State v. Blackwell

Paul Benjamin Blackwell, respondent, was convicted of multiple offenses, including driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol. At trial, before a jury in the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County, Maryland State Trooper Jeffrey Linger testified that he administered the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test to Blackwell and observed “lack of smooth pursuit” and “distinct nystagmus at maximum deviation” in each eye. Blackwell appealed his convictions to the Court of Special Appeals. Relying on Ragland v. State, 385 Md. 706, 870 A.2d 609…