Opinion
No. 05-19-00926-CR
08-17-2020
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellant v. VINCENT RUSSELL GIORDANO, Appellee
On Appeal from the County Criminal Court No. 3 Dallas County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. M17-41558-C
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Justices Myers, Partida-Kipness, and Reichek
Opinion by Justice Partida-Kipness
The State appeals the trial court's order granting Vincent Russell Giordano's motion to suppress results of a blood test. In one issue, the State argues that the trial court erroneously granted the motion on the grounds that a search warrant to take a blood specimen does not also allow for the testing of the specimen. We agree. Accordingly, we reverse the trial court's order granting the motion to suppress and remand this cause to the trial court for further proceedings.
The State raises this same issue in a related appeal, cause number 05-19-00927-CR, which also involves the seizure of a blood specimen pursuant to a search warrant following an DWI arrest.
BACKGROUND
In the early hours of May 25, 2017, a witness reported seeing a vehicle driven by Giordano proceeding east on IH30 swerving, passing vehicles on the shoulder of the road, hitting a curb, and almost hitting a pedestrian. Officers from the Mesquite Police Department were summoned and followed Giordano's vehicle to a gas station. Responding officer Chris Odom noted the smell of alcohol as he spoke with Giordano after Giordano exited his vehicle. Officer Odom administered a field sobriety test and placed Giordano under arrest for driving while intoxicated when Giordano failed the test.
Officer Odom asked Giordano for permission to take a blood sample. When Giordano refused, Officer Odom executed an affidavit for a search warrant. The affidavit stated that Giordano "has possession of and is concealing human blood, which constitutes evidence that [Giordano] committed the offense" of driving while intoxicated. The affidavit continued, "I believe that [Giordano] is intoxicated by not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the suspect's body." The affidavit requested a warrant "that will authorize Affiant or Affiant's agent to search the person of the suspect for the blood evidence described above and seize the same evidence that the offense described was committed and that the suspect committed the said offense." The magistrate issued a search warrant to obtain a blood specimen from Giordano. Relevant to this appeal, the search warrant stated:
Now, therefore, you are commanded to take custody of the suspect and transport the suspect to a hospital in Dallas County, Texas[,] where you shall search for, seize and maintain as evidence the property described in said Affidavit, to-wit: human blood from the body of [Giordano].The magistrate also issued an order for assistance in execution of the search warrant that states, "[T]his court has issued a warrant to search for and seize blood from the suspect named and described in the Affidavit, to-wit: [Giordano]." Giordano's blood was drawn and analyzed.
Giordano moved to suppress the results of the analysis of his blood that was seized pursuant to the warrant. Giordano argued the search warrant only allowed the State to seize his blood; it did not allow the State to analyze the blood it collected. The trial court granted Giordano's motion to suppress the results of the blood-alcohol analysis and issued findings of fact and conclusions of law. The trial court concluded that Giordano had "a privacy interest in the private facts contained in [his] blood and the State's testing of [his] blood went beyond the scope of the Search Warrant." The State appeals the trial court's order.
Giordano did not challenge the existence of probable cause to support the blood-draw warrant.
ANALYSIS
We review a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress under a bifurcated standard of review. State v. Ruiz, 577 S.W.3d 543, 545 (Tex. Crim. App. 2019). We give almost total deference to the trial court's determination of historical facts and review de novo the application of the law to the facts. Id. We view the record in the light most favorable to the trial court's ruling and uphold the ruling if it is supported by the record and is correct under any theory of the law applicable to the case. Id.
This appeal presents a purely legal issue: whether the search warrant obtained by the State permitted the testing and analysis of Giordano's blood. Giordano argued to the trial court and maintains on appeal that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion in State v. Martinez, 570 S.W.3d 278 (Tex. Crim. App. 2019), required the State to obtain an additional search warrant to authorize the testing and analysis of his blood and, because the State failed to do so, the results of the testing must be suppressed. We disagree.
We considered this same argument on virtually identical facts in State v. Staton, 599 S.W.3d 614 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2020, pet. filed). Staton was arrested after an auto accident for driving while intoxicated. Id. at 615. When Staton refused to give a blood specimen, the arresting officer swore out an affidavit identical to Officer Odom's affidavit here. Id. at 615-16. The magistrate in Staton issued a search warrant containing virtually the same language as the warrant at issue here, and Staton's blood was drawn and analyzed. Id. at 616. Staton moved to suppress the blood analysis, and the trial court granted Staton's motion on grounds similar to those stated by the trial court here. Id.
On appeal from the trial court's order, we noted that Staton relied on Martinez to argue that the State had to obtain an additional search warrant to authorize the testing and analysis of her blood. Id. We determined, however, that Martinez was inapplicable because Martinez had his blood drawn for medical purposes, thus he had a subjective expectation of privacy in the blood drawn. Id. at 617.
In Staton, we also analyzed the San Antonio court of appeals' holding in Crider v. State, No. 04-18-00856-CR, 2019 WL 4178633 (Tex. App.—San Antonio Sept. 4, 2019, pet. granted) (mem. op., not designated for publication). Crider likewise involved a blood draw taken pursuant to a search warrant issued after an arrest for driving while intoxicated. Id., at *1. Relying on Martinez, Crider, like Staton and Giordano, filed a motion to suppress the blood analysis. Id. The trial court denied Crider's motion. Id. On appeal from a jury's guilty verdict, the appellate court concluded, "[W]e do not believe the Martinez court intended to require specific authorization for testing where probable cause supports a warrant for blood collection." Id., at *2.
Following Crider, we concluded in Staton that "[a]lthough the warrant does not expressly authorize testing and analysis of the blood sample, Martinez does not require that it do so." Staton, 599 S.W.3d at 617-18. "Rather, Martinez holds that an individual has an expectation of privacy in blood previously drawn for purposes other than police testing." Id. at 618. Because those facts were not before the Court in Staton, we concluded that Staton did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in her blood drawn under the search warrant. Id.
The facts controlling the Martinez holding are likewise not at issue here. The police obtained Giordano's blood specimen pursuant to a valid search warrant. Giordano's blood was drawn solely to test for alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other intoxicating substance introduced into his body, as indicated in Officer Odom's sworn affidavit. The search warrant gave authorization to "search for, seize and maintain as evidence the property described in said Affidavit, to-wit: human blood from the body of" Giordano.
Giordano, like Staton, does not identify, and we are not aware of, any authority requiring a search warrant authorizing the drawing of blood for a specific purpose to also expressly authorize testing and analysis of the blood sample to effectuate that purpose. Rather, common sense dictates that blood drawn for a specific purpose will be analyzed for that purpose and no other. See Staton, 599 S.W.3d at 618. Giordano's blood was drawn and analyzed for the purpose of testing for intoxicating substances, and the State sought to admit the results of that specific testing. Accordingly, we conclude the trial court erred by granting Giordano's motion to suppress, and we sustain the State's sole issue.
CONCLUSION
Having sustained the State's sole issue, we reverse the trial court's order granting the motion to suppress and remand this cause to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
/Robbie Partida-Kipness/
ROBBIE PARTIDA-KIPNESS
JUSTICE Do Not Publish
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
190926F.U05
JUDGMENT
On Appeal from the County Criminal Court No. 3, Dallas County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. M17-41558-C.
Opinion delivered by Justice Partida-Kipness. Justices Myers and Reichek participating.
Based on the Court's opinion of this date, the judgment of the trial court is REVERSED and the cause REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Judgment entered this 17th day of August, 2020.