Commonwealth v. Wilson
Commonwealth v. Wilson
Opinion of the Court
After a jury-waived trial in the District Court, the defendant was convicted of operating a motor vehicle after his license or right to operate had been suspended for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor (OUI). See G. L. c. 90, § 23, third par. He appeals, arguing that his motion for a required finding of not guilty was wrongfully denied because the Commonwealth failed to prove that he had notice that his license had been suspended. We affirm.
At trial, the Commonwealth called one witness and offered one exhibit; the underlying facts are not in dispute. Trooper John Santos of the Massachusetts State Police testified that, on January 30, 2012, at approximately 8 p.m., he was observing traffic on
After the trooper’s testimony, the Commonwealth offered a certified copy of a docket sheet, number 1106 CR 2028, showing that on January 11, 2012, nineteen days before the defendant was stopped by Trooper Santos, the defendant had appeared in the West Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court and admitted that there were facts sufficient to support a finding of guilty on a charge of OUI in violation of G. L. c. 90, § 24(l)(a)(l) (count 1); and operating a motor vehicle after his license or right to operate had been suspended, in violation of G. L. c. 90, § 23 (count 2). In addition, the defendant had pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after causing personal injury, in violation of G. L. c. 90, § 24(2)(a ½)(1) (count 3).
The docket sheet in that case indicates that on count 1, the OUI charge, the defendant received a continuance without a finding for one year, with conditions of probation including completion of the G. L. c. 90, § 24D, program, payment of certain fees, and a “45 day LOL” (loss of license). On count 3, the leaving the scene after causing personal injury conviction, the defendant received a concurrent sentence of probation, with the notation “loss of lie. as by law.”
In Oyewole, the court described the following facts.
“In October, 2009, the defendant admitted to sufficient facts to support a finding of guilty on a charge of operating while under the influence of liquor (OUI case). According to the docket sheet from that case, his license was suspended for sixty days. Less than sixty days later, a Wilmington police officer, observing that a motor vehicle had its headlights off at 12:30 a.m., stopped the vehicle. The defendant was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle. The officer requested the defendant’s license, which the defendant produced. The officer confiscated the license and placed the defendant under arrest.”
Id. at 1015-1016.
The Oyewole court concluded that the evidence was sufficient to prove that the defendant had operated a motor vehicle after his license or right to operate had been suspended for operating under the influence. However, even considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, “[a]s to the fourth element, ... the evidence presented at trial, together with all reasonable and possible inferences that might properly be drawn from it, was insufficient to permit a reasonable fact finder to find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant had been notified
The court noted that there was no evidence in the record that the docket sheet had been shown to the defendant, or that the sentence was announced in open court. ‘“There was also no evidence that the defendant acknowledged, at the time of the stop or at any other time, that he was aware of the suspension. Moreover, the evidence showed that when he was stopped, the defendant had his license in his possession and gave it to the police officer. When a license is suspended in connection with a conviction for operating while under the influence, G. L. c. 90, § 24D, fourth par., requires that the license be surrendered to the probation department. Here, however, the defendant apparently did not surrender his license. A possible reason for this is that nobody notified the defendant that his license had been suspended.” (Footnote omitted.) Id. at 1016-1017.
In the present case, too, the evidence clearly was sufficient to prove that the defendant was operating a motor vehicle and that his license to operate had been suspended for operating under the influence; the defendant does not contend otherwise. The only question is whether the court’s analysis in Oyewole is distinguishable on the facts, or whether the holding in that case compels us to reverse the conviction and enter a finding of not guilty.
Here, the defendant did not present a license when he was stopped by the trooper; that fact undermines any inference that no one ever seized the defendant’s license when it was suspended at the time of his earlier admission and sentencing on count 1, the OUI charge. In addition, and significantly, in Oyewole, the defendant’ s prior conviction had been for only an OUI. Nothing in the facts of that case indicates that Oyewole was aware that his license had ever been suspended. In this case, by contrast, the
Surely, then, it is fair also to infer that this defendant, having been placed on notice at his admission hearing, only nineteen days earlier, that his license had, in fact, been suspended at the time of the underlying offense, was aware that his license was still suspended at the time of the stop at issue here — at least in the absence of any indication from any source that the license had been restored.
We are satisfied that the evidence was sufficient to meet the Commonwealth’s burden of proof.
Judgment affirmed.
Under the pertinent statute, the defendant’s license would have been revoked for at least one year on count 3. General Laws c. 90, § 24(2)(£>). as amended through St. 1996, c. 450, § 137, provides, in pertinent part:
“A conviction of a violation of paragraph (a) or paragraph (a ½) of subdivision (2) of this section shall be reported forthwith by the court or magistrate to the registrar; who may in any event, and shall unless the court or magistrate recommends otherwise, revoke immediately the license or right to operate of the person so convicted, and no appeal, motion for new trial or exceptions shall operate to stay the revocation of the license or right to operate.”
