AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The Defendant, Ashleigh Martinez, was observed by Officer Hunt making a left turn without using her turn signal. Officer Hunt, who was driving behind the Defendant at the time, subsequently stopped her vehicle. This action led to the Defendant's convictions for DWI and violating NMSA 1978, Section 66-7-325(A) (1978), which mandates the use of a turn signal when such movement may affect other traffic.

Procedural History

• [Not applicable or not found]

Parties' Submissions

• Appellant (Defendant): Argued that the evidence was insufficient to convict her of violating Section 66-7-325(A), contending that she turned from a proper position and in a reasonable manner, which could not have adversely affected other traffic. Additionally, she argued that Officer Hunt lacked reasonable suspicion to stop her for a turn signal violation, claiming it was based on a mistake of law. Lastly, she claimed her counsel was ineffective for failing to make a suppression motion on the basis that the police lacked reasonable suspicion to stop her.
• Appellee (State): The State's arguments are not explicitly detailed in the decision, but it can be inferred that the State argued for the sufficiency of evidence regarding the turn signal violation and the legality of the traffic stop by Officer Hunt.

Legal Issues

• Whether the evidence was sufficient to convict the Defendant of violating Section 66-7-325(A).
• Whether Officer Hunt had reasonable suspicion to stop the Defendant for a turn signal violation.
• Whether the Defendant's counsel was ineffective for failing to make a suppression motion on the basis that the police lacked reasonable suspicion to stop her.

Disposition

• The Court of Appeals affirmed the Defendant’s convictions for DWI and violating NMSA 1978, Section 66-7-325(A) (1978).

Reasons

• Per Jonathan B. Sutin, with James J. Wechsler and Michael D. Bustamante concurring, the court found the evidence sufficient to establish a violation of Section 66-7-325(A). Officer Hunt, being directly behind the Defendant when she made the turn without signaling, constituted "other traffic" that could be affected by the Defendant's actions. The court rejected the Defendant's argument that the mere presence of other traffic cannot be determinative and noted that the evidence did not need to establish how far behind her the officer was when she turned. Regarding the reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop, the court held that Officer Hunt's observation of the Defendant initiating a left turn without using a turn signal was sufficient to establish a violation of the statute, thus providing reasonable suspicion for the stop. Finally, the court concluded that the Defendant failed to prove that her counsel's performance was deficient or that she was prejudiced by the alleged ineffective assistance, as the facts supported the legality of the traffic stop.