Com. v. Patterson, M. ( 2016 )

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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
MARTIN J. PATTERSON,
Appellant No. 366 WDA 2015
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence February 3, 2015
In the Court of Common Pleas of Venango County
Criminal Division at No(s): CP-61-CR-0000232-2014
BEFORE: FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E., SHOGAN, and OTT, JJ.
MEMORANDUM BY SHOGAN, J.: FILED JANUARY 22, 2016
Appellant, Martin J. Patterson, appeals from the judgment of sentence
entered following his conviction for driving under the influence (“DUI”).
We affirm.
The trial court summarized the factual history of this case as follows:
Jason Hodgkiss, an employee at Klapec Trucking Company, was
working on the night of February 17, 2014. At 1:00 a.m.,
Mr. Hodgkiss received a call from his girlfriend stating that an
inebriated man appeared to be stuck in his vehicle in the ditch
across the road from their residence. Mr. Hodgkiss left work
immediately and began traveling home. When Mr. Hodgkiss
arrived at his residence, he attempted to help [Appellant]
remove his car from the ditch, but upon drawing closer to
[Appellant], Mr. Hodgkiss noticed the odor of alcohol emanating
from [Appellant]. [Appellant] had relayed to Mr. Hodgkiss that
he was “just going to get some burgers to bring back to his
kids.” When Jason Hodgkiss first made contact with [Appellant],
the engine of the car was still on. Once Jason Hodgkiss noticed
the odor of alcohol, he called the Titusville police. Because
Mr. Hodgkiss lived in Venango County, the Titusville Area Police
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informed Mr. Hodgkiss that he would instead have to contact the
Pennsylvania State Police. As a result, Mr. Hodgkiss was
informed that the police might take as long as an hour to arrive.
Trooper Shawn Armagost was dispatched to [Appellant’s]
location at 1:32 a.m. Trooper Armagost testified that
[Appellant’s] location was approximately fifty miles away, and
the roads “weren’t in the best of shape” due to snow.
Trooper Armagost arrived to the scene at around 2:23 a.m.
Trooper Armagost then approached [Appellant’s] driver’s
side door and asked [Appellant] what was going on, [Appellant]
stated that he was “on his way to McDonalds” and he went off
the road into the ditch. Contrary to what [Appellant] told
Mr. Hodgkiss and Trooper Armagost, [Appellant] does not have
any kids at home. In fact, his kids live in Alabama. Trooper
Armagost observed a strong odor of alcohol emitting from
[Appellant’s] breathe [sic], slurred speech, and bloodshot eyes.
[Appellant] was then asked to perform field sobriety tests.
Thereafter, Trooper Armagost determined that [Appellant] was
under the influence of alcohol such that he was incapable of safe
driving. [Appellant] was arrested, and ultimately transported to
the Titusville Hospital, arriving at 2:59 a.m. The phlebotomist
was unavailable when Trooper Armagost first arrived, and
Trooper Armagost needed to wait an additional twenty minutes
for [Appellant’s] blood to be drawn. The blood was drawn from
[Appellant] at 3:22 a.m. The blood was transported back to the
police station and entered into evidence on February 17, 2014,
at 5:15 a.m. The results of the blood test revealed [Appellant’s]
BAC[1] to be 0.298%.
[Appellant’s] version of events differs from the facts
elicited from Trooper Armagost and Jason Hodgkiss. [Appellant]
testified that, while driving to Wal-Mart, his car slid off the road.
According to [Appellant], the car became stuck in a ditch at
approximately 10:05 p.m. [Appellant] attempted to move the
car forward and backward, but he claims there was no traction
and the car would not move from the ditch. After realizing the
car would not move, [Appellant] called for a tow truck.
[Appellant] proceeded to sit in his car awaiting the tow truck for
approximately three hours. While waiting for the tow truck,
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1
Blood alcohol concentration.
