State v. Seonia, A-1-CA-36320

Defendant Lance Seonia was convicted in metropolitan court of DWI and failure to maintain a traffic lane; the district court affirmed on an on-record appeal and this appeal followed.
Officer observed Defendant straddling the double-yellow line (driving in two lanes) and smelled a strong odor of alcohol.
Defendant initially denied drinking, later admitted to consuming three pints of beer.
Defendant performed poorly on some field sobriety tests, showing lack of coordination and failure to follow instructions.
Breath test detected alcohol levels within the legal limit.
Appellate court issued a proposed summary disposition to affirm; Defendant opposed but did not identify factual inaccuracies or legal error persuasive to the court.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the evidence was sufficient to convict for DWI under the "impaired to the slightest degree" theory	State argued the combination of driving behavior, odor of alcohol, admission of drinking, poor field sobriety performance, and breath test supported impairment	Seonia argued the evidence was insufficient to prove impairment to the slightest degree	Court affirmed: viewing evidence in light most favorable to verdict, evidence was sufficient to support DWI conviction

State v. Sanchez, 131 N.M. 355, 36 P.3d 446 (N.M. Ct. App. 2001) (defines "under the influence" as impaired to the slightest degree affecting safe vehicle operation)
State v. Cunningham, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176 (N.M. 2000) (appellate review views evidence in light most favorable to guilty verdict)
State v. Rojo, 126 N.M. 438, 971 P.2d 829 (N.M. 1999) (appellate courts disregard evidence and inferences supporting a different result)
State v. Notah-Hunter, 137 N.M. 597, 113 P.3d 867 (N.M. Ct. App. 2005) (similar facts—odor, admissions, failed sobriety tests, lane violation—sufficient for slightest-degree impairment conviction)