State v. Kelm , 370 Mont. 61 ( 2013 )


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  •                                                                                           April 30 2013
    DA 12-0239
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
    
    2013 MT 115
    STATE OF MONTANA,
    Plaintiff and Appellant,
    v.
    KRISTIN ELIZABETH KELM,
    Defendant and Appellee.
    APPEAL FROM:           District Court of the Fifteenth Judicial District,
    In and For the County of Sheridan, Cause No. DC 46-2011-9
    Honorable Katherine M. Bidegaray, Presiding Judge
    COUNSEL OF RECORD:
    For Appellant:
    Timothy C. Fox, Montana Attorney General; Jonathan M. Krauss,
    Assistant Attorney General; Helena, Montana
    Steven Howard, Sheridan County Attorney; Plentywood, Montana
    Nickolas C. Nurnion, Special Deputy Sheridan County Attorney;
    Glasgow, Montana
    For Appellee:
    Brad W. Fjeldheim; O’Toole Law Firm; Plentywood, Montana
    Submitted on Briefs: January 23, 2013
    Decided: April 30, 2013
    Filed:
    __________________________________________
    Clerk
    Justice Beth Baker delivered the Opinion of the Court.
    ¶1     The State of Montana appeals an order of the Montana Fifteenth Judicial District
    Court, Sheridan County, granting defendant Kristin Kelm’s motion to suppress evidence.
    We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand the action for further proceedings.
    ¶2     We address the following issues on appeal:
    ¶3     1. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that, because the arresting officer
    did not follow § 46-6-312, MCA, all evidence gathered after Kelm’s arrest should be
    suppressed?
    ¶4     2. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that the officer’s failure to advise
    Kelm of her Miranda rights at the time of her arrest required suppression of all evidence
    obtained after her arrest?
    ¶5     3. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that evidence seized from Kelm’s
    vehicle must be suppressed?
    PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND
    ¶6     In the early-morning hours of February 19, 2011, Sheridan County Sheriff’s
    Deputy Robert Krause (Krause) observed a blue pickup truck driven by Kristen Kelm
    cross the center line of a Plentywood, Montana street and drive onto the local highway.
    Krause followed Kelm for several miles and “observed [her] vehicle weaving within its
    lane touching both the fog line and the center line and then actually crossing the center
    line two or three times.”
    2
    ¶7    Krause initiated a traffic stop on Kelm’s vehicle and she pulled over to the side of
    the road.   When Krause approached the driver’s-side window, Kelm immediately
    provided her driver’s license. Krause informed Kelm that he had stopped her for crossing
    the center line of the highway.     He then remarked to Kelm that her eyes looked
    “bloodshot and glassy” and asked if she had been drinking. Kelm denied that she had
    consumed alcohol that evening.
    ¶8    Without having Kelm get out of the car, Krause proceeded to administer a
    horizontal gaze nystagmus test (HGN) to help determine whether Kelm was intoxicated.
    He observed a “lack of smooth pursuit in both eyes as well as distinct and sustained
    nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes” and gave her a score of four out of a
    possible six points, which indicated intoxication. Krause again asked Kelm if she had
    been drinking alcohol, and she admitted to consuming one drink.
    ¶9    After Krause had finished administering the HGN test, he determined that Kelm
    needed to pass standardized field sobriety tests before she could resume driving. Because
    the temperature was minus-one degree Fahrenheit and ice and snow covered the highway,
    Krause asked Kelm if she would agree to perform sobriety tests at the Sheridan County
    Jail, where the climate-controlled conditions would give her the best chance of passing
    the tests. Kelm agreed, turned off her truck, and gave her keys to Krause. In accordance
    with department policy, Krause put Kelm in handcuffs before placing her in the backseat
    of his patrol vehicle. Krause did not inform Kelm that she was under arrest.
