Hanson v. City of Trussville
Hanson v. City of Trussville
Opinion
This is an appeal by Charles H. Hanson of his convictions for driving while his license was revoked and driving under the influence, in violation of ordinances of the City of Trussville.
The record indicates that on January 12, 1986, Lisa Ellenburg was involved in an accident when she turned the automobile she was driving into a ditch to avoid hitting appellant's car which had pulled out in front of her. The automobiles did not make contact and there was no property damage or injuries, but the police were called to the scene to investigate. Officer Phillips of the Trussville Police Department arrived on the scene and after questioning those present, including appellant, he determined that appellant was the driver of the vehicle that had pulled out in front of Lisa Ellenburg, that appellant had no driver's license, and that appellant appeared to be intoxicated. Officer Phillips then placed appellant under arrest, and he was transported to City Hall, where he was given the Intoxilyzer 5000 test, which registered .24%.
Appellant was convicted by a Jefferson County jury after appealing from the Municipal Court for the City of Trussville. He was fined $100 and costs for driving while his license was revoked and $1,500 plus costs and ten days' imprisonment for driving under the influence.
Appellant raises four issues on appeal. Because we find that his conviction for driving while his license was revoked must be reversed on the ground discussed in Issue I, the remaining issues will be addressed only as pertaining to his conviction for driving under the influence.
In a criminal prosecution of a defendant for his alleged violation of a city ordinance, the city is required to plead and prove the ordinance. Maxwell v. City of Mobile,
While appellant is correct in his application of the law with regard to the necessity that the ordinances be introduced into evidence, there still remains the question of whether his motions to exclude and for directed verdict, based upon the grounds specified, were sufficient to raise the issue before the trial court and, thereby, preserve it for our review.
A motion to exclude evidence must include a statement of proper and specific grounds upon which it is based or it will be properly denied. Yarbrough v. State,
Appellant concedes in his brief, and the record reflects, that he did not specify, among the grounds for his motions, the failure of the city to introduce the ordinances into evidence. However, he argues that the issue is nevertheless preserved, *Page 1084
and for this proposition he quotes the following fromMaxwell v. City of Mobile,
Unlike the defendant in Maxwell, who stated as one of his grounds for his motion to exclude, that the city had failed to make out a prima facie case, the instant appellant did not state that the city had failed to make out a prima facie case. Rather, he stated numerous specific grounds in support of each motion. With regard to appellant's motion directed at the charge of driving while his license was revoked, appellant's attorney stated among other grounds, "[T]hey have not proven that my client is guilty of driving while revoked or suspended through the evidence." While this statement is not exactly the statement that the Maxwell court held was necessary to preserve the issue in that case, we find it is sufficient, in this case, to put the trial court on notice of a defect in the city's case and, therefore, sufficient to preserve the issue for review.
In light of the aforementioned cases and our finding that this issue was preserved, the city's failure to introduce the ordinance prohibiting driving while one's license is revoked or suspended is fatal to its prosecution. The city failed to prove a necessary element of the offense charged, and appellant's motion should have been granted. Therefore, the judgment of the trial court on the motion directed at the driving-while-license-revoked charge is reversed and, on the authority of Burks v. United States,
With regard to the charge of driving under the influence, appellant's grounds for his motion for a directed verdict were the following: improper jurisdiction of the circuit court; failure to prove jurisdiction because the city allegedly failed to prove that the incident occurred in the police jurisdiction; illegal arrest; and failure to prove he was under the influence of alcohol to the extent that he could notsafely operate a motor vehicle. The ground that the prosecution failed to make out a prima facie case encompasses the allegation that the prosecution did not prove each and every element necessary to prove the charge. In the instant case, however, appellant stated very specific grounds, none of which can be construed as attacking each and every element of the charge of driving under the influence. By stating these specific grounds, appellant waived all other possible grounds not stated. Hunt v. State, supra. Therefore, since the trial court was never apprised of the ground now asserted on appeal, there was no adverse ruling and, as a result, there is nothing preserved for our review. Howard v. State,
In City of Dothan v. Holloway,
While the record of this case does not conclusively establish when appellant was placed under arrest for driving under the influence, determination of that question is not necessary because the issue was not timely raised and, therefore, was not properly preserved for appeal. The record reveals that appellant did not voice any objection to the legality of the arrest until the end of the city's case and obviously after the evidence sought to be excluded had been admitted. At that point, the objection was too late and the issue, therefore, was not preserved for our review. A motion to exclude will serve to preserve error in the admission of evidence only where an objection is timely made at the time of its admission. Snider v. State,
Moreover, had this issue been raised in a timely manner, we think that the evidence in the record is sufficient for the factfinder to conclude that appellant was, in fact, legally arrested on the scene for driving under the influence as well as driving while his license was revoked. The arresting officer testified that he arrived on the scene at about 7:05 p.m.; that he remained there for about 30 to 35 minutes; and that appellant was placed under arrest for driving under the influence at 7:30 or 7:35. From this evidence, it can be inferred that appellant was taken into custody prior to taking the blood alcohol test. In light of such an inference, the arrest was proper and, therefore, appellant's argument is without merit.
Based on the foregoing, appellant's conviction for driving while his license was revoked is hereby reversed and judgment is rendered in his favor on that charge, and his conviction for driving under the influence is hereby affirmed.
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART AND JUDGMENT RENDERED.
All Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Charles H. Hanson v. City of Trussville.
- Cited By
- 15 cases
- Status
- Published