General Laws c. 90, § 24(2)(c), as appealing in St. 1991, c. 460, § 4,
“The registrar; after having revoked the license or right to operate of any person under paragraph (b). . . . may, after an investigation or upon healing, issue a new license or reinstate the right to operate to a person convicted in any court for a violation of any provision of paragraph (a) or (a ½) of subdivision (2); provided, however, that no new license or right to operate shall be issued by the registrar to: (i) any person convicted of a violation of subparagraph (1) of paragraph (a ½) until one year after the date of revocation following his conviction if for a first offense
This case was tried before Oyewole was reieased.
In Commonwealth v. Norman, 87 Mass. App. Ct. 344 (2015), this court determined that the defendant had sufficient notice of his iicense suspension, and affirmed his conviction of OUI while his license was suspended for a prior OUI. In that case, the Commonwealth offered evidence that the defendant had admitted to the police officer at the time of the stop that he did not have a license, although he provided a license number. A Registry of Motor Vehicles representative described the process used to notify a driver of license suspension and produced a copy of a “notice of suspension” letter sent to the mailing address on file for the defendant. Id. at 345. The facts of this case fall somewhere between Oyewole and Norman,
Indeed, as the Commonwealth notes, given the defendant’s plea on the charge of leaving the scene of an accident after causing personal injury, his license could not have been reinstated at the time he was stopped on the present offense. See note 1, supra.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). The issue before us is not whether the defendant knew his license could be suspended for a motor vehicle violation. Clearly, he did. The issue is whether the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the
‘“[T]he Commonwealth was obligated to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt,. .. that the defendant was notified that his license had been suspended or revoked.” Commonwealth v. Oyewole, supra at 1016 (quotation omitted). The element of notice under G. L. c. 90, § 23, can be established in two ways: (1) by proof that the defendant had actual or constructive knowledge of the suspension of his license, see Commonwealth v. Deramo, 436 Mass. 40, 51 (2002); Oyewole, supra at 1016; or (2) by proof that notice of suspension or revocation of his right to operate a motor vehicle ‘“has been issued [by the registrar of motor vehicles] and received by such person or by his agent or employer,” G. L. c. 90, § 23, third par., as appearing in St. 1986, c. 620, § 3. See Commonwealth v. Crosscup, 369 Mass. 228, 231-232 (1975). When the Commonwealth proves notice to a defendant by means of proof of notice by the registry, it need not prove that the defendant had actual knowledge of the suspension, so long as there is admissible evidence of mailing and receipt as set forth in the statute. See id. at 242 (proper mailing is prime facie evidence of receipt); Commonwealth v. Koney, 421 Mass. 295, 303-304 (1995) (same; proof of actual receipt not required); Commonwealth v. Lora, 43 Mass. App. Ct. 136, 144 (1997) (registry may rely on the accuracy of address provided). See generally Commonwealth v. Royal, 89 Mass. App. Ct. 168, 173-175 (2016) (methods of proving mailing and receipt). There was, however, no proof of mailing to the defendant and receipt in this case, and
Viewing the record in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, see Oyewole, supra at 1016 & n.2, the evidence from which actual or constructive knowledge could be inferred is as follows. On January 11,2012, the defendant admitted to sufficient facts to support a finding of guilty on charges of operating while under the influence of alcohol (OUI) and operating after his license had been suspended, and pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of personal injury. Each of these three offenses took place on October 7, 2011. There was no evidence of when or for what the license suspension underlying the October 7, 2011, charge was imposed, or the length of that previous license suspension.
According to the docket sheet from the January 11, 2012, plea, the defendant’s license was suspended for forty-five days on the OUI charge, and “as by law” on the leaving the scene charge.
In Oyewole, the Supreme Judicial Court held that while a docket sheet “permits an inference that the defendant was present when his license was suspended,” the docket sheet alone is not evidence “that the suspension was communicated to him.” Oyewole, supra at 1016. Here, as in Oyewole, “[t]he docket sheet itself does not state that the defendant was notified of the suspension. The Commonwealth did not present evidence that the judge in the [January 11] case announced the suspension in open court. [Footnote omitted.] There is no evidence in the record that the docket sheet was shown to the defendant or that any other written notification was sent to him. . . . There was also no
Here, the previous suspension underlying the January 11, 2012, plea, even when coupled with the absence of a license at the time of the stop, does not constitute proof beyond a reasonable doubt that on January 30, 2012, the defendant knew his license was suspended. While there was evidence that the defendant admitted, on January 11, 2012, that his license was suspended on October 7, 2011, there was no evidence that the suspension in effect on October 7, 2011, was still in effect on January 30, 2012, when he was stopped by Trooper Santos. The fact that the defendant admitted that he drove in October of 2011 with a suspended license was not a substitute for proof of actual or constructive knowledge that his license either remained or was newly suspended on January 30, 2012.
