Commonwealth v. Graydon

22 Pa. D. & C.4th 128, 1994 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Pike County
DecidedNovember 2, 1994
Docketno. 202-1994-Criminal
StatusPublished

This text of 22 Pa. D. & C.4th 128 (Commonwealth v. Graydon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Pike County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Graydon, 22 Pa. D. & C.4th 128, 1994 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1994).

Opinion

THOMSON, J.,

This case is before us on defendant’s omnibus pre-trial motion to suppress evidence. Briefs have been submitted and argument has been held on the motion.

The facts are brief and simply put. The defendant, Mark J. Graydon, was involved in a motor vehicle accident on February 12, 1994. The accident occurred when the defendant’s truck crossed over the center line of State Route 2006 in Dingman Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania, and collided head-on into a vehicle in the oncoming lane. When state police arrived at the accident scene, the defendant was being treated by ambulance personnel in anticipation of taking defendant to Mercy Hospital in Port Jervis, New York. The state trooper at the scene, Officer Balchune, gave credible testimony at the suppression hearing that defendant exhibited signs of being under the influence of alcohol, including the smell of alcohol on defendant’s breath and glassy eyes. The officer reported that the defendant also admitted to drinking “three or four beers.” Due to defendant’s condition, the officer reported he was [130]*130unable to perform field sobriety tests at the scene of the accident. The trooper also credibly testified that he requested that the defendant consent to a blood test for alcohol, and that the defendant in fact gave his consent. Defendant was then transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital. While at the hospital, blood tests were requested and subsequently taken by hospital staff. Blood specimens were provided to another officer, Trooper Johnson, who forwarded them to Wyoming Regional Laboratory for analysis. The results of the tests showed a blood alcohol level of .15 percent.

Defendant now petitions this court to suppress any and all evidence of blood work or evidence derived from such blood work as was conducted from blood drawn from the defendant at Mercy Hospital, Port Jervis, New York.

In support thereof, the defendant enunciates three bases to support suppression of the evidence: (1) that the investigating officer lacked probable cause to request the drawing of the defendant’s blood; (2) that the blood was drawn without the knowing and freely-given consent of the defendant; and (3) that the officer obtained the blood pursuant to a request, tendered to hospital personnel outside the jurisdiction of the police officer.

PROBABLE CAUSE

In support of his contention that probable cause was lacking, the defendant relies , strongly on the cases of Commonwealth v. Danforth, 395 Pa. Super. 1, 576 A.2d 1013 (1990), and Commonwealth v. Kohl, 532 Pa. 152, 615 A.2d 308 (1992). In his brief, the defendant argues, “... the mere occurrence of an accident, or the mere consumption of alcohol by the suspect will not do. There must be probable cause to belief (sic) the suspect was intoxicated before a blood test can be requested.” [131]*131Defendant’s brief, p. 8. The defendant thereafter cites Danforth and Kohl. While the defendant’s brief properly states the law, this court notes the disjunctive nature of the defendant’s contention of a ... “mere occurrence of an accident, or the mere consumption of alcohol.” Id. The facts in the instant case present a conjunctive: there was an accident and consumption of alcohol, the latter evidenced by the smell of alcohol on the breath of defendant, an admission to having drunk “three or four beers,” as well as glassy eyes. Defendant’s reliance on Danforth and Kohl is therefore insufficient. This court holds that the facts of this case, because of the additional indicia of intoxication, do support a finding of probable cause.

We are confirmed in this opinion by the Superior Court in the case of Commonwealth v. Haynos, 363 Pa. Super. 1, 525 A.2d 394 (1987). The material facts in that case are markedly similar. Haynos was involved in a one car accident. When the officer arrived at the accident scene, he ascertained that defendant was the driver and he detected an odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath. Because of his numerous duties involving the accident, the officer was unable to perform field sobriety tests, or note any other indicia of intoxication on or about the defendant. Id. at 3-4, 525 A.2d at 395. Nevertheless, the Superior Court found “... these facts establish sufficient probable cause....” Id. at 11, 525 A.2d at 399.

The defendant suggests in his reply brief that the decisions in Danforth and Kohl overruled Haynos sub silentio.1 Defendant’s reply brief, p. 2. According to defendant’s construction of this ancient rule, apparently [132]*132whenever an appellate court, in a ruling, fails to reaffirm a preceding case, that preceding case is overruled by implication because of the “silence” of the court towards it. This is both an error of law and a misapplication of the doctrine of sub silentio.

The Latin maxim sub silentio, is the modem cognate of the classic common law maxim, qui tacet consentit, meaning, literally, “he who remains silent consents.” Properly applied, where there is silence on the part of an appellate court to an earlier case, an inferior court is required to construe that silence as consent. As it applies to the case at bar, if the appellate court were silent as to one of the cases cited in the Commonwealth’s brief (such as Haynos), we would be required to constme their silence as consent to the continued legal vitality of the case. But such consent favors the Commonwealth, not the defendant. Because the cases cited by the Commonwealth are still good law, the invocation by defendant of the doctrine of sub silentio serves no useful purpose.

Further eroding defendant’s argument, the courts were not entirely silent. Judge Olszewski, in concurrence, wrote to emphasize the limited scope of the court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Danforth, supra at 23, 576 A.2d 1024. He maintained that if a police officer noticed any signs of intoxication at an accident site, probable cause would be met, and a blood test would have been authorized by 75 Pa.C.S. §1547(a)(1). Id. at 23, 576 A.2d at 1024. The example the learned judge used to illustrate his principle was none other than Commonwealth v. Haynos. Parenthetically, Judge Olszewski notes that in Haynos probable cause was based on the existence of an accident and odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath. Id. Factually, the instant case contains that same indicia in addition to glassy eyes and an [133]*133admission of alcohol consumption by the defendant. For the foregoing reasons, we hold that the state police officer had probable cause to request that blood be drawn from the defendant, Mark J. Graydon.

CONSENT

Defendant argues that “lacking is the required free and voluntary consent to having blood drawn.” Defendant’s brief, p. 8. Unfortunately for the defendant, this only becomes an issue in the absence of probable cause. Where probable cause is found to exist, Pennsylvania’s Implied Consent Law is triggered, and actual consent is no longer required.

It is clear that the taking of a blood sample is a search and seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

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Related

Schmerber v. California
384 U.S. 757 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Danforth
576 A.2d 1013 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Quarles
324 A.2d 452 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Luzins v. COM., DEPT. OF TRANSP.
564 A.2d 289 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
Commonwealth v. Merchant
560 A.2d 795 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
Commonwealth v. Kohl
615 A.2d 308 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Commonwealth v. Haynos
525 A.2d 394 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
Com., Dept. of Transp. v. McFarren
525 A.2d 1185 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
Commonwealth v. Saul
499 A.2d 358 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
Commonwealth v. Mason
490 A.2d 421 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
Commonwealth v. Musi
404 A.2d 378 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
22 Pa. D. & C.4th 128, 1994 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-graydon-pactcomplpike-1994.