Com. v. Santiago, J., Jr.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 4, 2024
Docket768 MDA 2023
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Santiago, J., Jr. (Com. v. Santiago, J., Jr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Santiago, J., Jr., (Pa. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

J-S08011-24

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : JOSE ANTONIO SANTIAGO, JR. : : Appellant : No. 768 MDA 2023

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered April 13, 2023 In the Court of Common Pleas of York County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-67-CR-0001057-2021

BEFORE: OLSON, J., MURRAY, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY OLSON, J.: FILED: APRIL 4,2024

Appellant, Jose Antonio Santiago, Jr., appeals from the judgment of

sentence entered April 13, 2023, as made final by the denial of his

post-sentence motion on April 24, 2023.1 We affirm Appellant’s convictions

but vacate the amended judgment and remand for resentencing. ____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.

1 For reasons explained more fully below, we shall treat the judgment of sentence originally imposed on April 13, 2023 as the judgment from which Appellant took this appeal. In sum, the trial court imposed its sentence on April 13, 2023. On April 24, 2023, Appellant filed a post-sentence motion challenging the weight of the evidence. Appellant’s post-sentence motion, filed on Monday, April 24, 2023, is deemed timely filed under our rules since the 10th day after the judgment was Sunday, April 23, 2023. See Pa.R.Crim.P. 720(A)(1) ("a written post-sentence motion shall be filed no later than 10 days after imposition of sentence”); see also 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1908 (omitting Sunday from computations of time); see also Pa.R.A.P. 107 (stating that 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1908 applies to the Rules of Appellate Procedure). The trial court denied Appellant’s motion on the same day and, thereafter, Appellant’s (Footnote Continued Next Page) J-S08011-24

The trial court summarized the facts and procedural history of this case

as follows.

On February 9, 2021, York City Police Department Officers, Andrew Groh and Thomas Ewald, were on patrol when they noticed a silver Kia Optima fail to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. The officers then observed the same Kia Optima roll through a steady red light, making a right turn. Because of the two traffic violations observed, Officer Ewald activated the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop o[f] the Kia Optima.

The Kia pulled over and Officer Groh approached the vehicle. As Officer Groh made his way to the passenger side door, the operator of the Kia fled the scene at a high rate of speed. While the vehicle was fleeing from the scene, officers of the West York Borough Police Department, who had observed the initial traffic stop, began to pursue the fleeing vehicle. A few blocks into the chase, the speed of the fleeing vehicle increased to over [70] miles per hour, at which time the West York [officers] slowed down and deactivated their emergency lights.

____________________________________________

counsel timely filed the instant notice of appeal on May 24, 2023, which was within 30 days of the date on which the court denied Appellant’s post-sentence motion. See Pa.R.Crim.P. 720(A)(2)(a) (where defendant files timely post-sentence motion, notice of appeal is due within 30 days of entry of order deciding the motion).

On April 28, 2023, after the trial court denied Appellant’s post-sentence motion but before Appellant filed the notice of appeal, the Commonwealth filed an untimely motion to modify Appellant’s sentence. See Pa.R.Crim.P. 721(B)(1) (“A Commonwealth motion for modification of sentence shall be filed no later than 10 days after imposition of sentence.”). On May 1, 2023, the trial court granted the Commonwealth’s motion and modified Appellant’s sentence in accordance with the Commonwealth’s request. Because the Commonwealth’s motion to modify sentence was untimely and because the trial court improperly amended Appellant’s sentence outside his presence, we shall treat the judgment originally imposed on April 13, 2023 as the operative sentence from which this appeal was taken.

-2- J-S08011-24

Even while slowing down, West York Borough Police [] Officer, Jonathan Hehnly, could observe the vehicle heading westbound. The West York . . . officers continued westbound, following the vehicle. Sight of the vehicle was lost around a small curve in the road. Only one side street is located along the route the Kia was driving, South Sumner Street. As the West York [officers] passed South Sumner Street, they saw a vehicle in the alley that appeared identical to the one they were pursuing. [The West York o]fficers then notified the York City officers via radio of the car’s location. While . . . the West York [officers] made a U-turn to enter South Sumner Street, [the] York City police officers had turned onto the street.

Once on South Sumner, West York . . . officers encountered a lone male, [Appellant], walking down the street from the direction of the parked vehicle. [The West York o]fficers noted that [Appellant] was sweaty, breathing heavily, and was seemingly nervous. [The West York o]fficers then asked [Appellant] for his identification. While attempting to acquire his identification, [Appellant] made statements to the officers regarding where he was coming from or going to and referencing a gas station that was located on the opposite side of town. Upon presenting his identification to the officers, [Appellant] continued to place his hands in his pocket, at which point [the] officers detained [Appellant]. At this point, the investigation was handed over to York City Police[.]

When Officer Ewald approached [Appellant], he completed a protective pat-down of [his] outer clothing. Prior to the pat-down, the [o]fficer noted seeing a lanyard hanging out of [Appellant’s] left pants pocket. During the pat-down, [Officer Ewald], knowing that the items of [Appellant’s] pocket were car keys, removed those keys from [his] pocket. [Officer Ewald] then hit the lock button on the key fob and received a positive response from the Kia down the street. At this point, [Appellant] was taken into custody.

Trial Court Opinion, 10/7/22, at 1-3.

A subsequent search of Appellant’s person revealed a small bag of

marijuana. Id. at 4. In addition, a “sweep of the area surrounding the [Kia

Optima] was conducted” and revealed “a substantial amount of crack cocaine

-3- J-S08011-24

. . . in a fanny pack in a yard adjacent to the Kia Optima and a firearm was

located on the ground less than half a block away from the vehicle.” Id.

Importantly, there were “footprints in the snow leading from the [Kia Optima]

to all contraband found on the scene.” Id.

Thereafter,

[Appellant] was charged with the following offenses . . . : count one, person not to possess a firearm, . . . count two, firearms without a license, . . . count three, fleeing and eluding, . . . count four, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, . . . count five, possession of marijuana – small amount, . . . count six, driving under suspension, . . . count seven, obedience to traffic control devices, . . . count eight, traffic control signals,. . . and count nine, simple possession.

[Appellant], by and through trial counsel[,] Clasina Houtman, Esquire, filed an omnibus pretrial motion to suppress and an amended pretrial motion to suppress. On April 6, 2022, a hearing took place before the Honorable Kathleen J. Prendergast. On October 7, 2022, Judge Prendergast denied the motion.

On January 12, 2023, after a jury trial . . ., [Appellant] was found guilty of count one, person not to possess a firearm; count two, firearms without a license; count three, fleeing and eluding; count six, driving under possession; and count nine, simple possession.[2]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hinkle v. Wanzer
58 U.S. 353 (Supreme Court, 1855)
Terry v. Ohio
392 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Commonwealth v. Smith
598 A.2d 268 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1991)
Commonwealth v. Taylor
771 A.2d 1261 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)
Commonwealth v. Vasquez
744 A.2d 1280 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2000)
Commonwealth v. Trenge
451 A.2d 701 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. Young
162 A.3d 524 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2017)
Commonwealth v. Kemp
195 A.3d 269 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2018)
Commonwealth v. Luczki
212 A.3d 530 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2019)
Commonwealth v. Martin
101 A.3d 706 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2014)
Commonwealth v. Mbewe
203 A.3d 983 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2019)
Com. v. Lehman, P.
2022 Pa. Super. 87 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2022)
Com. v. Williams, M.
2023 Pa. Super. 212 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Com. v. Santiago, J., Jr., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-santiago-j-jr-pasuperct-2024.