Commonwealth v. Kline
Commonwealth v. Kline
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Irvin Thomas Kline, the appellant, was arrested in Derry Township, Dauphin County, by an officer of the Derry Township Police Department on December 29,1978. He was charged with a violation of §1037 of The Vehicle
Following this guilty plea, Judge William W. Caldwell of Dauphin County imposed a fine of $250.00 and directed the appellant to pay the costs of prosecution.
The sole issue presented here concerns the powers of a sentencing judge in a criminal case where a defendant is to be sentenced on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. By ordering the appellant to surrender his operator’s license to the Clerk of Courts, the sentencing judge has, in effect, suspended the appellant’s operating privileges.
Under the penalty provisions of §1037 of The Vehicle Code:
“Any person violating the provisions of this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction ... be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and costs of prosecution, or undergo imprisonment for not more than three (3) years, or suffer both such fine and imprisonment.”
These are the only penalties provided in §1037, and unless the penalty is specifically provided within the penalty paragraph of the statute in question, the sentencing judge has no power to impose it. This has been the rule in the Commonwealth since Daniels v. Commonwealth, 7 Pa. 371 (1847), where it was ruled that a court should
The Vehicle Code addresses itself to the suspension of licenses or operating privileges. It provides specific procedures for suspension in Section 616 and in Section 618.
The sentence imposing a fine of $250.00 and directing the appellant to pay the costs of prosecution is affirmed. The portion of the sentence directing appellant to forward his operator’s license to the Clerk of Courts of Dauphin County is vacated.
. Act of April 29, 1959, P.L. 58, §1037 (75 P.S. §1037).
. Act of June 19, 1911, P.L. 1055, §1, May 7, 1925, P.L. 554, No. 297, §1 (19 P.S. §1051).
. Act of April 29, 1959, P.L. 58, §616 and §618, as amended (75 P.S. §616 and §618).
. Act of Jan. 10, 1972, P.L. 748, No. 177, §1, as amended (75 P.S. §102).
Concurring Opinion
Concurring Opinion by
I join Judge Price’s Opinion with the understanding on my part that our decision does not imply that the Court is without power and authority to proscribe the operating of a motor vehicle by one convicted under Section 1037 of The Vehicle Code (operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs) as a condition of probation for a length of time not exceeding the period of probation.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Commonwealth v. Kline, Appellant
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published