Tag Archives: blood alcohol testing

What are the requirements for the admission of the intoxilizer breath tests in DUI cases? This question has been litigated for years. To some extent, the standards have been modified and changed. The intoxilizer is obviously subject to a Daubert attack.  Johnson v. Commonwealth has held that breath testing may not be flawless; however, it has been determined for years to have sufficient reliability to be admissible in evidence and to sustain a conviction. 12 SW 3d 258, 262 (Ky. ... Read More »

United States Supreme Court decisions sometimes have a greater impact on daily life than citizens may realize. On June 23, 2016, the decision Birchfield v. North Dakota[1] changed the procedure on how law enforcement is supposed to request a blood draw from those suspected of committing a crime such as driving under the influence. The key phrase here is that it changed how law enforcement is “supposed to” handle drawing blood. As a recent news story from the Washington Post ... Read More »

The Knoxville News Sentinel (the local Knoxville newspaper) reported on a recent discovery that a TBI employee had mishandled and mistakenly switched the blood alcohol samples from two different people. This mishandling of evidence caused a man to be charged with DUI and vehicular homicide after he was involved in a fatal crash.  The incorrect sample showed that the man had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .24%—when his actual BAC was .01%.  The mistake was only discovered after the ... Read More »