, slurred his words
and seemed nervous or confused. However,
the stress induced by a roadside confrontation with the police
is enough to cause even the most well-spoken individual to stutter
and the most coordinated
to fumble and falter. It is normal for people to be nervous when
confronted as the subject of a police investigation. This is
often compounded when officers use a forceful tone and demeanor with suspects in order
to establish command over the roadside stop and subsequent investigation.
Unnatural Tasks. The prosecution will invariably
seek to show the FST's requested of the arrestee were such that
any sober individual could easily
perform them. However, in many cases, officers request suspects
perform roadside tests without first inquiring whether the suspect
had any disability or infirmity, mental or physical, which would preclude
or hinder him from successfully completing the tests. If this is the case, the officer
did not really care whether the FST's would be fair or accurate
indicators of alcohol impairment. Showing the jury the only thing the officer
was interested in was unfairly gathering incriminating evidence
is a good way to successfully
challenge his credibility. The officer will likely be asked by
the prosecutor to demonstrate the ease with which these tests are
performed. However, on
cross examination, an experienced DUI lawyer will get the officer
to admit that he repeatedly practices the tests every time he demonstrates
and administers the tests to DUI suspects. In essence, practice makes perfect.
Although the tests may be easily performed by the officer, this battery
of tests is foreign to most drivers who are asked to perform them
for the first time under extremely stressful circumstances.
Poor Instructions. Often the arresting officer
will decide a suspect has failed a particular FST due to inadequate
performance when in fact it was the failure of the officer to explicitly describe what
he wanted the driver to do. For example, if the driver was merely
told to tip his head back, hold his arms out to the side and touch his finger to his
nose, he should not fail the test merely because he did not touch the tip of
his finger to the tip of his nose. If any portion of his
finger touched any part of his nose, he was just doing as he
was told, and doing it well. If the officer states the subject swayed while performing the one-leg
stand or any FST for that matter, then he should be asked if
he told the driver not to sway. When he says no, it will confirm
that the driver was unfairly judged on criteria he was not told
would be on the test.
Unfavorable Conditions. Perhaps it was a dark,
cold and stormy night when the driver was required to perform
FST's on the road side. Perhaps
the road was steeply graded or the emergency lane was filled
with loose gravel. Maybe the citizen was asked to perform the one-leg
stand and walk and turn in 5 inch stiletto heels. If the conditions under which
the driver was administered these tests were poor, it may invalidate
the test and/or offend the jury. Once it has been established that conditions
for FST administration were not ideal, the officer should be
asked if he considered giving the
driver the test battery in the dry, warm, level, and well lit
conditions of the police station. This will show the jury
the officer was holding all the cards and controlling the outcome
by unfairly administering the tests under conditions which guaranteed failure.
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5. Denial of the Right
to Counsel. Under Arizona criminal law, when a drunk driving
suspect requests a lawyer, the police must provide the defendant
with an opportunity to speak
with a lawyer telephonically as soon as is reasonably possible. Kunzler
v. Pima County Superior Court, 154 Ariz. 568, 744 P.2d 669 (1987).
Where the police unreasonably delay or deny the suspect's request
to speak with an attorney, depending on the particular facts, the remedy in the
criminal case is either dismissal or suppression of all the evidence
obtained after the violation of his or her constitutional right to counsel. Kunzler
v. Pima County Superior Court, 154 Ariz. 568, 744 P.2d 669 (1987).
Note: In Arizona, a DUI suspect has no right
to the assistance of counsel in deciding whether or not to submit
to a chemical, blood, breath or urine test as required by the implied consent law.
6. Violation of Miranda Warnings. Prior to
any questioning initiated by law enforcement officers, after a
person is taken into custody or otherwise
deprived of his freedom in a significant way, the person must be
warned that: (a) he or she has a right to remain silent; (b) any
statement he or she does make may be used as evidence against him or her; (c)
he or she has the right to the presence of an attorney; and (d)
if he or she cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for him or her prior
to any questioning if he or she so desires. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436,
88 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Unless these warnings or
a waiver of these rights are shown, any incriminating statements made during the custodial
interrogation may be suppressed.
7. Inaccuracy of the Breath Testing Device. The
Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) has promulgated rules
for the proper administration of breath testing and the maintenance of breath testing devices.
Accordingly, for the test to be valid, the DHS testing procedure
must be followed and the device must be calibrated to within a 10% accuracy range
every 31 days. Additionally, the Department evaluates the machine every 90 days
using a seven (7) test Standard Quality Assurance Procedure (SQAP).
As a result, if any of the maintenance checks appear out of tolerance, then
all breath tests administered during the time interval between
the two maintenance checks will be inadmissible.