    3
    ¶10    As Krause was helping Kelm buckle her seatbelt, he smelled alcohol on Kelm’s
    breath. Krause asked Kelm to confirm that she had only had one drink that evening. He
    then informed her that he could smell alcohol, and asked if she was certain that she had
    only had one drink; Kelm said yes.
    ¶11    Krause then noticed that Kelm had not turned off her truck’s lights. Kelm gave
    him permission to turn off the lights before they drove away so that the truck’s battery
    would not die. Krause unlocked the pickup, reached in from the driver’s side, and turned
    off the lights. As he was walking back to his patrol car, he noticed that the truck’s dome
    lights still were illuminated.   He opened the driver’s-side door a second time and
    immediately noticed a half-full beer bottle on the floor as well as a plastic cup filled with
    a green liquid that smelled like alcohol in the passenger cup holder. After emptying the
    beer bottle and plastic cup in front of his cruiser, Krause asked Kelm about the green
    liquid. Kelm could not identify the liquid and denied that she had been drinking it.
    ¶12    Krause drove Kelm to the booking room at the Sheridan County Jail, where she
    performed three field sobriety tests under the direction of Sheriff Deputy Darren Ginn
    (Ginn): a second HGN test, a “walk and turn” test, and a “one-leg stand” test. Kelm
    failed each test. Like Krause, Ginn observed a “lack of smooth pursuit” and “distinct
    nystagmus at maximum deviation” during the HGN test. During the walk and turn test,
    Kelm failed to follow directions by walking too soon, raising her arms while walking,
    and making an improper turn. She also was unable to walk in a straight line in a heel-toe
    fashion. During the one-leg stand, she swayed back and forth, raised her arms, and put
    4
    her foot down too soon. Ginn and Krause did not ask Kelm any potentially incriminating
    questions while administering the sobriety tests.
    ¶13    Following the sobriety tests, Ginn read to Kelm an implied consent advisory form.
    Ginn informed Kelm that she was under arrest for driving a motor vehicle while under
    the influence of alcohol and that, under Montana law, she was deemed to have given her
    implied consent to either a blood or breath test for alcohol. This was the first time a law
    enforcement officer told Kelm that she was under arrest.        Ginn also explained that
    Kelm’s Miranda right to an attorney did not apply during the testing procedure and
    advised her of the consequences if she refused to take the test. Kelm signed the form and
    agreed to take a breath test. The test showed that her blood alcohol content was 0.198—
    over twice the legal limit. Krause then read Kelm her Miranda rights for the first time.
    Kelm signed a form indicating that she understood her rights and stated she did not wish
    to further speak with law enforcement. Krause then formally booked Kelm into the
    Sheridan County Jail.
    ¶14    Later that day, Kelm appeared before the Sheridan County Justice Court and was
    charged with three separate counts: (1) unlawful possession of an open alcoholic
    beverage container in a motor vehicle, in violation of § 61-8-460, MCA; (2) failure to
    drive on the right side of a roadway, in violation of § 61-8-321, MCA; and (3) driving
    under the influence of alcohol, first offense, in violation of § 61-8-401, MCA. After the
    Justice Court denied Kelm’s motion to suppress all evidence collected after her arrest,
    5
    Kelm pleaded guilty to all three charges, but gave notice of her intention to appeal the
    denial of her motion to the District Court pursuant to § 46-12-204(3), MCA.
    ¶15       On October 17, 2011, Kelm filed motions requesting the District Court to order
    the evidence against her suppressed. Kelm asserted that the State should not be allowed
    to introduce evidence obtained during the HGN test Krause administered, evidence of the
    half-full beer bottle and plastic cup that Krause took from Kelm’s car as he was trying to
    turn off her lights, and “all evidence gathered prior to [her] Miranda warning.”
