B.E. Overcash v. Bureau of Driver Licensing

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 30, 2023
Docket200 C.D. 2022
StatusUnpublished

This text of B.E. Overcash v. Bureau of Driver Licensing (B.E. Overcash v. Bureau of Driver Licensing) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
B.E. Overcash v. Bureau of Driver Licensing, (Pa. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Brian Edward Overcash, : Appellant : : v. : No. 200 C.D. 2022 : Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, : Department of Transportation, : Bureau of Driver Licensing : Submitted: October 10, 2023

BEFORE: HONORABLE MICHAEL H. WOJCIK, Judge HONORABLE ELLEN CEISLER, Judge HONORABLE BONNIE BRIGANCE LEADBETTER, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION BY JUDGE CEISLER FILED: November 30, 2023

Brian Edward Overcash (Licensee) appeals from the January 27, 2022 Order of the Court of Common Pleas of York County (Trial Court) dismissing his statutory appeal and reinstating the 18-month suspension of his operating privilege imposed by the Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing (DOT). DOT imposed the suspension under Section 1547(b)(1)(ii) of the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa. C.S. § 1547(b)(1)(ii), commonly known as the Implied Consent Law,1 due to

1 Section 1547(b)(1)(ii) of the Implied Consent Law states:

(1) If any person placed under arrest for a violation of [S]ection 3802 [of the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa. C.S. § 3802 (relating to driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance (DUI)),] is requested to submit to chemical testing and refuses to do so, the testing shall not be conducted but upon notice by the police officer, [DOT] shall suspend the operating privilege of the person . . .

....

(ii) For a period of 18 months if any of the following apply: (Footnote continued on next page…) Licensee’s refusal to submit to chemical testing in connection with his arrest for DUI. We affirm.

Background On July 6, 2021, DOT notified Licensee that his operating privilege would be suspended for 18 months, effective August 10, 2021, due to his refusal to submit to chemical testing on June 23, 2021. DOT Br., App. A. Licensee filed a statutory appeal with the Trial Court on August 3, 2021. The Trial Court initially scheduled a de novo hearing on October 12, 2021. Licensee requested a continuance because his counsel was unavailable on that date, and the Trial Court granted the request. The Trial Court convened a hearing on November 23, 2021, at which time DOT requested a continuance because its witness was not present. Notes of Testimony (N.T.), 11/23/21, at 2. Licensee’s counsel objected, stating that Licensee “was opposed to the [Trial] Court granting [DOT’s] request for a continuance. [Licensee is] here. He’s prepared. He’s ready to proceed.” Id. at 3-4. DOT’s counsel responded:

(A) The person’s operating privileges have previously been suspended under this subsection.

(B) The person has, prior to the refusal under this paragraph, been sentenced for:

(I) an offense under [S]ection 3802; (II) an offense under former [S]ection 3731; (III) an offense equivalent to an offense under subclause (I) or (II); or (IV) a combination of the offenses set forth in this clause.

75 Pa. C.S. § 1547(b)(1)(ii). Licensee was previously convicted of DUI under Section 3802 of the Vehicle Code on November 16, 2004. See DOT Br., App. A.

2 [Licensee’s] privilege is restored pending this appeal. I’m not making light of the time that he had to come in this morning, . . . if he had to miss work, I’m not making light of that. But other than that, there is no real prejudice to [Licensee] to continue this matter, and to sustain the appeal of an 18-month suspension is a significant penalty to [DOT] for its witness whom we did notify and who[m] I did remind with an email at a regular email address that I’ve communicated with this officer before about the hearing does seem to be an extreme reaction, but we leave that to the discretion of the [Trial] Court.

Id. at 4. The Trial Court granted DOT’s continuance request, concluding:

We are aware of the time and inconvenience of having [Licensee] and his counsel here this morning. As far as this matter goes, this would be []DOT’s first request for a continuance. We previously granted the request for continuance made by [Licensee] here due to his counsel’s unavailability on the date and time. [Licensee] does have a stay of his suspension while this matter is pending as well as what is at risk as far as the suspension itself. I believe the interest of justice requires a continuance.

Id. at 5 (emphasis added). The Trial Court then asked Licensee’s counsel whether Licensee would prefer to reconvene on the court’s next regular hearing date, December 30, 2021, or on January 27, 2022. Id. Licensee’s counsel requested January 27, 2022, and the Trial Court continued the matter to that date. The Trial Court convened the de novo hearing on January 27, 2022. Officer Joshua Phillips testified on DOT’s behalf. Licensee was present but did not testify or present any evidence. Officer Phillips testified that he had six years’ experience as a police officer with the Hellem Township Police Department. N.T., 1/27/22, at 5. Officer Phillips received specific training in DUI investigations and estimated that he had been involved in “60 to 70 plus DUIs.” Id.

3 On the evening of June 23, 2021, Officer Phillips initiated a traffic stop of Licensee’s vehicle, in a posted 40-mile-per-hour zone, because the vehicle “appeared to be moving at a high rate of speed for th[e] area.” Id. at 6. Officer Phillips approached the vehicle from the passenger side and observed Licensee “with a distant stare.” Id. at 7. Officer Phillips testified: “When I knocked on the window, [Licensee] was staring straight ahead. He appeared to have glassy eyes from where I was standing on the passenger side.” Id. The officer asked Licensee if he had been drinking, and he replied that he had “two drinks with dinner.” Id. Officer Phillips testified that he performed a horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test on Licensee2 and observed “four out of the six clues,” indicating that Licensee was “over the legal limit in . . . Pennsylvania” of a .08 blood alcohol content. Id. at 14-16. While performing the HGN test, the officer was standing “close to” Licensee and “smell[ed] an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from him.”

2 Licensee initially objected to Officer Phillips’ testimony regarding the HGN test, stating that the officer was not “qualified as an expert in the area of ophthalmology to indicate whether or not he believed that there was impairment based on [Licensee’s] perceived or purported reactions to the stimulus.” N.T., 1/27/22, at 8. DOT’s counsel agreed that he “did not ask [Officer Phillips] about his training and experience with field sobriety” and stated he would “certainly . . . do that.” Id. Officer Phillips then testified regarding his training and experience in conducting field sobriety tests, and the HGN test in particular. Id. at 9-14. Licensee’s counsel again objected, stating:

I have heard that [Officer Phillips] has training with respect to standardized field sobriety tests; but no specific mention of th[e HGN] test in particular and why, other than his experience as a police officer, . . . he’s in a position to testify as to what, if anything, that means as it relates to whether or not there are reasonable grounds to suspect that [Licensee was] driving under the influence. The correlation is where I see the record lacking.

Id. at 11. In response to this objection, the Trial Court clarified: “I think factually [Officer Phillips] can testify as to what he saw, and I don’t think there’s any expertise required to do that.” Id. at 12-13. Licensee’s counsel agreed. Id. at 13. Officer Phillips then testified regarding his performance of the HGN test, and Licensee’s counsel made no further objections.

4 Id. at 16. Officer Phillips also asked Licensee to perform the walk-and-turn and one- leg-stand tests, but Licensee said that he had “a bad ankle,” so the officer did not perform those tests. Id.

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B.E. Overcash v. Bureau of Driver Licensing, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/be-overcash-v-bureau-of-driver-licensing-pacommwct-2023.