Portable Breath Testing Devices ("PBT") Are Inadmissible
in Court. :
A "Preliminary breath test" usually refers to a hand-held
breath testing instrument used at the scene and prior to an arrest
for the purpose of obtaining a determination of alcohol concentration
from a specimen of breath. Ariz. Admin. Code R9-14-401. The police frequently
use a portable breath testing device to measure the quantity
of alcohol in a person's blood prior to arrest. The results of the portable unit is not accepted
as "evidence" to prove that the person has a certain measurement of alcohol present
in their body, due to the device's scientific unreliability.
Therefore, the digital results of the PBT are only useful to the police to help them
determine whether or not to arrest the person being investigated.
You have every right to refuse to blow into the PBT.
Intoxilyzer
Devises. The Intoxilyzer Devices are breath-testing device manufactured
by C.M.I., Inc., which the Arizona Department of Health Services has approved
and designated for use in Arizona. The machine analyzes the DUI suspect's
breath sample without destroying it through a process of infrared spectroscopy,
thereby determining the amount of ethyl alcohol present in the sample.
Although the device has the potential for accuracy and reliability, it
rarely lives up to that possibility. Design flaws combined with rules
governing its use and maintenance by Arizona law enforcement officers
make the Intoxilyzer Devices prone to inaccuracy and unreliability. Consequently,
there are many ways to challenge the prosecution's breath evidence in
your drunk driving case.
Challenging the Accuracy of the Intoxilyzer Devices:
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Inherent Margin of Error:
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The
Intoxilyzer Devices have an acknowledged + 10%
margin of error. Thus, even when the device is calibrated and the
administering officer determines it is operating properly, the Intoxilyzer
Devices will have a 20% range of error.
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Power
Source & Radio Frequency Interference:
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According
to recent studies, the stability of the Intoxilyzer Device's power
source and its proximity to other devices emitting radio waves may
cast doubt on its accuracy.
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Mouth
Alcohol:
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The
Intoxilyzer Devices are frequently incapable of distinguishing between
alcohol in a person's mouth and blood alcohol. Moreover, contaminants
in a person's mouth, such as, smokeless tobacco, denture adhesives,
mints, and lip balm may also result in erroneous breath alcohol
readings.
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Physical Condition:
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A
person's physical condition, or exposure to certain substances,
may also cast doubt onto the accuracy of the Intoxilyzer Devices. For
example, a person suffering from diabetes, esophagheal hernia, heartburn,
liver disease, or other illnesses may get inaccurate results on
the Intoxilyzer Devices.
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Operator Error:
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Law
enforcement officers often lack proper training in the use of the
Intoxilyzer Devices. Officers generally receive minimal training in
the use of the device, and are not provided adequate written materials.
Thus, inquiry into the officer's knowledge on the Intoxilyzer Device
may be helpful to your case.
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The Average Person Myth:
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The
accuracy of the Intoxilyzer device depends on the validity of several
scientific assumptions about the average person. With respect
to body temperature, for instance, the Intoxilyzer Devices
assume that every test subject has a core body temperature of
37 degrees Celsius and an expired breath temperature of 34 degrees
Celsius. Based on this fallacy, the DUI suspect's breath reading
will be 6.8% higher for each degree above the average than the
suspect's actual breath reading.
The Circadian Rhythm, which refers to the "body's internal clock," further
dispels the average person myth. The human body undergoes periodic daily physiological
changes, involving, body temperature, sleep, hormonal levels, mineral concentrations,
physical coordination, etc. For instance, studies show that morning consumption
of alcohol resulted in higher peak concentrations than evening consumption
of alcohol. Thus, the time of day when an alcoholic beverage is consumed may
affect the rate at which the DUI suspect's body absorbs alcohol.
Another
scientific assumption regarding the average person, which underlies
the Intoxilyzer Device's accuracy, is the partition ratio.
The partition ratio is a model of how much alcohol leaves the
blood and enters the breath, which assumes that the ratio between
alcohol in the blood and alcohol in the breath is 2100:1. In other
words, the Intoxilyzer Devices assume the alcohol concentration
in the exhaled breath is 1/2100th of the blood-alcohol concentration.
Yet, the actual ratio at which alcohol converts from blood to
breath can range from 1300:1 to 3000:1. Thus, a DUI suspect
with a blood-to-breath ratio of 1700:1 and a true BAC of .08 would
register a .10 reading on an "accurate" Intoxilyzer
Devices.
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8. Subtractive
Retrograde or "Rising BAC Defense." The subtractive
retrograde is a method to compensate for any alcohol consumed shortly
before driving.