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[Appellant] claims to have drank an entire thirty-two ounce
Gatorade bottle filled with sixty-six proof fireball cinnamon
whiskey. Once Jason Hodgkiss arrived at the scene, [Appellant]
again attempted to remove his car from the ditch by accelerating
the car backward and forward; however, the tires spun in place
and did not move from the ditch.
Trial Court Opinion, 6/22/15, at 5-7 (citations omitted).
On November 20, 2014, following a bench trial, the court found
Appellant guilty of one count of Driving Under the Influence - Highest Rate
of Alcohol, first offense, in violation of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3802(c). On February 3,
2015, Appellant was sentenced to imprisonment in the Venango County jail
for seventy-two hours to six months. Appellant filed his notice of appeal on
February 27, 2015. Appellant and the trial court complied with the
requirements of Pa.R.A.P. 1925.
Appellant presents the following issue for our review:
Whether the [trial] court erred as a matter of law or
abused its discretion in determining that there was sufficient
evidence to establish that [Appellant] had driven under the
influence with the highest rate of alcohol pursuant to 75
Pa.C.S.A. 3802(C), when the Commonwealth failed to establish
when [Appellant] was operating the vehicle on a trafficway or
highway in [correlation] to when [Appellant’s] blood being drawn
for testing for the amount of alcohol, additionally the
[C]ommonwealth failed to establish good cause on why
[Appellant’s] blood was not drawn within two hours or that the
Commonwealth proved that [Appellant] did not imbibe alcohol
within the two hour period before the blood was drawn.
Appellant’s Brief at 5.
Appellant first contends that the evidence was insufficient to convict
him of this crime because the Commonwealth failed to establish that he was
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operating the vehicle on a trafficway or highway while intoxicated.
Appellant’s Brief at 10. Appellant maintains that the evidence establishes
that the vehicle was not on a highway, but instead, was off the highway in a
ditch. Id. at 12-13. Accordingly, Appellant argues the Commonwealth has
not established evidence sufficient to support his DUI conviction. Id. at 13.
Appellant further avers that the Commonwealth failed to establish “good
cause” as to why Appellant’s blood was not drawn within two hours of his
operation of the vehicle on a highway. Id. at 12. Additionally, Appellant
maintains that the Commonwealth failed to prove that he did not imbibe
alcohol “within the two hour period before the blood was drawn.” Id. at 8.
In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we must determine
whether the evidence admitted at trial and all reasonable inferences drawn
therefrom, viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth as
verdict winner, were sufficient to prove every element of the offense beyond
a reasonable doubt. Commonwealth v. Rivera, 983 A.2d 1211, 1220 (Pa.
2009). “It is within the province of the fact finder to determine the weight
to be accorded to each witness’s testimony and to believe all, part, or none
of the evidence.” Commonwealth v. Jackson, 955 A.2d 441, 444 (Pa.
Super. 2008). The Commonwealth may sustain its burden of proving every
element of the crime by means of wholly circumstantial evidence.
Commonwealth v. Hansley, 24 A.3d 410, 416 (Pa. Super. 2011).
Moreover, as an appellate court, we may not re-weigh the evidence and
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substitute our judgment for that of the fact-finder. Commonwealth v.
Kelly, 78 A.3d 1136, 1139 (Pa. Super. 2013).
The Vehicle Code provides, in pertinent part, that:
(c) Highest rate of alcohol.--An individual may not drive,
operate or be in actual physical control of the movement of a
vehicle after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that
the alcohol concentration in the individual’s blood or breath is
0.16% or higher within two hours after the individual has driven,
operated or been in actual physical control of the movement of
the vehicle.
75 Pa.C.S. § 3802(c). The prohibition applies “upon highways and
trafficways throughout this Commonwealth.” 75 Pa.C.S. § 3101(b). A
highway is defined as: “[t]he entire width between the boundary lines of
every way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of
the public for purposes of vehicular travel....” 75 Pa.C.S. § 102. A
trafficway is defined as “[t]he entire width between property lines or other
boundary lines of every way or place of which any part is open to the public
for purposes of vehicular travel as a matter of right or custom.” Id. “The
term ‘operate’ requires evidence of actual physical control of either the
machinery of the motor vehicle or the management of the vehicle’s
movement, but not evidence that the vehicle was in motion.”