    ¶16       The District Court held a hearing on the matter, and entered an order on March 28,
    2012. The court denied Kelm’s motion regarding the HGN test and concluded that the
    State could introduce evidence of Krause’s HGN test after laying a proper foundation.1
    The District Court disagreed with the State’s contention that Krause’s seizure of the beer
    bottle and plastic cup fell within the plain view doctrine because Krause was not
    “lawfully present” in Kelm’s vehicle; consequently, the court granted Kelm’s motion to
    suppress that evidence. The court also granted Kelm’s motion to suppress “all evidence
    the State gathered between her arrest and [when the] Miranda warnings finally [were]
    articulated” at the Sheridan County Jail. The District Court agreed with Kelm’s argument
    that, because Deputy Krause did not satisfy § 46-6-312, MCA, and did not apprise Kelm
    of her Miranda rights immediately after arresting her, her arrest was unlawful and all
    evidence subsequently obtained must be suppressed. The State appeals.
    1
    Kelm has not cross-appealed this finding and it is not at issue on appeal.
    6
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    ¶17   The State may appeal from any court order or judgment in a criminal case “the
    substantive effect of which results in . . . suppressing evidence.”       Section 46-20-
    103(2)(e), MCA. When reviewing a district court’s ruling on a motion to suppress, we
    determine “whether the findings of fact are clearly erroneous and whether the court
    correctly interpreted the law and applied it to those facts.” State v. Nixon, 
    2013 MT 81
    ,
    ¶ 15, 
    369 Mont. 359
    , ___ P.3d ___ (quoting State v. Haldane, 
    2013 MT 32
    , ¶ 15, 
    368 Mont. 396
    , ____ P.3d ___). A factual finding is clearly erroneous if it is “not supported
    by substantial evidence, if the court has misapprehended the effect of the evidence, or if
    this Court’s review of the record leaves us with a definite or firm conviction that a
    mistake has been made.” Nixon, ¶ 15 (quoting State v. Morrisey, 
    2009 MT 201
    , ¶ 14, 
    351 Mont. 144
    , 
    214 P.3d 708
    ).
    ¶18   Our review of constitutional questions is plenary, State v. Dugan, 
    2013 MT 38
    ,
    ¶ 14, 
    369 Mont. 39
    , ___ P.3d ___, and we “review for correctness a district court’s
    interpretation of constitutional law.” Nichols v. Dept. of Just., 
    2011 MT 33
    , ¶ 8, 
    359 Mont. 251
    , 
    248 P.3d 813
    . Likewise, to the extent a district court’s ruling is based on
    interpretation of a statute, our review is de novo. State v. Derbyshire, 
    2009 MT 27
    , ¶ 19,
    
    349 Mont. 114
    , 
    201 P.3d 811
    .
    7
    DISCUSSION
    ¶19    1. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that, because the arresting officer
    did not follow § 46-6-312, MCA, all evidence gathered after Kelm’s arrest should be
    suppressed?
    ¶20    The District Court concluded that even though Krause had probable cause to arrest
    Kelm, he failed to satisfy the requirements of § 46-6-312, MCA, when arresting her.
    That statute provides:
    A peace officer making an arrest without a warrant shall inform the
    person to be arrested of the officer’s authority, of the intention to arrest
    that person, and of the cause of the arrest, except when the person to be
    arrested is actually engaged in the commission of or in an attempt to
    commit an offense or is pursued immediately after its commission, after
    an escape, or when the giving of the information will imperil the arrest.
    Section 46-6-312, MCA. Because Krause did not satisfy those requirements, the District
    Court concluded that his arrest of Kelm was unlawful and, consequently, the court
    suppressed “all evidence the State gathered after Deputy Krause arrested [Kelm].”
    ¶21    For purposes of our analysis of this case, we begin with the State’s concession that
    “at the moment Kelm was placed in handcuffs in the back of the patrol car, she was ‘for
    all intents and purposes . . . arrested.’”2 The State argues that Kelm’s arrest was lawful
    because Krause had probable cause to arrest her and that Krause satisfied the
    requirements of § 46-6-312, MCA, because “the circumstances of the stop and arrest
    2
    The State suggests on appeal that “[i]t was arguable on the facts presented that Kelm was not
    ‘under arrest’ during the short trip to the station to complete field sobriety tests, but only
    reasonably and temporarily detained for appropriate investigative purposes made necessary
    under the circumstances.” It agrees, however, that it is bound by its concession before the
    District Court. We therefore assume without deciding that Kelm was under arrest.
