State v. Mondor
State v. Mondor
Opinion of the Court
These related appeals concern a fatal, multi-vehicle collision. The State charged Dannie Mondor with hit and run ( OCGA § 40-6-270 (b) ) and with first degree vehicular homicide predicated upon the hit-and-run offense ( OCGA § 40-6-393 (b) ). In response to Mondor's special demurrer, the trial court dismissed the indictment. Apparently anticipating that the State will re-indict him, the trial court also rejected constitutional challenges that Mondor made to the hit and run and vehicular homicide statutes and to a statute barring him from introducing evidence of the accident victim's seat belt use ( OCGA § 40-8-76.1 ).
In Case No. A18A0268, the State appeals from the trial court's ruling on the special demurrer. Because the indictment contains the elements of the hit-and-run statute and sufficiently notifies Mondor of the accusations against him, we reverse the trial court's *792order granting his special demurrer and dismissing the indictment.
In Case No. A18A0269, Mondor appeals from the trial court's rulings on the constitutional arguments. Because this cross-appeal may fall within the Supreme Court's exclusive jurisdiction, we transfer it to our Supreme Court.
1. Agreed-to facts from appellate briefs.
In their appellate briefs, the State and Mondor agree that the accident occurred on an interstate highway. Mondor was driving a large recreational vehicle and was towing a trailer. The State alleges that the front right bumper of Mondor's recreational vehicle struck the left rear bumper of a second vehicle during a lane change. The second vehicle lost control and struck a third vehicle. The passenger in the third vehicle died after being ejected from the vehicle. After the accident, Mondor stopped on the side of the road at a nearby exit. He then apparently drove to a shopping center parking lot, called the police to report the accident, and waited for their arrival.
2. A18A0268-Special demurrer to indictment.
A special demurrer challenges the sufficiency of the form of the indictment. Jackson v. State ,
When inquiring whether an indictment is sufficient to withstand a special demurrer,
the applicable standard is not whether [the indictment] could have been made more definite and certain, but whether it contains the elements of the offense intended to be charged, and sufficiently apprises the defendant of what he must be prepared to meet, and, in case any other proceedings are taken against him for a similar offense, whether the record shows with accuracy to what extent he may plead a former acquittal or conviction.
(Citation and punctuation omitted.) Hairston v. State ,
The trial court granted Mondor's special demurrer and dismissed the indictment, finding that the indictment was "not perfect in form and substance" because it "makes no mention of any knowledge by [Mondor] of any death, damage, or injury."
As required by OCGA § 40-6-270 (a), "[t]he driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person ... shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of the accident or shall stop as close thereto as possible and forthwith return to the scene of the accident and shall [render specified assistance]." Further, "[i]f such accident is the proximate cause of death or a serious injury, any person knowingly failing to stop and comply with the requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a felony[.]" OCGA § 40-6-270 (b).
The indictment in this case alleges, in relevant part, that Mondor was
the driver of a vehicle on Interstate 75 which was involved in an accident [on October 26, 2013] ... [in which the] accused's vehicle struck a vehicle being driven by William Stone, causing William Stone's vehicle to strike a vehicle in which Bradley Braland was a passenger, and which was the proximate cause of the death of Bradley Braland ... [and the accused] did knowingly fail to stop and comply with the requirements of OCGA § 40-6-270 (a) [...].
*793The crime that OCGA § 40-6-270 (a) (1)-(4) addresses is the failure to stop and perform certain specified actions.
The indictment in the instant case furnishes the required notice of the circumstances and Mondor's knowing failure to stop. As outlined above, the indictment alleges the basic facts and circumstances of the accident and clearly alleges that Mondor "did knowingly fail to stop and comply " with the statutory requirements. (Emphasis supplied.) OCGA § 40-6-270 (b). See generally, Dalton , supra at 667-668,
Because the indictment, as written, contains the elements of the hit-and-run offense and sufficiently notifies Mondor of the accusations against him, see Hairston , supra, we reverse the trial court's order granting Mondor's special demurrer. See Sallee v. State ,
*7943. A18A0269-Constitutional arguments.
In his cross-appeal, Mondor argues that the hit-and-run and vehicular homicide statutes are unconstitutional as applied to the facts of this case, and that the statutory bar to evidence of seat belt use is unconstitutional as applied to the facts of this case. Our Supreme Court "has exclusive jurisdiction over all cases involving construction of the Constitution of the State of Georgia and of the United States and all cases in which the constitutionality of a law, ordinance, or constitutional provision has been called into question." Atlanta Independent School System v. Lane ,
We are not aware of any Supreme Court cases addressing the constitutional issues raised by Mondor. Moreover, the record indicates that Mondor raised these arguments before the trial court and that the trial court ruled on them. Mondor's counsel argued his constitutional challenges to the hit-and-run and vehicular homicide statutes at the hearing on the demurrer, and the trial court rejected these arguments. Mondor challenged the constitutionality of the seat belt statute in a pleading that he incorporated by reference into his demurrer, and the trial court ruled against him. The trial court was not required to expressly mention the constitutional arguments in his written order, so long as those arguments were distinctly ruled upon in the trial court. Jenkins v. State ,
Judgment reversed in Case No. A18A0268. Rickman, J., concurs, McFadden, P. J., dissents. Appeal transferred in Case No. A18A0269.