Commonwealth v. Johnson, 833 A.2d 260, 263 (Pa. Super. 2003).
As noted, in this case Appellant argues that the evidence was
insufficient to support his conviction because “the evidence is clear that the
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vehicle was not on the highway but off the highway in a ditch.” Appellant’s
Brief at 13. This argument lacks merit.
This Court has observed, “[T]he suspect location of an automobile
supports an inference that it was driven . . . a key factor in the finding of
actual control.” Commonwealth v. Woodruff, 668 A.2d 1158, 1161 (Pa.
Super. 1995) (citation omitted). The testimony at trial established that the
front and rear right wheels of Appellant’s vehicle were in the ditch off the
side of the roadway, and the left-side wheels of the vehicle were located on
the right-side shoulder of the road. N.T., 11/20/14, at 8-9. Thus, the fact
that Appellant’s vehicle was found in a ditch alongside the highway supports
the inference that it was, in fact, driven on the highway before stopping in
the ditch. Additionally, when Mr. Hodgkiss arrived on the scene where
Appellant’s vehicle was stuck in the ditch, he noticed a strong odor of alcohol
on Appellant and contacted police. Id. at 7-9. When officers arrived on the
scene, Trooper Armagost testified that based on his training and experience,
he concluded that Appellant was intoxicated. Id. at 23-25. Thus, the
evidence of record supports the conclusion that Appellant was operating his
vehicle on the roadway while under the influence of alcohol.
Appellant attempted to rebut this inference by asserting that he
consumed alcohol only after his vehicle stopped in the ditch. Appellant
testified that after realizing he could not get the car out of the ditch, he
contacted his insurance company for a tow truck. N.T., 11/20/14, at 45.
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Appellant maintained that while waiting for the tow truck, he drank an entire
thirty-two-ounce Gatorade bottle filled with sixty-six proof fireball cinnamon
whiskey. Id. at 46-49. The trial court, however, found Appellant’s account
of events to be incredible. Id. at 69; Trial Court Opinion, 6/22/15, at 10.
As an appellate court, we may not re-weigh the evidence and substitute our
judgment for that of the fact-finder. Kelly, 78 A.3d at 1139. Thus,
Appellant’s claim fails.
Furthermore, the trial court provided the following analysis regarding
evidence of record establishing that Appellant operated the vehicle while
under the influence of alcohol:
Evidence adduced at trial showed that [Appellant’s] engine
was on, and [Appellant] repeatedly attempted to remove his
vehicle from the ditch by stepping on his vehicle’s accelerator.
Emerging from this collection of evidence is a clear illustration of
the very type of public safety danger that the DUI statute was
designed to combat: a drunken driver behind the wheel with the
engine running, having driven when he ought not and where he
ought not. Accordingly, we conclude that the evidence
established beyond a reasonable doubt that [Appellant] was
operating or in actual physical control of this car while
intoxicated for purposes of the DUI statute.
Trial Court Opinion, 6/22/15, at 9 (citations omitted).
Thus, the evidence of record supports a second basis for the
conclusion that Appellant operated his vehicle while intoxicated. Evidence
that Appellant operated or was in control of the vehicle in the ditch, and not
on the highway, while Appellant was intoxicated was sufficient to establish
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commission of this offense. It is of no relevance that Appellant was unable
to move the vehicle from the ditch.
The term “operate” requires evidence of actual physical control
of either the machinery of the motor vehicle or the management
of the vehicle’s movement, but not evidence that the vehicle was
in motion. Our precedent indicates that a combination of the
following factors is required in determining whether a person had
“actual physical control” of an automobile: the motor running,
the location of the vehicle, and additional evidence showing that
the defendant had driven the vehicle. A determination of actual
physical control of a vehicle is based upon the totality of the
circumstances. The Commonwealth can establish through wholly
circumstantial evidence that a defendant was driving, operating
or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.
