Commonwealth v. Bullers

599 A.2d 662, 410 Pa. Super. 176, 1991 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3348
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 29, 1991
Docket46
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 599 A.2d 662 (Commonwealth v. Bullers) 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
Commonwealth v. Bullers, 599 A.2d 662, 410 Pa. Super. 176, 1991 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3348 (Pa. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Judge:

We are asked to determine whether the authority of a police officer to arrest without a warrant extends to the summary offense of underage drinking under circumstances where the violator does not exhibit disorderly conduct, a breach of the peace, drunkenness or other irregular behavior. We conclude that a warrantless arrest under such circumstances has not been authorized by our legislature. Accordingly, we must reverse.

Richard Bullers was found guilty by a jury of theft of a firearm, 18 Pa.C.S. § 3921(a), firearms not to be carried without a license, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6106(a), unauthorized use of automobile, 18 Pa.C.S. § 3928(a), and receiving stolen property, 19 Pa.C.S. § 3925(a). Bullers appeals from judgment of sentence entered upon these convictions. We reverse, and remand for further proceedings.

*179 On appeal, Bullers contends that he was unlawfully arrested and that the evidence which resulted therefrom was improperly admitted at trial. Bullers also contends that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted. Finally, he presents an attack upon the weight of the evidence.

We will begin by considering Bullers’ claim as to the sufficiency of the evidence. We do so because a determination in Bullers’ favor regarding sufficiency would entitle him to a discharge. Further, such a determination would obviate the need to interpret the statute implicated in this case. Similarly, our Supreme Court has concluded that sufficient evidence had been presented to support a conviction before proceeding to determine that the conviction had resulted from an illegal arrest. See Commonwealth v. Lovette, 498 Pa. 665, 670, 450 A.2d 975, 977 (1982), cert. den. 459 U.S. 1178, 103 S.Ct. 830, 74 L.Ed.2d 1025 (1983).

When reviewing an attack upon the sufficiency of the evidence, our standard of review is well established: sufficiency of the evidence must be evaluated and determined upon the entire record. Commonwealth v. Meadows, 471 Pa. 201, 369 A.2d 1266 (1977). The entire trial record must be evaluated and all the evidence actually received must be considered, whether or not the trial court’s rulings thereon were correct. Commonwealth v. Harper, 485 Pa. 572, 403 A.2d 536 (1979). All of the evidence must be read in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, as verdict winner, and the Commonwealth is entitled to all reasonable inferences arising therefrom. Meadows. An attack upon the sufficiency of the evidence admits all the facts which the Commonwealth’s evidence tends to prove, but contends that such facts fail to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, the elements of the crimes for which the defendant has been convicted. Id. So viewed, the record reveals the following:

On April 5, 1990, at about 10:00 p.m., Richard Wolfe, a resident of the Borough of Johnsonburg, parked his GMC *180 Jimmy truck on Market Street, directly across the street from a local club. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, Wolfe discovered that his truck was missing, and he contacted the Johnsonburg Borough police. He reported that the keys had been left in the vehicle, and the doors had been left unlocked. He also reported that he had left a pistol, in a holster, in the console between the seats and that the pistol contained a loaded clip. Wolfe had not given anybody permission to be in possession of the truck or the pistol that evening.

That same evening, Sergeant Parana, of the Johnsonburg Borough Police Department, began his work shift at 11:00 p.m., and he was informed that Wolfe’s vehicle had been stolen. At about 11:45 p.m., a radio call came in from the St. Marys Borough Police Department indicating that a vehicle fitting the description of Wolfe’s truck had been located in a cemetery in St. Marys. Sergeant Parana arrived at the cemetery about ten minutes later and determined that the found truck was registered to Wolfe. Parana also discovered that the pistol was missing from the console.

Keith Lucanik, accompanied by his brother-in-law, was traveling from Emporium, Pennsylvania to Wilcox, Pennsylvania, in the early hours of April 6, 1990. Lucanik traveled through St. Marys and Johnsonburg and gave a ride to Bullers, who had been hitchhiking. Bullers entered the car in St. Marys near Andrew Kaul Hospital, on Route 255, at about 2:00 or 2:30 a.m., and he exited at about 2:45 or 3:00 a.m. in Johnsonburg. While in Lucanik’s car, Bullers sat in the back seat. Lucanik did not have a firearm or a red canvas bag in his car that morning.

At approximately 2:45 a.m., Officer Parana saw Bullers walking on Grant Street in Johnsonburg. Parana knew Bullers, and approached him in order to ask questions regarding the theft of Wolfe’s truck. After engaging Bullers in conversation, Parana detected the odor of beer on Bullers’ breath. Knowing from previous experiences with Bullers that he was nineteen years old, Parana arrested *181 Bullers for underage drinking. This arrest occurred about a quarter mile from Bullers’ residence and about 600 to 700 feet from where Wolfe’s truck had earlier been stolen. Also, the scene of the arrest was about one and one-half to two miles from Route 255.

Incident to the arrest, Sergeant Parana conducted a pat-down search and discovered a large amount of loose change, some of which was in a red canvas bag in Bullers’ jacket pocket. Parana also found a number of pencils and pens. A later search at the station uncovered Wolfe’s loaded, holstered pistol hidden beneath Bullers’ jacket inside his belt and against his back. Bullers had no license or permit to carry a concealed firearm.

Bullers testified at trial that, while riding in Lucanik’s car, he found the red canvas bag in the back seat area, that he stole the bag from Lucanik’s car upon exiting, and that he then discovered a gun in the bag.

Bullers argues first that this evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he unlawfully took or exercised control over Wolfe’s gun with the intent to deprive the owner thereof. See 18 Pa.C.S. § 3921(a). He also contends that this evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intentionally received, retained or disposed of the gun knowing that it was stolen, or believing such, absent the intent of restoring it to the owner. See 18 Pa.C.S. § 3925(a). Finally, he contends that this evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he operated Wolfe’s automobile without consent. Bullers bases each of these contentions on the observation that no witness to any of the thefts was presented, and he argues that the only evidence of his guilt was the possession of the pistol.

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Bluebook (online)
599 A.2d 662, 410 Pa. Super. 176, 1991 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-bullers-pasuperct-1991.