Commonwealth v. Iorio

276 A.2d 360, 2 Pa. Commw. 502, 1971 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 478
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 22, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 276 A.2d 360 (Commonwealth v. Iorio) 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
Commonwealth v. Iorio, 276 A.2d 360, 2 Pa. Commw. 502, 1971 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 478 (Pa. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinions

Opinion by

Judge Mencer,

The Commonwealth has appealed from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County which reversed the Secretary of Revenue’s action in suspending for sixty (60) days the operator’s license of one Phil lorio. This appeal raises a single question, that is, whether the lower court committed error when it re[504]*504fused to admit into evidence an exhibit offered by the Commonwealth and marked for identification as “Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2-C”. The Commonwealth agrees that, if the lower court’s ruling relative to the admissibility of this exhibit was correct, the court’s order reversing the Secretary of Revenue’s suspension was also correct and this appeal should be dismissed.

On November 21, 1969, Phil lorio was arrested by Officer Theodosiritz, of the City of Philadelphia Police Department, and charged with violating Section 1028 (a) of The Vehicle Code, 75 P.S. §1028(a), by failing to stop at a red traffic light. At the time of the hearing before the court below, the Commonwealth attempted to prove, by the introduction into evidence of exhibit No. 2-C, that Phil lorio had been convicted of this offense.

This exhibit consisted of two pages. The first page could be fairly characterized as a traffic ticket which was headed at the top with a seven digit number and the caption, “Traffic Violation”, and which was signed ánd dated at the bottom by the arresting officer just below this printed statement: “The undersigned further states that he has just and reasonable grounds to believe and does believe, that the person named above committed the offense set forth, contrary to law and that a copy of this summons and complaint has been served upon said person as required by law.”

The second page was headed, “Court Action and Other Orders.” A series of lines and blanks fill up the entire page with designated lines for the signature of Judge or Clerk to indicate or certify as to the disposition of the matter. All of these lines and spaces, with the possibility of one exception, are blank. Perhaps this page can best be described by setting forth from the record the lower court’s comments as he examined the exhibit at the time it was offered for admission into evidence:

[505]*505“By the Court: Let me see that again. (Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2-C examined by the Court.) By the Court: Where does it say here that he was convicted or that he paid a fine? Mr. Keller: It looks to me much like a traffic ticket that the State Police use. By the Court: There’s nothing on the face of the first page that indicates any disposition of this case, this charge, whatsoever, that I can find. On the second page, which has no number or docket number or page number, or any identifying writing or printing which would make it the reverse side of the first duplicated page, there are a number of sections. There are no entries at all until the last two entries, and one entry says, 'Payment in the amount of-received as required.’ Then there’s a signature line, 'Signature of Judge or Court Clerk.’ Upside down on that space there is a stamp which is really not decipherable, but appears to say, 'Report Number . . .’ it could be '54, Eeb. 16, 1970, Record in . . .’ and it looks to me like PEQD Status. Then there’s a little squiggle after that. Then if we turn it right side up again, we find the last section which states, 'As provided by the Vehicle Code as amended, I hereby certify that the Information on this copy of the Traffic Violation — Information and Notice To Appear is a true and correct abstract of the record of this court in this case’, and there is a signature line with the printing, 'Signature of Judge or Court Clerk’, and then there appears to be a very vague and again not decipherable reproduced signature that looks like John Blair or Blark or Blank, but I see no indication on here at all that this man entered a plea or that he was convicted or that he paid the fine. Now, Mr. Degillio, you take it and tell me what it indicates in your point of view. Mr. Degillio: I can find nowhere on the document where it does indicate that the fine was paid or any other disposition. The first page, of course, relates to the violation, as I decipher it. The second [506]*506page, which I can only surmise is the reverse of that wherein the system that is used in Philadelphia there should be disposition made thereof, the only indication is the caption, ‘Report of Conviction’. However, they do not give us any disposition made. By the Court: Now let me ask a question. Is this last proposed exhibit Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2-C? Mr. Degillio: This is No. 2-C, Your Honor. By the Court: Is that the exhibit on which the most recent action of the Secretary of Revenue is predicated? Mr. Degillio: Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Keller: Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Degillio: Yes, Your Honor, as is indicated on the Point Card, this is the last entry. By the Court: All right, the Court will sustain the objection to the admission of Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2-C for the reasons stated.”

At the conclusion of. the hearing the lower court made the order from which this appeal was taken by the Commonwealth. Again extracting from the record, we note the following:

“By the Court: I don’t see any reason why this shouldn’t be disposed of by Order from the bench:
“Now, this 13th day of November, 1970, at 11:32 a.m., the Court having sustained Appellant’s objection to Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2-C on the basis that it does not categorically show the disposition by the Traffic Court of Philadelphia of the motor-vehicle violation charged to No. 1812237 with having occurred on November 21, 1969, the point total of the Appellant as of May 28, 1970, as indicated on Commonwealth’s Exhibit No. 2, is seven (7) points, rather than twelve (12) points as calculated by the Commissioner of Traffic Safety. This being the case, since the total point accumulation on Appellant’s point record is less th^n eleven (11), the action of the Secretary in suspending Appellant’s motor vehicle operating privilege for a period of sixty (60) days hereby is reversed, and the [507]*507Secretary of the Department of Transportation is directed to reinstate Appellant’s motor-vehicle operating privileges.

“Now, 11:37 a.m., Court adjourns.”

It is readily apparent that the exhibit failed to show any disposition of the charge against lorio and certainly did not indicate that a guilty plea, fine or sentence had been imposed or entered in the case.

Under Section 619.1 of The Vehicle Code of April 29, 1959, P. L. 58, as amended, 75 P.S. §619.1, the Secretary of Revenue is directed to maintain a record of convictions and enter on these records all convictions of any violation of the motor vehicle laws and to assign a number of points for each such conviction and to give suspensions in accordance with the table set out in Section 619.1(b), 75 P.S. §619.1 (b), as well as under subsection (i), when a driver has accumulated eleven points. In Virnelson Motor Vehicle Operator License Case, 212 Pa. Superior Ct. 359, 243 A. 2d 464 (1968), it was held that on an appeal by a motor vehicle operator whose license has been suspended under Section 619.1, supra, the scope of review is limited to determining whether the driver was convicted and whether the Secretary of Revenue properly computed points and applied the mandatory provision of that section.

Judge Jacobs, in Virnelson,

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

Related

Andre v. North Dakota State Highway Commissioner
295 N.W.2d 128 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Mitchneck
360 A.2d 831 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Epps v. Bureau of Traffic Safety
314 A.2d 884 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Commonwealth v. Shero
291 A.2d 342 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1972)
Collers License
55 Pa. D. & C.2d 554 (Mercer County Court of Common Pleas, 1972)
Commonwealth v. Iorio
276 A.2d 360 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
276 A.2d 360, 2 Pa. Commw. 502, 1971 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 478, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-iorio-pacommwct-1971.