Commonwealth v. Rose

755 A.2d 700, 2000 Pa. Super. 182, 2000 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1501
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJune 28, 2000
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 755 A.2d 700 (Commonwealth v. Rose) 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. Rose, 755 A.2d 700, 2000 Pa. Super. 182, 2000 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1501 (Pa. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

CERCONE, President Judge Emeritus.

¶ 1 Appellant Leonard Rose appeals from the judgment of sentence entered after his conviction of two counts of violating the Uniform Firearms Act.1 After review, we affirm.

¶ 2 The Trial Court has aptly set forth the facts underlying Appellant’s conviction as follows

On January 12, 1999, at approximately 6:50 p.m., Philadelphia Police Officer Tracy Turk, along with other plain clothes officers conducted a surveillance in the vicinity of 7th and Rockland Streets in Philadelphia. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing,. 4/22/99,] p. 4-5). The surveillance was in response to numerous complaints of narcotics sales and crowds at that location. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing,] p. 5-6). Appellant was among a group of males who were observed passing around and drinking from a 40 ounce [bottle] of beer. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing,] p. 4, 6, 16). As the officers approached to investigate, [Appellant went into the corner store. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing,] p. 4-5). Officer Turk testified that he approached [Appellant to issue a summary citation for drinking on the highway. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing] p. 6,13).
According to Officer Turk, police procedure required him to take [Appellant to the police district where he would write up the citation, give it to [him] and then release [Appellant. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing] p. 6-7, 13, 17). Police procedure also required that prior to transport a pat down for [the] officerf’s] safety must be conducted. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing] 5,7,17). During the pat down of [Appellant officer Turk felt a bulge in [Appellant’s left pant leg [701]*701from which a gun fell to the ground. (N.T. [Suppression Hearing] at 5, 7-8).

Trial Court Opinion,

¶ 3 As a result of the discovery of the gun, Appellant was charged with the two violations of the Uniform Firearms Act as discussed, supra. No other charges against Appellant were filed as a result of this incident.

¶ 4 Appellant filed a pretrial motion seeking to suppress the evidence of the handgun. A Suppression Hearing on this motion was held before the Honorable Gwendolyn N. Bright of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Judge Bright denied Appellant’s request to suppress the handgun. Appellant then proceeded to a non-jury trial before Judge Bright. At the conclusion of the trial, Appellant was found guilty. Appellant was sentenced on July 19, 1999 to three (3) to twenty-three (28) months incarceration to be served on house arrest, followed by three (3) years reporting probation. Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal.

¶ 5 Appellant presents one issue for our Court’s consideration:

Did not the lower court err in denying appellant’s motion to suppress physical evidence pursuant to the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, § 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, where he was arrested without lawful authorization for a summary offense, and where a handgun was seized from him during a search incident to that illegal arrest?

Appellant’s Brief at 3.

¶ 6 We have stated, in prior cases, our standard of review for the denial of a suppression motion as follows:

In reviewing the denial of a motion to suppress, our responsibility is to determine whether the record supports the suppression court’s factual findings and the legitimacy of the inferences and legal conclusions drawn from those findings. If the suppression court held for the prosecution, we consider only the evidence of the prosecution’s witnesses and so much of the evidence for the defense as, fairly read in the context of the record as a whole, remains uncontra-dicted. When the factual findings of the suppression court are supported by the evidence, the appellate court may reverse if there is an error in the legal conclusions drawn from those factual findings.

Commonwealth v. Kiner, 697 A.2d 262, 264 (Pa.Super.1997); Accord Commonwealth v. Devine, 2000 Pa.Super 114, ¶ 5, 750 A.2d 899 (Pa.Super.2000); Commonwealth v. Perry, 710 A.2d 1183, 1184 (Pa.Super.1998).

¶ 7 However, where the factual determinations made by the suppression court are not supported by the evidence, we may reject those findings. Commonwealth v. Benton, 440 Pa.Super. 441, 655 A.2d 1030, 1032 (1995) citing Commonwealth v. Burnside, 425 Pa.Super. 425, 625 A.2d 678, 680 (1993). Only factual findings which are supported by the record are binding upon this court. Id. Likewise, if the suppression court misapplies the law, we are also required to reverse the suppression court’s determination. Commonwealth v. Queen, 536 Pa. 315, 318, 639 A.2d 443, 445 (1994).

¶ 8 Appellant argues that his arrest was unlawful. Specifically he contends that since the arresting officer merely observed Appellant committing a non-violent summary offense the officer was authorized only to issue a citation. Therefore, he reasons that because the arrest was unlawful, the search incident to arrest was unlawful as well, and the gun found during the search should have been suppressed. Our review of the record and the relevant caselaw compels us to disagree.

¶ 9 Officer Turk observed Appellant drinking beer with his companions on a public street corner. N.T. Suppression Hearing, supra, at 4-6. By drinking beer in a public place, Appellant was violating [702]*702Title 10, Section 604 of the Philadelphia City Code, which provides in relevant part:

(1) Definitions
(a) Alcoholic Beverages. All “liquor” and “malt or brewed beverages” as defined by the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, 47 P.S. § 1-102.
(b) Public Right-of-Way. All public streets, alleys sidewalks, steps and other corridors through which either vehicles or persons may travel, including motor vehicles parked within such right-of-way.
(2) Prohibited Conduct
(b) No person shall consume alcoholic beverages or carry or possess an open container of alcoholic beverages in the public right-of-way,....
(4) Penalties. The penalty for violation of any of the provisions of this Section shall be a fine of at least fifty dollars ($50.00) per violation but not to exceed ($300.00) per violation. The failure to pay the fine within ten (10) days shall result in imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten (10) days, together with costs. Such penalties shall be enforced by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Philadelphia Code of Ordinances and Home Rule Charter § 10-604.

¶ 10 A criminal proceeding instituted for, a violation of this Philadelphia City Ordinance constitutes a summary case since the violator’s failure to pay the fine imposed by the ordinance may result in his or her incarceration. See Comment to Pa.R.Crim.P.

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

Related

Com. v. Jones, S.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2017
In the Interest of: K.P., a Minor
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2017
Com. v. Sierra, P.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2016
Com. v. Lyon, H.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2015

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
755 A.2d 700, 2000 Pa. Super. 182, 2000 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-rose-pasuperct-2000.