Briggs v. City of Huntsville
Briggs v. City of Huntsville
Opinion
The appellant, Claude Edward Briggs, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, in violation of §
The evidence presented by the State tended to show that, on October 30, 1986, the appellant was involved in a three-car collision at an intersection in Huntsville. The appellant, at the scene, stated to the arresting officer that he had been drinking at the local VFW club earlier that evening. The arresting officer testified that he could smell alcohol either on the appellant's breath or person and that his eyes were glassy and his speech slurred. Several field sobriety tests were performed by the appellant, including a finger-count field sobriety test. Upon failing to complete these tests to the satisfaction of the police officer, the appellant was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, and he was transported to the Huntsville city jail. Approximately one hour after the accident, a breath test was administered on the appellant. The results of the Intoxilizer 5000 breath analysis test indicated that the appellant had a blood alcohol content of 0.22%.
The appellant raises five issues on appeal from his conviction.
The trial court, in giving its oral charge to the jury, stated in pertinent part:
". . . I would remind you that you are brought here for the purpose of resolving that fact. The very reason you are here is to reach a verdict. If you don't reach a verdict, come back and say we can't decide because we heard different things about the case, the job is not done if you come back and say we can't decide because that leaves the thing to be done by some other jury, and there is no reason to believe that anything that you would do would be any different than what they could do or that they would have any greater or lesser abilities than you."
The appellant contends that the trial court's oral instructions were highly prejudicial and did nothing more than to relieve the jury of its options to find him not guilty or to fail to reach a decision.
The Supreme Court of the United States in Allen v. UnitedStates,
The trial court in its oral charge went on to say: "If you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of the guilt of the defendant, that is you find him guilty of the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol, you should convict him. . . . On the other hand, if you entertain a reasonable doubt about his guilt, you should likewise acquit him and . . . find the defendant not guilty." Based upon that statement, had the trial court given the "Allen" charge or "dynamite" charge, the trial court obviously set forth the duty of the *Page 169 triers of fact that they should be the ones to decide the guilt or innocence of the accused. Indeed, we are reluctant to even view the instant charge as an "Allen" charge. However, even assuming that an "Allen" charge was given in the initial charge to the jury, no reversible error occurred.
Section
The trial court, in charging the jury, stated in pertinent part:
"The law in that regard says that a person shall not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The law further says in that connection if there was at the time .10% or more by weight of alcohol in a person's blood it shall be presumed that the person was under the influence of alcohol. That's the presumption of intoxication which is rebuttable and can be rebutted by evidence to the contrary, but it is presumed that if a person has .10% or more by weight of alcohol in the person's blood that that person is under the influence of alcohol."
The trial court, in its oral charge to the jury, was quoting from §
Section
As to the appellant's contention that he was not put on notice to defend against the results of the breath test, we must respectfully point out our ruling in Knight v. City ofGardendale,
The appellant, at trial, used as his defense a claim that he was not driving the vehicle, but that an unknown individual named "Mike" was driving it. According to the appellant, immediately after the collision, "Mike" jumped from the vehicle and fled the accident scene. Charles Bishop, a non-party witness to the accident, saw the appellant get out of the vehicle and testified that he was the only occupant in the vehicle.
The appellant, in effect, contends that at the close of the city's case, insufficient evidence had been elicited to establish probable cause to arrest him because no one saw him in actual physical control of the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
In Cagle v. City of Gadsden,
" 'When this Court is reviewing a conviction based upon circumstantial evidence, the question that must be answered is whether "the evidence adduced is consistent with guilt and inconsistent with any reasonable hypothesis that the [defendant] is innocent." Ex parte Williams,
468 So.2d 99 ,102 (Ala. 1985).' Cagle v. City of Gadsden,495 So.2d 1144 ,1147 (Ala. 1986). Under the facts of this case, the State's evidence is inconsistent with any reasonable hypothesis that the defendant is innocent. These facts present a jury question. ' "[It] is not every hypothesis, but every reasonable hypothesis but that of guilt, that the circumstantial evidence must exclude." ' Cumbo v. State,368 So.2d 871 ,875 (Ala.Cr.App. 1978), cert. denied, Ex parte Cumbo,368 So.2d 877 (Ala. 1979). 'The test to be applied is whether the jury might reasonably find that the evidence excluded every reasonable hypothesis except that of guilt; not whether such evidence excludes every reasonable hypothesis but guilt, but whether a jury might reasonably so conclude.' Cumbo, 368 So.2d 874. See Dolvin v. State,391 So.2d 133 (Ala. 1980)."
Therefore, the appellant's argument must fail.
" 'It is a "flagrant violation of the Fourteenth Amendment for a state trial court to follow an announced practice of imposing a heavier sentence upon every reconvicted defendant for the explicit purpose of punishing the defendant for his having succeeded in getting his original conviction set aside." North Carolina v. Pearce,
395 U.S. 711 ,723-24 ,89 S.Ct. 2072 ,2080 ,23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969). It is no less a violation of due process when a harsher sentence is imposed upon a defendant for having successfully pursued a statutory right of appeal or collateral *Page 171 remedy. Id. To insure the absence of vindictiveness at resentencing, Pearce requires "that whenever a judge imposes a more severe sentence upon a defendant after a new trial, the reasons for his doing so must affirmatively appear." Id. at 725-26,89 S.Ct. at 2080-81 ,23 L.Ed.2d 656." 'However, the danger of vindictive sentencing is not inherent in a two-tiered trial de novo system such as that found in this state so that "Pearce does not apply to a sentence after an appeal and a trial de novo in a two-tier system for adjudicating criminal offenses. Colten v. Kentucky,
407 U.S. 104 ,112-120 ,92 S.Ct. 1953 ,1958-1962 ,32 L.Ed.2d 584 (1972)." Hardy v. State,455 So.2d 265 ,268 (Ala.Cr.App. 1984); Clark v. City of Mobile,357 So.2d 675 ,677-78 (Ala.Cr.App.), cert. denied,357 So.2d 680 (Ala. 1978); A. Campbell, Law of Sentencing § 42 (1978). Nevertheless, even in such a system, the possibility exists that a "defendant might prove actual vindictiveness and thereby establish a due process violation." Wasman v. United States,468 U.S. 559 ,104 S.Ct. 3217 ,3222 ,82 L.Ed.2d 424 (1984).' "
In Draime v. State,
Therefore, the appellant's contention is without merit.
Appellant's conviction is, therefore, due to be, and it is hereby, affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All Judges concur.
Reference
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- Claude Edward Briggs v. City of Huntsville.
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