Typically, the human body requires between 45 minutes and a few hours
to absorb alcohol. For this reason, a person's blood alcohol concentration
("BAC") may continue rising after the traffic stop and show
a much higher level during the subsequent breath or blood test. Simply
stated, the total contribution of a drink to a defendant's alcohol
concentration at the time of the breath or blood test is related back
to the time of driving by subtracting the contribution of the drinks consumed
shortly before the traffic stop.
Hypothetically, assume a 160 pound man consumed two beers within an
hour of his being pulled over by the police, and approximately one
hour later, the suspect submits to a breath test, which indicates a
BAC of .12%. Between the time of the traffic stop and the time of the breath
test, the suspect's BAC continued to rise as his body physiologically
continued to absorb alcohol. Under this defense, although the breath
test accurately reported a.12 BAC, the defendant's actual BAC at the
time of driving will be retrograded or "back calculated" to a .08 BAC
or below.
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Presumptions.
Under Arizona law, the following presumptions apply in all misdemeanor
and felony trials for DUI:
(i) If there was at the time of driving .05 or less alcohol concentration in
the defendant's breath or blood, then it may be presumed that the defendant was
not under the influence of intoxicating liquor;
(ii) If there was at the time of driving in excess of .05 but less than .10 alcohol
concentration in the defendant's breath or blood, then no presumption arises,
but that fact may be considered with other evidence in determining the defendant's
guilt or innocence; and
(iii) If there was at the time of driving .10 or more alcohol concentration in
the defendant's breath or blood, then it may be presumed that the defendant was
under the influence of intoxicating liquor.
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LEGAL
UPDATE: With respect to a DWI charge pursuant
to A.R.S. § 28-1381(A)(2), the Arizona legislature repealed the "Rising BAC Defense" on
July 18, 2000. However, this defense still applies to a DUI charged
under 28-1381(A)(1).
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of Page
9. Deficiencies in Blood Alcohol Testing & Issues
in Blood Cases. Results of blood alcohol testing are only admissible as evidence
against the defendant if the State can establish the blood was drawn
by qualified personnel and the particular scientific analysis utilized
complied with scientific standards and State requirements as to calibration
and maintenance. Any foundational deficiencies in the State's collection,
storage or analysis of the chemical evidence may require the test results
to be suppressed.
In addition,
the following issues may be present in any case where law enforcement
officers draw the suspect's blood.
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The
Blood Draw. Qualifications/Certification: In Arizona, the
phlebotomist, or the person who drew the blood must have been
trained in the practice of blood withdrawal to draw a DUI suspect's
blood for blood alcohol concentration testing. State v. Nihiser,
191 Ariz.199, 953 P.2d 1252, (App. Div. 2 1997) citing State
v. Tocco, 156 Ariz. 116,119-20, 750 P.2d 874, 877-78 (1988).
The Blood Swab used to cleanse the site of venepuncture must be contaminant free.
Hospitals frequently use isopropyl alcohol to clean the cite of the blood draw.
However, isopropyl alcohol can contaminate the blood sample. Also, if police
used a NIK blood kit, due to a manufacture recall, the content of the forensic
swab may be contaminated and should be the subject of a discovery request.
Was Whole Blood or Plasma Tested? Whole Blood is composed of cellular material,
plasma and fibrinogen (clotting agent). In plasma draws hospitals typically test
serum or plasma for the presence of alcohol. Conversely, forensic blood draws
test for the precise blood-alcohol concentration. Medical blood draws, therefore,
present several problems for DUI suspects. First, when the hospital lab tech
centrifuges the blood sample, the solid, cellular material (the whole blood)
is removed, which leaves the same amount of ETOH in a smaller volume of liquid.
Thus, hospital tests may artificially inflate the DUI suspect's alcohol concentration
by as much as 20% to 30%.
Hematocrit. This is the percentage of whole blood comprised
of cellular material. For instance, a Hematocrit of 47 means that
47% of the person's blood is composed of cellular material, and the
remaining 53% is plasma (mostly water). The Hematocrit for a male
is 47% and for a female is slightly lower.
Hypothetically, if the DUI suspect had a Hematocrit of 60 and the hospital
tested plasma, what results? The lab analysis will report a higher BAC for the
DUI suspect, because he or she will have a lesser volume of liquid, and alcohol
always gravitates toward the liquid. Thus, the higher the Hematocrit the higher
the DUI suspect's BAC. Typically, hospital records will show Hematocrit.
Pre-Blood Draw IVs. Administering an IV to a DUI suspect
prior to a blood draw artificially increases the person's blood-alcohol
concentration. Because alcohol tends to follow water in the blood,
intravenously administered liquid draw more alcohol out of body tissue,
thereby, artificially increasing the DUI suspect's blood-alcohol
concentration.