    8
    evident in the record are more than sufficient to establish that Kelm was informed of the
    necessary statutory requirements[.]”
    ¶22    When interpreting a statute, “we look first to the plain meaning of the words it
    contains.” Kluver v. PPL Mont., LLC, 
    2012 MT 321
    , ¶ 55, 
    368 Mont. 101
    , 
    293 P.3d 817
    .
    When the language of a statute “is clear and unambiguous, the statute speaks for itself
    and we will not resort to other means of interpretation.” Kluver, ¶ 55. The language of
    § 46-6-312, MCA, makes plain that, unless certain exceptions apply, a law enforcement
    officer making a warrantless arrest “shall inform” the person being arrested of: (1) the
    officer’s authority to arrest her; (2) the officer’s intention to arrest her; and (3) the reason
    why she is being arrested.
    ¶23    During the suppression hearing, Krause agreed that “at no point in time did [he]
    tell Ms. Kelm out at the scene of the stop that she was under arrest.” We are unconvinced
    by the State’s argument that, based on the facts and circumstances of the traffic stop,
    Kelm “was informed” that she was under arrest.
    ¶24    Whether or not Krause met the technical requirements of the statute, however, the
    District Court erred in concluding that his failure rendered Kelm’s arrest unlawful. The
    court determined that an officer’s failure to inform the arrestee of the arrest “is a
    structural defect to the arrest itself rendering it unlawful.” We have held, however, that
    the exclusionary rule will not apply to violations of statutory requirements unless the
    violation affects the accused’s substantial rights. State v. West, 
    1998 MT 282
    , ¶¶ 8-9,
    
    291 Mont. 435
    , 
    968 P.2d 289
     (citing State v. Pipkin, 
    1998 MT 143
    , ¶ 27, 
    289 Mont. 240
    ,
    9
    
    961 P.2d 733
    ); see also § 46-5-103(1)(b), (c), MCA. The purpose of statutes like § 46-6-
    312, MCA, is to ensure that an officer communicates adequately his authority and actions
    when there is no written warrant authorizing the arrest. State v. Bradshaw, 
    53 Mont. 96
    ,
    99, 
    161 P. 710
    , 711 (1916) (holding that the officer must “make known his official
    character, or it must be known to the offender; else there is no obligation upon the latter to
    submit”) (emphasis added). Kelm does not allege that she lacked actual knowledge of
    Krause’s authority to arrest her, his intention to arrest her, or the reasons why he was
    taking her into custody. Consequently, we conclude that Krause’s failure to use the
    words, “you are under arrest,” when he placed her in the patrol car, did not impair Kelm’s
    substantial rights.
    ¶25    The lawfulness of a warrantless arrest turns on the existence of probable cause.
    An officer “must have probable cause to justify a warrantless arrest.”               State v.
