On Point blog, page 231 of 263

Reasonable Suspicion – Traffic Stop (OWI)

State v. Brian S. Wold, 2011AP1518-CR, District 2, 12/14/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Wold: Patrick A. Dewane, Jr.; case activity

Report from a named, citizen informant that a particular vehicle was “driving all over the roadway” was sufficiently reliable to support traffic stop for OWI, even though after spotting the vehicle, the officer followed it for a mile without himself observing any traffic violations. 

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CCW, § 941.23 – Facially Constitutional

State v. Tiffany Michelle Flowers, 2011AP1757-CR, District 1, 12/13/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Flowers: Daniel A. Necci; case activity

Conviction for carrying a concealed weapon (gun in a purse, in a car), § 941.23, upheld against second amendment challenge to facial validity. Court rejects strict scrutiny test. (The statute was amended by 2011 Wis. Act 35, §§ 50-55, to allow among other things conceal-carry for licensees;

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Search Warrant – “Order”; Search Warrant – Return; Search Warrant – No-Knock Entry

State v. William A. Grantham, 2010AP2693-CR, District 3, 12/13/11

court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); for Grantham: Peter C. Rotter; case activity

Search warrant, for thermal imaging device use against residence, passes muster even if labeled “order.”

¶5        Grantham acknowledges that our supreme court has concluded, “An order meeting the parameters of a search warrant set out in [Wis. Stat. § 968.12(1)][2] is a statutorily authorized warrant,

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OWI Enhancer – Collateral Attack

State v. Jason L. Decorah, 2011AP662-CR, District 4, 12/8/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Decorah: Corey C. Chirafisi; case activity

Collateral attack on a prior OWI used as a current enhancer, on the ground Decorah didn’t understand the range of penalties therefore didn’t validly waive counsel. Decorah prevailed below, and the court affirms on this State’s appeal:

¶3        Decorah’s collateral attack is based on his contention that,

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TPR – Directed Verdict, Grounds – Abandonment

Dane Co. DHS v. Lee H., 2011AP1138, District 4, 12/8/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Lee H.: Theresa J. Schmieder; case activity

The trial court did not err in directing answers to special verdict questions with respect to two elements of grounds for terminating parental rights (existence of order containing TPR notice placing the child outside the parent’s home; failure to visit or communicate with child 3 months or longer).

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Traffic Stop – Duration

State v. John R. Nelson, 2011AP125-CR, District 2, 12/7/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Nelson: John A. Nelson; case activity

The officer’s observation that Nelson’s vehicle intruded “somewhat into the intersection” before stopping provided reasonable suspicion for a stop-sign violation, § 346.46(1). The stop wasn’t unnecessarily prolonged by summoning a drug dog while the officer ran record checks and issued a warning ticket.

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Dismissal of Juror After Trial Commences

State v. Nikolas S. Czysz, 2010AP2804-CR, District 2/4, 12/1/11

court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); for Czysz: Dianne M. Erickson; case activity

The trial court properly exercised its discretion under State v. Gonzalez, 2008 WI App 142, 314 Wis. 2d 129, 758 N.W.2d 153, in dismissing a juror on the fourth day of trial after the learning that two of the juror’s sons had been prosecuted by another prosecutor from the same district attorney’s office prosecuting Czysz.

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Evidence – Admissibility of Blood Test Results

State v. Michael Perzel, III, 2011AP1190-CR, District 4, 12/1/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Perzel: Waring R. Fincke; case activity

Blood test results are admissible without expert testimony to reflect a person’s bac at the time in question (in this OWI-related prosecution, at the time Perzel was driving), so long as the blood was drawn by a person enumerated in § 343.305(5)(d). One such person is a “registered nurse.”

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Search & Seizure – Community Caretaker; Police Activity Outside Jurisdiction

State v. Michael P. Parizanski, 2011AP395, District 2, 11/30/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Parizanski: Andrew Mishlove; case activity

Seizure of motorist who had parked by the side of a road, leading to an OWI arrest, was supported by community caretaker rationale as informed by State v. Kramer, 2009 WI 14, 315 Wis. 2d 414, 759 N.W.2d 598.

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Statute of Limitations – Reopened OWI-1st; Excited Utterance

City of Waukesha v. James F. Murphy, 2010AP2499, District 1/2, 11/29/11

court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Murphy: Leonard G. Adent; case activity

The City obtained dismissal of a then-pending OWI-1st, after discovering that Murphy had an OWI-related conviction. (Per Walworth Cnty. v. Rohner, 108 Wis. 2d 713, 722, 324 N.W.2d 682 (1982), the State has exclusive authority over second and subsequent drunk driving offenses.) However,

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