Commonwealth v. Williams, 871 A.2d 254, 259 (Pa. Super. 2005)
(internal citations omitted).
This Court addressed a similar claim in Williams, where the defendant
was convicted of two counts of driving under the influence (DUI).
Wiilliams, 871 A.2d at 257. In that case, the defendant argued that the
evidence was insufficient to support his DUI convictions because the
Commonwealth failed to establish that he was in “actual physical control” of
the vehicle while intoxicated because the vehicle was off the roadway and
was not moving. Id. at 258. The trial evidence disclosed that police found
the defendant at 4:00 a.m. in his car with the headlights and radio on and
the engine running; the car was parked diagonally across two handicapped
spaces in front of an establishment that did not serve alcoholic beverages;
the defendant’s employer owned the car, and only the defendant had
permission to drive it; and the defendant was in the driver’s seat with his
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hands and head on the steering wheel. Id. at 260-261. The defendant
showed visible signs of intoxication, admitted drinking, failed several field
sobriety tests, and had a BAC of .138%. Id. at 261. The court specifically
rejected as incredible the defendant’s defense that someone else had been
driving the vehicle. Id. This Court agreed with the trial court’s conclusion
that the evidence was sufficient to establish that the defendant was in actual
control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and found irrelevant the fact that
the vehicle did not move. Id. See also Commonwealth v. Yaninas, 722
A.2d 187, 188-189 (Pa. Super. 1998) (court found the appellant was in
actual physical control of vehicle for purposes of DUI conviction where
Appellant was found behind wheel of vehicle, on the berm of a highway, with
engine running and lights on, despite the car not moving).
Thus, there is no requirement that Appellant actually succeed in
moving the vehicle for a determination to be made that Appellant operated
or was in actual physical control of the vehicle for purposes of the DUI
statute. Here, the totality of circumstances established that Appellant
operated or was in actual physical control of the vehicle when he attempted
to move the vehicle from the ditch. The record reflects that while
Appellant’s vehicle was in the ditch, the engine of the vehicle was on,
Appellant sat behind the steering wheel in the driver’s seat and depressed
the accelerator in an attempt to get the vehicle out of the ditch. N.T.,
11/20/14, at 7-8, 16, 48, 60. Mr. Hodgkiss was with Appellant during
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Appellant’s efforts to move the vehicle and testified that when he
approached Appellant, he could smell alcohol on Appellant’s breath. Id. at
7-8. Moreover, in his version of events, Appellant explained that he
consumed alcohol after becoming stuck in the ditch but before attempting to
move the vehicle from the ditch with Mr. Hodgkiss’s assistance. Id. at 46-
48. Thus, we agree with the trial court that the evidence established beyond
a reasonable doubt that Appellant was operating or was in actual physical
control of his car while intoxicated for purposes of the DUI conviction.
Next, we address Appellant’s assertion that the Commonwealth failed
to establish “good cause” as to why Appellant’s blood was not drawn within
two hours of Appellant operating the vehicle on a highway. Appellant’s Brief
at 12. Relatedly, Appellant claims that the Commonwealth failed to prove
that he did not imbibe alcohol “within the two hour period before the blood
was drawn.” Id. at 8.
In this case, the evidence of record establishes that Appellant was in
control of the machinery of his vehicle at some point after 1:30 a.m., when
he was attempting to remove it from the ditch. N.T., 11/20/14, at 7-10. As
noted previously, the fact that Appellant could not move the vehicle from the
ditch is irrelevant to a determination as to whether he operated the vehicle
for purposes of the DUI statute. Williams, 871 A.2d at 261. Additionally,
the record reflects that Appellant’s blood was drawn at 3:22 a.m. at
Titusville hospital and at that time, his blood alcohol level measured
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0.298%. N.T., 11/20/14, at 26-28. Thus, the evidence of record reflects
that Appellant’s blood was drawn within two hours from his operation of the
vehicle, and the blood alcohol level measured in excess of 0.16%. 75
Pa.C.S. § 3802(c).