    Williamson, 
    1998 MT 199
    , ¶ 12, 
    290 Mont. 321
    , 
    965 P.2d 231
     (citing § 46-6-311(1),
    MCA). Thus, probable cause is the “standard set by the Constitution” by which the
    reasonableness of a seizure is measured to determine whether the arrestee’s constitutional
    rights have been protected. Henry v. U.S., 
    361 U.S. 98
    , 102, 
    80 S. Ct. 168
    , 171 (1959);
    see also Carroll v. U.S., 
    267 U.S. 132
    , 161, 
    45 S. Ct. 280
    , 288 (1925). Probable cause
    exists “where the facts and circumstances within an officer’s personal knowledge prove
    sufficient to warrant a reasonable person to believe that someone is committing or has
    committed an offense.” State v. Ellington, 
    2006 MT 219
    , ¶ 16, 
    333 Mont. 411
    , 
    143 P.3d 119
     (citing Williamson, ¶ 12). If supported by facts demonstrating probable cause, a
    10
    warrantless arrest will be held lawful. Virginia v. Moore, 
    553 U.S. 164
    , 171, 
    128 S. Ct. 1598
    , 1604 (2008). Krause lawfully arrested Kelm because he had probable cause to
    believe that Kelm was driving under the influence of alcohol. He observed Kelm driving
    her truck erratically across the center and fog lines of the highway, her eyes were
    “bloodshot and glassy,” and the HGN test he administered indicated Kelm was
    intoxicated. Kelm did not dispute that these facts were sufficient to establish probable
    cause for her arrest.
    ¶26    With no indication that Kelm’s substantial rights were impaired, probable cause
    for the arrest protects her constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizures,
    despite any noncompliance with the arrest statute. Applying that standard, Krause’s
    arrest of Kelm was lawful. Because the arrest was lawful, Krause’s failure to satisfy all
    of the requirements prescribed in § 46-6-312, MCA, did not require the suppression of
    evidence obtained after the arrest. The District Court erred in concluding otherwise.
    ¶27    2. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that the officer’s failure to advise
    Kelm of her Miranda rights at the time of her arrest required suppression of all evidence
    obtained after her arrest?
    ¶28    The District Court concluded that “[a]t the point of arrest, [Kelm] was entitled to a
    Miranda warning.” Because Krause did not read Kelm her Miranda rights immediately
    after arresting her, the court concluded that Kelm’s arrest was unlawful and it suppressed
    all evidence collected by the State after the arrest. The State concedes that the answers to
    two questions posed by Krause to Kelm while Kelm was in the patrol car should be
    11
    suppressed. Nevertheless, the State contends that the court “erred when it suppressed
    evidence obtained from Kelm that was not derived from custodial interrogation.” Kelm
    was not entitled to a Miranda warning prior to the second HGN test, the field sobriety
    tests that she completed at the jail, or the Intoxilyzer breath test, according to the State,
    because the results of those tests were not self-incriminating statements that must be
    suppressed in the absence of a Miranda waiver. We agree with the State that Kelm’s
    responses to Krause’s two questions comprise the only evidence that must be suppressed.
    ¶29    The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article II, Section 25
    of the Montana Constitution both provide that no person shall be compelled, in any
    criminal case, to be a witness against himself. State v. Larson, 
    2010 MT 236
    , ¶ 28, 
    358 Mont. 156
    , 
    243 P.3d 1130
     (citing State v. Olson, 
    2003 MT 61
    , ¶ 13, 
    314 Mont. 402
    , 
    66 P.3d 297
    ). When an individual “is taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his
    freedom by the authorities in any significant way and is subjected to questioning,” he
    “‘must be adequately and effectively apprised of his [Miranda] rights and the exercise of
    those rights must be fully honored.’” Morrisey, ¶ 28 (quoting Miranda v. Arizona, 
    384 U.S. 436
    , 467, 478, 
    86 S. Ct. 1602
    , 1624, 1630 (1966)) (emphasis added); see also § 46-
    6-107, MCA. Failure by law enforcement officers to provide a Miranda warning and
    obtain a waiver of rights prior to a custodial interrogation “generally requires exclusion of
    any statements obtained.” Morrisey, ¶ 28 (emphasis added).
    ¶30    Although the constitutional protections under Miranda are afforded during a
    custodial interrogation, those protections generally do not attach during field sobriety
    12
    tests or breath tests because “the privilege against self-incrimination does not extend to
    real or objective evidence.” State v. Van Kirk, 
    2001 MT 184
    , ¶ 22, 
    306 Mont. 215
    , 
    32 P.3d 735
    ; see also Schmerber v. Cal., 
    384 U.S. 757
    , 764, 
    86 S. Ct. 1826
    , 1832 (1966).
