Commonwealth v. Jacoby

60 Pa. D. & C.2d 134, 1972 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 80
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County
DecidedSeptember 25, 1972
Docketno. 98
StatusPublished

This text of 60 Pa. D. & C.2d 134 (Commonwealth v. Jacoby) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Jacoby, 60 Pa. D. & C.2d 134, 1972 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 80 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1972).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, J.,

Defendant, upon waiving his right to a jury trial, has been tried by this court and convicted of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. Presently before us are defendant’s motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment.

At the trial, Officer Regino Cora, of the Bethlehem City Police, testified that on May 9, 1971, he investigated an accident at the Fourth Street Bridge in Bethlehem. Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, Officer Cora and his partner, Officer Gawlik, observed a car with its front end hanging over the bridge. Defendant was out of, and away from, the vehicle. Officer Cora administered first aid to Mr. Jacoby and asked him if he was the operator of the automobile. Defendant replied that he was. At this time, Mr. Jacoby was advised of his constitutional rights, placed under arrest without a warrant, and charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. He was then transported to the hospital where he consented to the taking of a blood sample.

Defendant’s first contention is that the judgment should be arrested. Such a motion is an attack upon the sufficiency of the evidence to support a guilty verdict and must be evaluated in light of the entire record: [136]*136Commonwealth v. Tabb, 417 Pa. 13, 207 A.2d 884 (1965). In Commonwealth v. Frye, 433 Pa. 473, 252 A.2d 580 (1969), the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, stated:

“It is hornbook law that the test of the sufficiency of the evidence — irrespective of whether it is direct or circumstantial, or both — is whether, accepting as true all the evidence and all reasonable inferences therefrom, upon which if believed the jury could properly have based its verdict, it is sufficient in law to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the crime or crimes of which he has been convicted.”

All of the evidence must be read in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth and it is entitled to all reasonable inferences arising therefrom. The effect of a motion in arrest of judgment is to admit all the facts which the Commonwealth tends to prove: Commonwealth v. Terenda, 433 Pa. 519, 252 A.2d 635 (1969).

Defendant in his motion in arrest of judgment simply avers that:

1. The verdict is contrary to the evidence;

2. The verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence; and

3. The verdict is contrary to the law.

After a careful review of the record it appears that, if all of the evidence were admissible, a verdict of guilty could have clearly been supported by such evidence. For this reason, defendant’s motion in arrest of judgment is denied.

A motion for a new trial has also been filed by defendant in this action. It is his contention that the arrest was illegal and, therefore, the blood sample taken subsequent to his arrest was inadmissible as the fruit of an illegal arrest.

The Vehicle Code provides that “[pjeace officers, [137]*137. . . may arrest, upon viezu, any person violating any of the provisions of this act, where the offense is designated a felony or a misdemeanor. . .” (Italics supplied.)1 In addition, Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 102(3) permits an arrest without a warrant for a misdemeanor “committed in the presence of” the arresting officer. Defendant contends that, since the motor vehicle was not in operation when the officers reached the scene, the offense was not committed within their presence and his arrest without a warrant was improper.

There are two co-existent elements of the crime of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor: (1) the driving of a motor vehicle, and (2) the driver under the influence of intoxicating liquor: Commonwealth v. Gilliland, 51 D. & C. 2d 35 (1970). The problem develops, as it has here, when only the second element is actually observed by the arresting officer and the first element is learned through a method other than observation. There are no appellate decisions in Pennsylvania concerned with whether the above situation contains the elements necessary for an arrest “on view” or “in the presence of an officer.”2 Several lower court cases have divided on the question.

One line of cases adopts the position that, if the arresting officer has not actually observed all of the elements of the offense or his senses do not afford him knowledge that it is being committed in his presence, an arrest without a warrant is illegal: Commonwealth v. English, 53 D. & C. 2d 668 (1971); Reese License, [138]*13851 D. & C. 2d 112 (1971); Commonwealth v. Gilliland, supra. These cases employ a very narrow reading of The Vehicle Code and the Rules of Criminal Procedure. The position taken by other district courts is that, “When an officer sees a person at or near an automobile after an accident under such circumstances that would lead a reasonable person to conclude the car has recently been operated and that the person is the operator, and there is also reasonable grounds to believe the operator is under the influence of intoxicants, the offense of operating under the influence has been committed in the presence of the officer and he may arrest the operator on view”: Commonwealth v. Hoover, 55 D. & C. 2d 34 (1971).

While the rationale of Hoover is appealing, particularly in drunk driving cases, it appears to be merely a restatement of the grounds for probable cause3 and would obliterate any distinction between warrantless arrests for felonies and misdemeanors. Probable cause is required for all warrantless arrests;4 however, The Vehicle Code and the criminal rules require more of a warrantless misdemeanor arrest. Such an arrest must be “on view” for an offense committed “in the presence of” the arresting officer. If the legislature intended a lesser standard in motor vehicle cases, appropriate provision could have been made in the statute.

The other fine of cases, adopting a literal construction of The Vehicle Code, are not controlling in the case at bar. In each of them the identity of the operator of the vehicle was supplied by a third party. Therefore, the arresting officer had viewed only one of the ele[139]*139ments of the crime and had learned the other through hearsay evidence. While this may be sufficient to constitute probable cause, it is not adequate to permit a warrantless arrest for a misdemeanor. Clearly, the officer had not observed all the elements of the offense or learned them through the use of his senses.

The case before us provides a distinguishing factor. Here, the officer had viewed the element of intoxication while defendant himself admitted5 to being the driver of the vehicle. It is our opinion that an arrest is made on view where defendant is intoxicated at the time of the arrest and admits that he has been driving the vehicle.

It is stated in 5 Am. Jur. 2d, page 721:

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Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Frye
252 A.2d 580 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1969)
Commonwealth v. Terenda
252 A.2d 635 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1969)
Commonwealth v. Bonser
258 A.2d 675 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1969)
Commonwealth v. Murray
263 A.2d 886 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Commonwealth v. Kloch
292 A.2d 479 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1972)
Commonwealth v. Tabb
207 A.2d 884 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1965)
State v. Murphy
134 A. 900 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1926)
Alson-Garner v. Jennette
139 A. 221 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1927)

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Bluebook (online)
60 Pa. D. & C.2d 134, 1972 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 80, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-jacoby-pactcomplnortha-1972.