By: Associated Press//May 5, 2015//
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling and reinstated a fourth drunken driving conviction against a Madison-area man.
Dean Blatterman, of the Madison suburb Oregon, argued that his blood alcohol level test results should not be admitted because Dane County sheriff’s deputies transported him to a hospital 10 miles away from where he was pulled over.
A state appeals court determined that taking Blatterman so far away from the scene amounted to a “de facto” arrest and violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.
But the Supreme Court said Tuesday that officers had a reasonable suspicion to stop Blatterman based on statements his wife made about his condition. The court also ruled that taking him to the hospital was within their legal authority.