City of Crystal Lake v. Nelson

283 N.E.2d 239, 5 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2721
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 19, 1972
Docket71-205
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 283 N.E.2d 239 (City of Crystal Lake v. Nelson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Crystal Lake v. Nelson, 283 N.E.2d 239, 5 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2721 (Ill. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE GUILD

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant herein was convicted of the offense of driving while intoxicated in violation of the municipal ordinance of the city of Crystal Lake. The penalty provided by such ordinance is a fine not to exceed $500. The defendant plead not guilty, was tried by a jury who found him guilty and a fine of $250 was imposed.

The defendant took the stand and testified that he was at home on the night of October 23, 1970. He finished work at 8:00 in the evening and on the way home he testified that he had three 6 or 8 oz. glasses of beer at one tavern and two or three more 6 or 8 oz. glasses of beer at another. When he arrived home he had dinner and drank four more bottles of beer making a total of 8-10 beers during the evening. Shortly before 1:00 he dropped his cigarettes in the dog’s water dish and drove to a nearby place to buy cigarettes. On the way home he was arrested at 1:13 A.M. by police officer Ferris who observed the defendant driving his car from one lane to the other, put on his red light and stopped him. The defendant was cooperative. He was taken to the police station and there a visual alcoholic test was given. Both officer Ferris and officer Lozinski testified that they smelled alcohol on his breath, that he was unable to walk a straight line and was not able to perform the finger to nose test, and that his eyes were bloodshot. Over the objection of the defendant both officers testified that he was under the influence of alcoholic liquor or intoxicated.

Officer Ferris testified that in the police station the defendant was advised of his rights and was given a breathalizer examination by officer Lozinski. Officer Lozinski testified that at the police station officer Ferris asked the defendant if he consented to take the breathalizer test and that he too asked the defendant, and that the defendant consented to the breathalizer test. Defendant denies this and states that he consented only to the visual test.

The defendant has raised four issues upon appeal.

The first contention is that the court erroneously instructed the jury that tire defendant could be found guilty of the offense of driving while intoxicated under the city ordinance by a preponderance of the ' evidence rather than by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. He contends that the passage of Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 24, sec. 1 — 2—1.1 (1969) now requires that the municipality must prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt for violation of a municipal misdemeanor ordinance. Sec. 1 — 2—1.1 reads as follows: The court instructed the jury that the penalty under the Crystal Lake ordinance was a fine of “not less than $5.00 nor more than $500 for each offense.” A close reading of the statute will further indicate that where a conviction of an ordinance carries with it a possible jail sentence that the conviction must be beyond a reasonable doubt. By the enactment of Sec. 1 — 2—1.1, in 1969, it is obvious that the legislature imposed the rules of criminal procedure in those ordinance violations, conviction of which would result in the incarceration. This is not the case of the violation of an ordinance where a fine only is authorized. The cases cited: City of Highland Park v. Curtis (1967), 83 Ill.App.2d 218, 226 N.E.2d 870, and City of Rockford v. Floyd (1968), 104 Ill.App.2d 161, 243 N.E.2d 837 have not been superseded by this act where the prosecution as here, is under a fine only ordinance.

“The corporate authorities of each municipality may pass ordinances, not inconsistent with the criminal laws of this State, to regulate any matter expressly within the authorized powers of the municipality, or incidental thereto, making violation thereof a misdemeanor punishable by incarceration in a penal institution other than the penitentiary not to exceed 6 months. The municipality is authorized to prosecute violations of penal ordinances enacted under this Section as criminal offenses by its corporate attorney in the circuit court by an information, or complaint sworn to, charging such offense. The prosecution shall be under and conform to the rules of criminal procedure. Conviction shall require the municipality to establish the guilt of the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.” (Emphasis supplied.)

The second contention of the defendant is that the instruction setting forth the language of the ordinance incorrectly stated the law. He raises the novel theory that inasmuch as conviction of driving while intoxicated whether under a city or village ordinance or under IH. Rev. Stat. ch. 95V2 Sec. 144, now Sec. 11-501, will result in revocation of the operators license by the Secretary of State of any person so convicted, and that the jury should have been so advised. The case cited in support of this theory is Scatty v. Flannery (1937), 292 Ill. App. 349 11 N.E.2d 123. The court there held that in a close case where an instruction does not correctly state the law, it is not warranted and constitutes prejudicial error. In this case the court does not believe this is a close case and in addition thereto, the subsequent revocation of a driver’s license upon conviction of driving while intoxicated whether under a municipal ordinance or a State statute is not a part of the penalty to be imposed. It has been held that the right to drive a car is a privilege, not a right, and that privilege may or shall be revoked by the Secretary of State for a variety of reasons including driving while intoxicated.

The third contention of the defendant is that the police officers should not have been aUowed to state their opinion as to whether or not the defendant was under the influence of alcohol or intoxicated. It has long since been determined by our courts that where the proper foundation is laid, a layman may in fact testify as to the question of sobriety or intoxication as a matter of common knowledge. It is not an invasion of the province of the jury. (People v. Bobczyk (1951), 343 Ill.App.2d 504, 99 N.E.2d 567; People v. Krueger (1968), 99 Ill.App.2d 431, 241 N.E.2d 707.) In discussing this very question as early as 1878, it was weU stated in Aurora v. Hillman, 90 Ill. 61 and quoted with approval in Suppe v. Sako (1941), 311 Ill.App. 459, 36 N.E.2d 603:

“* * * A witness, by observation and by the exercise of his perceptive faculties, his five senses, can learn and know facts, and such facts he may state. He would not be confined to a detail of the combination of minute appearances that have enabled him to ascertain the fact of intoxication. The details of conduct, attitude, gesture, words, tones, and expression of eye and face may be stated by him, or he may state the fact of intoxication, a fact which he can ascertain by personal observation, as he ascertains other facts.” * * #

The defendant next argues that the use of a police report or alcoholic influence report form made out by the officer at the time of the defendant’s arrest and examination was error.

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Bluebook (online)
283 N.E.2d 239, 5 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-crystal-lake-v-nelson-illappct-1972.