Commonwealth v. Keller

57 Pa. D. & C.4th 429, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Berks County
DecidedJune 6, 2002
Docketno. 5189/01
StatusPublished

This text of 57 Pa. D. & C.4th 429 (Commonwealth v. Keller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Berks County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Keller, 57 Pa. D. & C.4th 429, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2002).

Opinion

SCHMEHL, J.L., J.,

The defendant has been charged with two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, 75 Pa.C.S. §3731(a)(l) and 75 Pa.C.S. §3731(a)(4)(i), driving on roadways laned for traffic (summary), 75 Pa.C.S. §3309(1), careless driving (summary), 75 Pa.C.S. §3714, restraint systems (summary), 75 Pa.C.S. §4581(a)(2), and driving vehicle at safe speed (summary), 75 Pa.C.S. §3361. The defendant was originally charged with the above offenses by way of a complaint dated February 6,2001. A preliminary hearing was held on May 16, 2001, before District Justice Ronald C. [431]*431Mest and all of the misdemeanor charges were dismissed. The Commonwealth subsequently withdrew all of the summary charges.

The affiant filed a second identical complaint on May 30, 2001. The preliminary hearing was held on October 3,2001 before District Justice Ronald C. Mest. This time, all of the charges were bound over to the court of common pleas. Following arraignment on October 29,2001, the defendant filed an omnibus pretrial motion on November 26, 2001, requesting a motion to suppress, a motion to quash information, and a motion for a writ of habeas corpus.

A pretrial hearing was held before this court on December 18, 2001. On February 13, 2002, this court issued findings of fact and conclusions of law, granting defendant’s motion to suppress, but only as to blood test results and granting defendant’s motion for a writ of habeas corpus as to Count 2 of the information.

This appeal followed. Pursuant to Rule 1925(b) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure, this court requested and received a concise statement of matters complained of on appeal. The Commonwealth alleges in its two claims for relief that the trial court erred in granting the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence because the arresting officer was authorized to obtain the blood alcohol test results without a warrant pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. §§1547 and 3533.1 The Commonwealth also alleges that the trial court erred in granting the defendant’s habeas corpus relief, since the Commonwealth presented [432]*432a prima facie case with respect to all charges of the information.

This opinion is written pursuant to Rule 1925(a) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure and for the following reasons this court requests that this instant appeal be denied.

THE COURT DID NOT ERR IN GRANTING DEFENDANT’S PRETRIAL MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE

The standard of review for a grant of a suppression motion is as follows:

“We begin by noting that where a motion to suppress has been filed, the burden is on the Commonwealth to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the challenged evidence is admissible. Pa.R.C.P. 323(h). See Commonwealth v. Iannaccio, 505 Pa. 414,480 A.2d 966 (1984), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 830, 106 S.Ct. 96, 88 L.Ed.2d 78 (1985). In reviewing the ruling of a suppression court, our task is to determine whether the factual findings are supported by the record. Commonwealth v. Monarch, 510 Pa. 138, 147, 507 A.2d 74, 78 (1986). If so, we are bound by those findings. Commonwealth v. James, 506 Pa. 526, 533, 486 A.2d 376, 379 (1985). Where, as here, it is the Commonwealth who is appealing the decision of the suppression court, we must consider only the evidence of the defendant’s witnesses and so much of the evidence for the prosecution as read in the context of the record as a whole remains uncontradicted. Commonwealth v. James, 506 Pa. at 532-33, 486 A.2d at 379; Commonwealth v. Hamlin, 503 Pa. 210, 216, 469 A.2d 137, 139 (1983). Commonwealth v. DeWitt, [433]*433530 Pa. 299, 301-302, 608 A.2d 1030, 1031 (1992). (footnote omitted)” Commonwealth, v. Pitts, 740 A.2d 726, 729 (Pa. Super. 1999).

“If there is sufficient evidence of record to support the suppression court’s ruling and that court has not misapplied the law, then we will not disturb the court’s decision, particularly with respect to credibility determinations.” Commonwealth v. Korenkiewicz, 743 A.2d 958 (Pa. Super. 1999) (citing Commonwealth v. Queen, 536 Pa. 315, 639 A.2d 443 (1994)).

The factual findings as stated in the suppression court’s findings of fact are as follows:

“On January 31, 2001 at approximately 12:50 a.m., an accident came to the attention of Joseph Lowe. Mr. Lowe lives at 3900 Pricetown Road, Ruscambanor Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. He immediately dialed 9-1-1 and the police came within 10-15 minutes.

“Trooper Nicholas Scianna of the Pennsylvania State Police was dispatched to the accident scene. Trooper Scianna arrived on the scene at approximately 1:03 a.m. He observed a vehicle with heavy front-end damage. Corporal Shell, also of the Pennsylvania State Police, was already on the scene.

“Trooper Scianna spoke to the operator of the vehicle who told him that a deer had jumped in front of the car as he was returning from a friend’s house. The driver of this vehicle was identified as the defendant, Robert Keller. The defendant’s car was off the road in a grass embankment in contact with a tree. The road was wet that evening. While speaking to the defendant, the trooper detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, as well as glassy, bloodshot eyes. He also [434]*434observed that the driver was bleeding profusely from his face. The trooper informed the defendant that he was going to be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

“The defendant was then put into an ambulance. The ambulance began to drive away. The trooper stopped the ambulance, went inside the back of the ambulance, and began reading the defendant O’Connell warnings. Trooper Scianna was unable to remember what defendant’s response was to these warnings.

“The ambulance transported the defendant to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Corporal Shell then called the state police headquarters and told them that he wanted to get blood-alcohol test results from the defendant. Trooper DeBellis of the Pennsylvania State Police received a teletype to have the defendant’s blood drawn at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Trooper DeBellis proceeded to Lehigh Valley Hospital and filled out a toxicology request form. See Commonwealth exhibit 1. Subsequently, Lehigh Valley Hospital mailed a report of the blood test results to the state police. This report indicated a BAC of 0.28 percent. No search warrant or court order was obtained to require the release of the medical records and no probable cause to justify the production of records was established before an independent judicial officer.”[2]

Section 3755(a) of the Vehicle Code provides as follows:

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Related

Commonwealth v. Korenkiewicz
743 A.2d 958 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1999)
Commonwealth v. Simon
655 A.2d 1024 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1995)
Commonwealth v. Smith
555 A.2d 185 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
Commonwealth v. DeWitt
608 A.2d 1030 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Commonwealth v. Riedel
651 A.2d 135 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1994)
Commonwealth v. Iannaccio
480 A.2d 966 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
Commonwealth v. Hamlin
469 A.2d 137 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)
Commonwealth v. Queen
639 A.2d 443 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1994)
Commonwealth v. James
486 A.2d 376 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
Commonwealth v. Pitts
740 A.2d 726 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1999)
Commonwealth v. Shaw
770 A.2d 295 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)
Commonwealth v. Monarch
507 A.2d 74 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1986)
Jarrad v. United States
474 U.S. 830 (Supreme Court, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
57 Pa. D. & C.4th 429, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-keller-pactcomplberks-2002.