Blood Test Kits:
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Expiration
Date:
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Blood
test kits manufactured by NIK Public Safety, Inc., have expiration
dates regarding the period that the vacuum in the vacutainer
tube is warranted. Each tube contains a preservative and an
anticoagulant. A precise vacuum exists in the vacutainer tube
to assure a precise amount of blood will be drawn and mixed
with these chemicals in a precise ratio. Thus, imprecision
in the mix, i.e., too much chemical or not enough blood, can
skew the test result.
Additionally, if the vacutainer leaks, air born microorganisms may contaminate
the sample. Combining blood with microorganisms results in fermentation. ETOH
is a byproduct of fermentation, and there is no way to distinguish between alcohol
consumed by a DUI suspect and alcohol created by fermentation.
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Vacutainer
Tube Chemicals:
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Each
vacutainer kit is intended to take 10 ml of blood. Each
kit contains two chemicals: 100 mg of sodium fluoride (a preservative
to prevent fermentation and neo-production of ETOH) and
20 mg of potassium oxalate (an anticoagulant designed to prevent
clotting of the blood). The issue is whether these chemicals
were in the vacutainer tubes because these chemicals are
critical to an accurate test result. Instructions in blood
kit. NIK kits have two sets of instructions. One for the person
drawing the blood and one for the cop. One of the instructions
pertains to MIXING of the blood immediately after the blood draw.
After the blood is in the vacutainer, the person drawing the
blood is to properly mix the blood and chemicals in tubes.
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Instructions
in blood kit:
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NIK kits have two sets of instructions. One for the person
drawing the blood and one for the cop. One of the instructions
pertains to MIXING of the blood immediately after the blood
draw. After the blood is in the vacutainer, the person drawing
the blood is to properly mix the blood and chemicals in tubes.
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Gas Chromatography. There
are two types of gas chromatography used in blood analysis:
(1) direct measurement of the blood sample and (2) measurement
of the gas in the head space above the liquid. Gas Chromatography
("G/C") is a method of (1) identifying a substance
and (2) determining the concentration of that substance.
The process is both qualitative (what is it?) and quantitative
(how much is there?).
Gas Head Space Chromatography. In gas chromatography you are
actually testing the DUI suspect's blood. In gas head space chromatography,
you are testing the gas or vapor above the liquid--not the liquid
itself. The head space is the space above the liquid. The alcohol
evaporates (at a rate of speed determined by temperature) from the
liquid to the gas in the head space above the liquid. The alcohol
will evaporate until it reaches the point of equilibrium. Equilibrium
is determined by temperature. The higher the temperature, the more
alcohol in the gas above the liquid.
By way of analogy, this is why core body temperature variation and expired breath
variation can artificially inflate a breath test reading. Breath testing is based
on the relationship between alcohol in the blood and alcohol percolating from
the blood into the vapor in the lungs. The assumption underlying breath testing
is that whatever alcohol is present in one ml of breath, 2100 times that amount
will be present in one ml of blood.
This same theory underlies gas head space chromatography. With this process,
the lab makes up the same mixture of the blood plus the internal standard. They
heat the sample and draw off the vapor for analysis. Then the vapor is injected
into the chromatograph. The process assumes there is a relationship between the
alcohol in this vapor and the actual alcohol in the blood. However, this assumption
raises several questions. How is the temperature regulated? What was the temperature?
What is the relationship between the ETOH in the head space and the ETOH in the
blood? The primary disadvantage to head space chromatography is the partition
ratio and the effect of temperature and pressure.
Machine Error. Like the IR Devices, the G/C has a 10% margin
of error under Arizona's DHS administrative regs. A 20% margin of
error is not uncommon. The process is not that precise.
Gas Chromatography analysis rides on the validity of the standards that are used
to calibrate the chromatograph. The integrity of the whole process is determined
by the accuracy of those standards.
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10. Denial of Independent Test. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution, the defendant has a due process right to collect independent
scientific evidence of his or her blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Independent chemical tests are exculpatory evidence, and the State may
not unreasonably interfere with a defendant's reasonable efforts to gain such evidence.
Smith v. Cady, 114 Ariz. 510, 562 P.2d 390 (1977); Smith v. Ganske,
114 Ariz. 515, 562 P.2d 390 (1977).
The Gillespie Law Firm, P.C. is a leading Phoenix, Arizona DUI
and criminal defense law firm dedicated to the aggressive
representation of clients involving all aspects of
vehicular crimes and criminal litigation. We handle cases
in Federal, State, Municipal, Juvenile, and Appellate
Courts throughout the greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area
and all of Arizona.
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