As to the license, the evidence at trial was that the defendant did not have his driver’s license ‘“on him.” He did not admit that he did not have one. Contrast Commonwealth v. Norman, 87 Mass. App. Ct. at 347. The only way to fill the evidentiary gap is by making the inferential leap that the defendant had notice of the suspension because his license was taken or surrendered either at the time of the January 11, 2012, plea, or at some other time not evident in the record. One might surmise that the defendant’s license was taken by the court at the time of the January 11, 2012, plea, pursuant to the G. L. c. 90, § 24D, disposition on the OUI charge.
This reasoning is consistent with cases applying the notice provisions of other statutes. For example, when a temporary abuse prevention order is issued pursuant to G. L. c. 209A, § 4, the court “shall immediately thereafter notify the defendant that the temporary orders have been issued.” Ibid. as appearing in St. 1990, c. 403, § 4. Although the statute provides for service by a law enforcement officer, see G. L. c. 209A, §§ 4, 7, “[pjersonal service is not required ... if the Commonwealth can show the defendant had actual or constructive knowledge of the existence and terms of the court order.” Commonwealth v. Malloy, 44 Mass. App. Ct. 306, 308 (1998), citing Commonwealth v. Delaney, 425 Mass. 587, 592 (1997), cert. denied, 522 U.S. 1058 (1998).
Conversely, in Commonwealth v. Molloy, 44 Mass. App. Ct. at 309, the evidence of actual or constructive notice of the extension of a restraining order was insufficient where the order in question had not been served on the defendant, and nothing in the extension order he had received placed him on notice that it could be further extended in his absence if he failed to appear at an extension hearing. And, in Commonwealth v. Welch, 58 Mass. App. Ct. 408, 409-411 (2003), we held that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of an extended abuse prevention order where there was no evidence that either the order or an earlier ex parte order had been served, and the alleged victim’s testimony concerning her telephone conversations with the defendant were so void of detail that the evidence was insufficient to prove that the defendant had actual knowledge of the terms of the order or was put on sufficient notice to make reasonable inquiry concerning the issuance and terms of the order.
As these cases demonstrate, the salient issue is not what the
For these reasons, I respectfully dissent.
The docket indicates a sentence of “concur” on the charge of operating with a suspended license, which was continued without a finding.
General Laws c. 90, § 24D, fourth par., as appearing in St. 2003, c. 28, § 13, provides, in pertinent part:
“Upon each disposition under this section, the defendant will surrender any Massachusetts drivers license ... in his possession to the probation department of that court.”
Compare G. L. c. 90, §§ 24(1 )(b). 24N.
When the registrar suspends a license, the registrar follows the notice procedures set out in G. L. c. 90, § 22, culminating in a notice directing the driver to surrender his license to the registry. See Commonwealth v. Crosscup, 369 Mass. at 229. Whether the driver has been so notified and has done so is a matter of proof. See id. at 242; Commonwealth v. Norman, supra at 346-347.
In Oyewole, the driver had a driver’s license in his possession at the time of the stop. I understand Oyewole to treat the presence of the license as additional grounds to vacate the conviction, but not a dispositive or necessary factor in concluding that the evidence was insufficient. See id, at 1017 (“In sum, the record contains no evidence demonstrating that the defendant was notified of the license suspension, and some evidence suggesting the contrary”). I agree with the majority that this case lies somewhere between Oyewole and Norman.
In any event, there was no evidence of the regular practice here. Compare Commonwealth v. Norman, 87 Mass. App. Ct. at 347.
See also Instruction 6.720 of the Criminal Model Jury Instructions for Use in the District Court (rev. May, 2011), Violation of an Abuse Prevention Order (“In order to prove the defendant guilty of this offense, the Commonwealth must prove . . . beyond a reasonable doubt . . . [tjhat the defendant knew that the pertinent termfs] of the order [was] [were] in effect, either by having received
Contrast Commonwealth v. Delaney, supra, where the ex paite temporary restraining order was served on the defendant by leaving it at his last and usual place of abode. The temporary order provided notice that it could be extended if the defendant failed to appeal' at a healing at a time, date, and place specified in the order. When the defendant failed to appear, the temporary order was extended for one year. Although the extended order was not served on the defendant, the com! held that the ex parte order, which stated that the order
Our oft-cited and familiar Latimore standard, see Commonwealth v. Latimore, 378 Mass. 671, 677 (1979), rests upon Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-319 (1979), a case which carefully articulated the rationale underlying the adoption of the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson, supra at 315. The vitality of this rationale has recently been reemphasized. See Commonwealth v. Russell, 470 Mass. 464, 474 (2015).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.