State v. Juarez, 2011 WY 110

Wyoming Supreme Court reviews district court order suppressing evidence from Juarez’s motion on an illegal traffic stop.
State Trooper Green stopped Juarez March 1, 2010 for allegedly failing to signal when merging from an entrance ramp onto I-80 near Rawlins.
A search of Juarez’s vehicle yielded nine pounds of marijuana; Juarez faced two felonies for Possession and Possession with Intent to Deliver.
District court suppressed the evidence; State petitioned for writ of review which this Court granted.
Central issue: whether § 31-5-217 requires signaling when merging onto an interstate roadway from an entrance ramp.
The Wyoming Supreme Court affirms the district court, holding the stop was illegal and suppressing the evidence.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether § 31-5-217 requires a signal when merging onto the interstate from an entrance ramp	Juarez: statute is ambiguous; merging onto interstate is not a 'move right or left' requiring a signal	Juarez: merging constitutes a left/right movement requiring a signal under § 31-5-217; Driver's Manual supports	Statute ambiguous; no signal required when entering interstate via ramp; stop unmasks invalid.

Garnica v. State, 253 P.3d 489 (Wyo. 2011) (statutory interpretation and notice principles connect to statutory ambiguity)
Dougherty v. State, 239 P.3d 1176 (Wyo. 2010) (proper statutory language provides notice of prohibited conduct)
Johnson v. City of Laramie, 187 P.3d 355 (Wyo. 2008) (ambiguity and lenity considerations favor defendant where language unclear)
State v. Welch, 873 P.2d 601 (Wyo. 1994) (signaling required for lane changes; informs interpretation of 'move right or left')
GDK v. State, 92 P.3d 834 (Wyo. 2004) (interpretation principle: construe statute as a whole, pari materia)