Commonwealth v. Thompson (Lawyers Weekly No. 11-069-15)
NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA, 02108-1750; (617) 557-1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us 14-P-191 Appeals Court COMMONWEALTH vs. LLOYD W. THOMPSON. No. 14-P-191. Plymouth. February 4, 2015. – June 26, 2015. Present: Green, Grainger, & Massing, JJ. Motor Vehicle, Operating under the influence. Vessel, Alcoholic liquors. Evidence, Blood alcohol test. Constitutional Law, Blood test. Due Process of Law, Blood alcohol test. Consent. Search and Seizure, Consent. Practice, Criminal, Motion to suppress. Indictment found and returned in the Superior Court Department on December 19, 2011. A pretrial motion to suppress evidence was heard by Cornelius J. Moriarty, II, J. An application for leave to prosecute an interlocutory appeal was allowed by Barbara A. Lenk, J., in the Supreme Judicial Court for the county of Suffolk, and the appeal was reported by her to the Appeals Court. Gail M. McKenna, Assistant District Attorney, for the Commonwealth. James J. Cipoletta for the defendant. GRAINGER, J. The defendant was indicted for operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol pursuant to G. L. c. 90B, § 8A. The Commonwealth appeals from a Superior Court judge’s order allowing the defendant’s motion to suppress the results of a blood test administered after his arrest. Background. We recite the facts relevant to the issue on appeal as found by the judge which, in any event, are undisputed. The defendant was operating his boat in Hull harbor when he struck a moored sailboat. His passenger was ejected from the boat, suffered severe blunt force neck trauma and later died as a result of her injuries. The defendant complained of a leg injury and was transported by ambulance to the South Shore hospital after being placed under arrest by police who had arrived on the scene responding to a report of the accident.[1] At the conclusion of the defendant’s medical treatment, the arresting officer asked the defendant for consent to give a blood sample for chemical testing. The officer testified that he read the defendant his rights “word-for-word” from the consent form created for a violation of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, G. L. c. 90, § 24. Several hours later the defendant signed a separate consent form required by the hospital and the nurse took the defendant’s blood sample.[2] Before trial the defendant moved to suppress the results of the blood sample, alleging that he did not give effective consent. The judge allowed the motion and […]