SILVER, J.
[¶ 1] John R. Maynard appeals from a judgment, following a bench trial in the District Court (Newport, Sparaco, J.), convicting him of operating while his license was suspended, with a prior conviction (OAS) (Class E), 29-A M.R.S. § 2412-A(1-A)(A)(5), (D) (2011). Maynard argues that (1) the Secretary of State's certification of the notice of his suspension failed to prove the notice element of the OAS charge, and (2) the admission of the Secretary of State's certification violated Maynard's rights under the Confrontation Clause. U.S. Const. amend. VI. We agree that the Secretary of State's certification on its face was inadequate to prove that the court provided him notice of his license suspension and we vacate the judgment on that basis.
[¶ 2] Maynard was adjudicated on May 20, 2010, for violating the seat belt law, 29-A M.R.S. § 2081 (2011), and for failing to display a valid inspection sticker, 29-A M.R.S. § 1768(7) (2011). On September 2, 2010, Maynard was stopped in his own driveway after an officer with the Penobscot County Sheriff's Department observed him driving a vehicle that lacked an inspection sticker. The September traffic stop led to the OAS conviction at issue in this appeal.
[¶ 3] At the bench trial on the OAS charge, to prove that Maynard's right to operate motor vehicles was suspended on September 2, 2010, and that notice of the suspension had been sent to Maynard, the State offered a certification under seal by the Secretary of State, dated September 7, 2010, that contained, in the body of the certificate, the following language in its entirety:
The Secretary of State's certification did not state (1) that Maynard was the recipient of the notification, (2) that notification was sent to a particular address, (3) the method of service, or (4) when it was served. The copy of Maynard's driver record that was attached to the Secretary of State's certification contained the following entries relevant to this case:
ENTRY DATE ACTION DATE DESCRIPTION 052110 052010 CONVICTION—VIOLATION SEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION-DATE: 04/14/10 (002567413/D-VB) 052110 052010 CONVICTION—FAILURE TO DISPLAY VALID INSPECTION STICKER VIOLATION-DATE: 4/14/10 (002567413/D-VB) 070210 070210 DRV SUSPENSION TO INDEFINITE—FAIL PAY FINE (COURT) CHARGE: FAILURE TO DISPLAY VALID INSPECTION STICKE[R] FEE DUE COURT-DATE: 5/20/10 (2567413/D-VB) 070210 070210 DRV SUSPENSION TO INDEFINITE—FAIL PAY FINE (COURT) CHARGE: VIOLATION SEAT BELT LAW FEE DUE COURT-DATE: 5/20/10 (2567413/D-VB)
The driver record noted the suspension but did not contain any information concerning notification to Maynard of the suspension.
[¶ 4] Maynard argued that the Secretary of State's certificate failed to prove that he was on notice that his license was suspended and that its admission violated the Confrontation Clause. U.S. Const. amend. VI. The court denied his motion to acquit, convicted him, and sentenced him to a jail term of seven days and a fine of $700, with execution stayed pending this appeal. Maynard filed a timely appeal.
[¶ 5] The standard of review is de novo because this appeal concerns whether the certification that the State offered as proof that the court had sent Maynard notice of the suspension met the notice requirements set forth in 29-A M.R.S. § 2608. See State v. Knight, 2009 ME 32, ¶¶ 1, 8, 967 A.2d 723. The notice requirement applicable here is contained in the OAS statute, 29-A M.R.S. § 2412-A(1-A)(A)(5), because Maynard's underlying suspension appears to have resulted from his failure to pay fines and fees associated with the previous traffic infractions. See
[¶ 6] When the person's failure to properly deal with a traffic infraction is the asserted reason for the underlying suspension, the notice that is required pursuant to section 2412-A(1-A)(A)(5) is controlled by 29-A M.R.S. § 2608. Tayman, 2008 ME 177, ¶ 6, 960 A.2d 1151. Section 2608 states in relevant part:
Therefore, when the State has charged an individual with driving while his license is under suspension as a result of the individual's failure to answer in a traffic infraction proceeding, or as a result of the individual's failure to appear for a traffic infraction trial or his failure to pay a traffic infraction fine, the State must prove that the individual was operating a motor vehicle while his license was under suspension, and that the court sent notice to the individual of the suspension of his driving privileges. Knight, 2009 ME 32, ¶¶ 1, 9, 967 A.2d 723; Tayman, 2008 ME 177, ¶¶ 3, 7-9, 960 A.2d 1151. The State need not prove that the defendant actually received the notice. Tayman, 2008 ME 177, ¶ 7, 960 A.2d 1151.
[¶ 7] The issue Maynard presents is whether a certification that states only the legal conclusion that "[n]otification of suspension was provided by the court in accordance with provisions of [29-A M.R.S. § 2608]," has provided evidence of any fact pertaining to notice. We conclude that it has not. When, as here, a Secretary of State's certification does not set forth any underlying facts pertaining to the notice of suspension, it does not suffice as proof of notice. See Tayman, 2008 ME 177, ¶¶ 8-9, 960 A.2d 1151. Proof must at a minimum include one or more of the following: docket entries noting the date and sending of the notice, a copy of the notice that was sent, or a clerk's notation of the sending of the notice.
[¶ 8] Maynard also argues that the admission in evidence of the Secretary of State's certification violated the Confrontation
The entry is:
Judgment vacated and remanded to the District Court for the entry of a judgment of acquittal.