McFadden, P. J. and Rickman, J., concur.*
*THIS OPINION IS PHYSICAL PRECEDENT ONLY. SEE COURT OF APPEALS RULE 33.2.
The sufficiency of the hit-and-run allegation affects both counts of the indictment because the State charged Mondor with both hit and run and vehicular homicide predicated on hit and run.
We have held that
the clear legislative purpose of requiring a motorist to stop and provide identifying information ... is to provide a means for the harmed person to contact the wrongdoer and seek compensation. OCGA § 40-6-270does not criminalize the collision itself, but the hit and run driver's attempt to evade civil liability by leaving the scene before the injured party can establish his identity.
(Citation omitted; emphasis supplied.) Dalton v. State ,
There may be the rare case such as Lawrence v. State ,
Even if Mondor intends to dispute that he knew or should have known that he was in an accident, knowledge is "a fact question seldom capable of proof by direct evidence," but may be proved by circumstantial evidence. See generally Dworkin v. State ,
Concurring in Part
The trial court correctly ruled that, although the indictment tracks the statute, it is potentially misleading. It is potentially misleading because our case law imposes on the state a heaver burden than the statute under which Mondor was indicted might be read to impose. And an indictment-even one that tracks a statute-is not perfect in form if it fails to enable the jurors to easily understand the charge.
So I respectfully dissent to the majority's decision to reverse the trial court in Case No. A18A0268. I would affirm the trial court's ruling in favor of Mondor on his special demurrer. As for Case No. A18A0269, I agree with the majority that the more fundamental questions about this prosecution that Mondor raises therein must be decided by our Supreme Court.
As the majority acknowledges, Mondor was entitled to an indictment "perfect in form." See Kimbrough v. State ,
In addition to whether the nature of the offense charged may be easily understood by the jury, inquiry into the sufficiency of an indictment's form involves considerations such as: whether the indictment "contains the elements of the offense intended to be charged," State v. Wyatt ,
Here the statutory language does not clearly reflect the knowledge element of the offense, as Georgia case law has interpreted that element. The word "knowingly" in the statute modifies a person's failure to stop and a person's failure to take other specified actions. So the precise wording of the statute suggests that the knowledge that the state must prove is only the defendant's knowledge that he or she did not stop and did not take the specified actions. In most cases (including, it appears, in this case), there is no question about whether the defendant knew if he did nor did not stop or take other actions.
But our case law has interpreted the word "knowingly" to require more. And under that case law, Mondor is entitled to argue that he did not act knowingly. We have held that, to prove an accused "knowingly" failed to stop and act in violation of OCGA § 40-6-270, the state must show more than simply that the defendant knew he or she did not stop and knew he or she did not take certain actions. The state must also show that the accused either knew or should have known that the circumstances required him to stop and take certain actions. See Sevostiyanova v. State ,
And it appears that whether Mondor "knowingly [was] involved in an accident" may be a contested issue at trial. His appellate brief suggests that, in defense of the charges against him, he will challenge the state's evidence that he knew he struck the second vehicle. Contrary to the majority's suggestion, the sufficiency of the anticipated evidence showing Mondor knew he was in an accident is irrelevant at this stage of the proceedings, where we are concerned only with whether the indictment is perfect in form.
Notwithstanding the provision in OCGA § 17-7-54 (a) that an indictment "shall be deemed sufficiently technical and correct" if it is stated "in the terms and language of th[e] Code," an indictment does not always survive a special demurrer simply because it tracks the language of the statute setting forth the offense. See Kimbrough , 300 Ga. at 881 (2),
*796Here, because the statutory language in the indictment does not sufficiently set out the knowledge element (which our case law defines more broadly than that statutory language might be read to define it), and because that statutory language suggests that Mondor could be convicted whether or not he knew or had reason to know that he was involved in an accident that subjected him to the requirements of the hit-and-run statute (notwithstanding that our case law requires such knowledge), the indictment's bald recitation of the precise statutory language could mislead the jury. By holding, as a matter of law, that the indictment before us is perfect in form, the majority errs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State v. MONDOR. Mondor v. The State.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published