DMV Drops DUI Case After Blood Test Mix-Up

The state Department of Motor Vehicles on Thursday dismissed its drunk driving case against a Ventura law student following confirmation from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department crime lab that the woman had not been intoxicated when arrested last July, but instead had been a victim of a mixed-up blood test.

Spokesman Bill Branch said the DMV dropped its case against the student after the results of a Nov. 3 retest of the woman’s blood-alcohol level were verified in response to a Times report that she faced potential suspension of her license.

The November retest result, which the DMV said it had not previously received from the crime lab, showed that the woman’s blood-alcohol level, at the time she was pulled over for speeding, was 0.07%, compared with a legal limit of 0.08%, and the original test result of 0.18%

“The DMV sincerely regrets any inconvenience the faulty lab test may have caused for the motorist,” Branch said. “We contacted the crime lab today. I wish that the lab had contacted us earlier. If it had, I think the case would not have gone this far.”