To the extent that testimony regarding the times of the blood draws
was not exact and allowed for the possibility that more than two hours
elapsed from when Appellant operated the vehicle until the blood draw and
measurement of Appellant’s blood alcohol level occurred, the legislature has
provided an exception to the two-hour timeframe. Section 3802(g) provides
as follows:
(g) Exception to two-hour rule.--Notwithstanding the
provisions of subsection (a), (b), (c), (e) or (f), where alcohol or
controlled substance concentration in an individual’s blood or
breath is an element of the offense, evidence of such alcohol or
controlled substance concentration more than two hours after
the individual has driven, operated or been in actual physical
control of the movement of the vehicle is sufficient to establish
that element of the offense under the following circumstances:
(1) where the Commonwealth shows good cause
explaining why the chemical test sample could not be
obtained within two hours; and
(2) where the Commonwealth establishes that the
individual did not imbibe any alcohol or utilize a
controlled substance between the time the individual
was arrested and the time the sample was obtained.
75 Pa.C.S. § 3802(g).
The trial court provided an alternative analysis, assuming arguendo
that Appellant’s testimony and related claim that the blood draw was taken
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two hours after operation of his vehicle was accurate. In that analysis, the
trial court found that the Commonwealth established good cause for any
such delay:
[W]e did not believe [Appellant’s] testimony to be credible in the
least, but even if we did find [Appellant’s] testimony to be true,
we believe the Commonwealth has shown “good cause” as to
why there was a delay in testing [Appellant’s] BAC level. The
officers in this case acted diligently throughout the investigation,
and especially under the circumstances of an early-morning
accident on a snowy road. The area in which [Appellant’s]
accident occurred happened to be fifty miles away from
Trooper Armagost’s location - something beyond his control.
Trooper Armagost determined that [Appellant] was under the
influence of alcohol and transported him to the hospital in a
timely manner. Trooper Armagost testified that he was “at the
will of the hospital,” and needed to wait more than twenty
minutes for a phlebotomist to draw [Appellant’s] blood. The
delay in obtaining [Appellant’s] blood could not be attributed to
any dilatory tactics on the part of law enforcement, but rather it
was due to the unavailability of the phlebotomist. More
significantly, the delay was due to the unavoidably long distance
Trooper Armagost needed to travel in order to find [Appellant’s]
stationary vehicle. The court finds that the police actions vis-a-
vis this [Appellant] were reasonable under the circumstances,
and that the Commonwealth has shown good cause for the delay
in securing a sample of [Appellant’s] blood. We will not reward
[Appellant] for being “fortuitous” enough to drive under the
influence a great distance away from a police barracks.
Trial Court Opinion, 6/22/15, at 14-15 (internal citations omitted).
Additionally, the trial court concluded that the Commonwealth established
the second necessary element under this exception. Specifically, the
Commonwealth proved that Appellant had not imbibed any alcohol or used
any substance between the time that he was arrested and the time the blood
sample was obtained, as follows: “[Appellant] was placed into the rear seat
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of the responding officers’ patrol car after failing his sobriety tests. Directly
after that, [Appellant] was transported to the Titusville Hospital, where he
was monitored by both Corporal Bunyak and Trooper Armagost.” Trial Court
Opinion, 6/22/15, at 15.
The record supports the trial court’s analysis, and we agree with the
trial court’s conclusion. Thus, even assuming arguendo that more than two
hours elapsed between Appellant’s operation of the vehicle and the drawing
and measuring of Appellant’s blood, such delay is excused pursuant to 75
Pa.C.S. § 3802(c). Therefore, we conclude there is sufficient evidence of
record to support Appellant’s conviction under section 3802(c).
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 1/22/2016
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