    The Fifth Amendment “offers no protection against compulsion . . . to assume a stance, to
    walk, or to make a particular gesture.” State v. Armfield, 
    214 Mont. 229
    , 235, 
    693 P.2d 1226
    , 1229-30 (1984) (overruled on other grounds, State v. Reavley, 
    2003 MT 298
    , ¶ 41,
    
    318 Mont. 150
    , 
    79 P.3d 270
    ). Consequently, a “mere request that the suspect perform a
    series of sobriety tests, done without any interrogation of the suspect, does not constitute
    a custodial interrogation” and does not require law enforcement officers to read a suspect
    his or her Miranda rights prior to administering those tests. Van Kirk, ¶ 22; see also State
    v. Thompson, 
    237 Mont. 384
    , 386-88, 
    773 P.2d 722
    , 723-24 (1989). Similarly, the Fifth
    Amendment offers no protection against compulsion to submit to a breath test because
    “[t]he results of a breath test are not self-incriminating communications,” but instead are
    “unprotected ‘physical or real’ evidence.” Armfield, 214 Mont. at 235, 
    693 P.2d at
    1229-
    30; see also State v. Michaud, 
    2008 MT 88
    , ¶ 61, 
    342 Mont. 244
    , 
    180 P.3d 636
    . Because
    a compulsory breath test is not a custodial interrogation, a law enforcement officer is not
    required to read a suspect his or her Miranda rights prior to administering the test.
    Missoula v. Forest, 
    236 Mont. 129
    , 133-34, 
    769 P.2d 699
    , 701-02 (1989).
    ¶31    The District Court erred in concluding that Krause’s failure to give Kelm a
    Miranda warning immediately following her arrest required suppression of all evidence
    subsequently obtained.     A Miranda warning is required only prior to a custodial
    13
    interrogation. The State concedes that the District Court properly suppressed the two
    self-incriminating statements Kelm made in response to Krause’s questions after he
    placed her in the patrol vehicle. The results of the second HGN test, the field sobriety
    tests, the Intoxilyzer test and other non-testimonial evidence gathered at the jail should
    not have been suppressed, however, because those results are real or objective evidence
    not protected by the right against self-incrimination. Accordingly, we reverse the District
    Court’s suppression of that evidence.
    ¶32    3. Did the District Court incorrectly conclude that evidence seized from Kelm’s
    vehicle must be suppressed?
    ¶33    The State argued that Krause lawfully seized the beer bottle and plastic cup
    containing alcohol from Kelm’s truck without a warrant under the plain view doctrine,
    which “permits the seizure of evidence that otherwise could not be seized without a
    warrant[.]” State v. Lewis, 
    2007 MT 295
    , ¶ 24, 
    340 Mont. 10
    , 
    171 P.3d 731
    . The District
    Court rejected the State’s argument that the seizure fell within the plain view doctrine
    because it concluded that Krause was not “lawfully present” in Kelm’s truck when he
    seized the evidence.
    ¶34    We use three criteria for determining whether a police officer’s seizure of
    evidence was valid under the plain view doctrine: (1) “the officer must be lawfully at the
    place from which he could plainly view the evidence”; (2) “the item must be in plain
    view and its incriminating character be immediately apparent”; and (3) the officer “must
    also have a lawful right of access to the object itself.” State v. Doyle, 
    1998 MT 195
    , ¶ 11,
    14
    
    290 Mont. 287
    , 
    963 P.2d 1255
    . We addressed an issue similar to that raised by Kelm in
    State v. Delao, 
    2006 MT 179
    , 
    333 Mont. 68
    , 
    140 P.3d 1065
    . A highway patrol officer
    arrested Delao and placed him in the backseat of his cruiser while Delao’s vehicle, which
    was parked on the side of the road, remained unsecured with the doors unlocked and the
    windows opened. Delao, ¶¶ 5-6. As the officer attempted to secure the vehicle, he
    seized a bottle of vodka in plain view in the vehicle. Delao, ¶¶ 7-8. We concluded that
    the officer “had an obligation to secure Delao’s vehicle” so as to prevent damage to or
    theft of the vehicle because doing so “fell within the ambit of the slight duty of care that
    [the officer] owed to Delao” as a gratuitous bailee. Delao, ¶¶ 18-20 (citing State v.
    Sawyer, 
    174 Mont. 512
    , 517-18, 
    571 P.2d 1131
    , 1134 (1977)). For that reason, we
    concluded that the officer “was lawfully present inside Delao’s vehicle” when he seized
    the bottle of vodka. Delao, ¶ 31.
    ¶35    Kelm argues that the District Court properly distinguished Delao because the
    windows of Kelm’s truck were rolled up and the doors were locked.                The court
    determined that “[t]here was no better chance that the contents of [Kelm’s] vehicle itself
    would be damaged or taken if Deputy Krause left the lights on than if he did not.”
    Although Kelm also contends that Krause exceeded his duty under Delao because he
    stood “at the open door of Ms. Kelm’s pickup for more than a minute talking on the
    phone” prior to seizing the evidence, she did not raise this argument before the District
    Court and we refuse to consider it for the first time on appeal. State v. Ferguson, 
    2005 MT 343
    , ¶ 38, 
    330 Mont. 103
    , 
    126 P.3d 463
    .
    15
    ¶36    Consistent with precedent, we conclude that Krause’s decision to turn off the
    lights in Kelm’s truck prior to driving her to the jail fell within the slight duty of care that
    he owed Kelm as her gratuitous bailee. Delao, ¶¶ 18-20 (citing Sawyer, 174 Mont. at
    517-18, 
    571 P.2d at 1134
    ). Kelm’s truck was parked on the side of an icy highway in
    sub-zero temperatures. It was reasonable for Krause to believe that, if he did not turn off
    the truck’s lights, the truck’s battery would go dead while Kelm was performing her
    sobriety tests. If she passed those tests, Krause would then have to return Kelm to a
    vehicle parked on the side of the road in sub-zero temperatures that could not start. In
    such an event, Krause would be slightly responsible for Kelm’s safety and the condition
    of her truck. Given these circumstances, Krause made a reasonable effort to perform the
    duty of care set forth in Sawyer and Delao. Delao, ¶ 20. In light of this conclusion, we
    need not consider Kelm’s argument that her consent to have Krause turn off the
    headlights in her truck was not freely given.
    ¶37    We hold that Krause was lawfully present in Kelm’s vehicle when he seized the
    beer bottle and plastic cup. Delao, ¶ 31. Krause had lawful access to the beer bottle and
    plastic cup. Those items were in plain view and the incriminating nature of those items
    immediately was apparent. Accordingly, the District Court erred in granting Kelm’s
    motion to suppress those items. See Delao, ¶ 31.
    CONCLUSION
    ¶38    The District Court erred in suppressing all of the evidence gathered after Kelm
    was taken into custody, except for Kelm’s answers to two questions asked by Krause
    16
    while Kelm was handcuffed and in the backseat of Krause’s patrol car. Because we
    affirm the District Court’s suppression of those statements, Kelm “prevails on appeal” as
    contemplated by § 46-12-204(3), MCA, and, pursuant to that statute, she must be allowed
    to withdraw the guilty plea she entered in Justice Court. Section 46-12-204(3), MCA.
    ¶39   Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded to the Sheridan County Justice
    Court to provide Kelm the opportunity to withdraw her guilty plea and proceed to trial.
    /S/ BETH BAKER
    We concur:
    /S/ MIKE McGRATH
    /S/ MICHAEL E WHEAT
    /S/ PATRICIA COTTER
    /S/ BRIAN MORRIS
    17