Commonwealth v. Schmehl

9 Pa. D. & C.4th 251, 1991 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 365
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Berks County
DecidedFebruary 7, 1991
Docketno. 2517/90
StatusPublished

This text of 9 Pa. D. & C.4th 251 (Commonwealth v. Schmehl) 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. Schmehl, 9 Pa. D. & C.4th 251, 1991 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 365 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991).

Opinion

LUDGATE, J.

On November 7, 1990, this court entered an order granting defendant’s petition for dismissal of charges on double jeopardy grounds, and the case was dismissed. An appeal was timely filed by the Commonwealth, and this opinion is written pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) and in support of that order.

On November 26, 1990, in accordance with Rule 1925(b), this court entered an order directing that the Commonwealth file a concise statement of matters complained of on appeal. In its concise statement of matters complained of on appeal, the Commonwealth contends that:

“The trial court erred in determining that double jeopardy grounds barred the prosecution of charges of traffic control signals, driving under the influence, and driving on a roadways [sic] laned for traffic, because after the companion charge of reckless driving, apparently in response to defendant’s counsel’s argument that the Commonwealth had to proceed with the more specific charges of traffic control signals instead of the general charge of reckless driving.”

The dismissal order was based upon the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grady v. Corbin, 495 U.S. _, 109 L.Ed.2d 548, 110 S.Ct. 2084 (1990). In Grady, the U.S. Supreme Court held that “the Double Jeopardy Clause bars a subsequent prosecution, if to establish an essential element of an offense charged in that prosecution, the government will prove conduct that constitutes an offense for which [253]*253the defendant has already been prosecuted.” 109 L.Ed.2d at 557.

The double jeopardy clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution states that “no person shall for the same offense be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. . .” Pa. Const., art. 1, §10. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides likewise that “nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life and limb.” U.S. Const., amend. V. The double jeopardy clause of the federal Fifth Amendment was made applicable to the states in Benton v. Maryland, 395 U.S. 784, 794, 23 L.Ed. 2d 207, 89 S.Ct. 2056 (1969).

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has held the protections afforded by the federal and state constitutions to be co-extensive, and that the state courts will adopt the approach of the U.S. Supreme Court in double jeopardy cases. Commonwealth v. Simons, 342 Pa. Super. 281, 492 A.2d 1119 (1985), citing Commonwealth v. Beaver, 317 Pa. Super. 88, 463 A.2d 1097 (1983).

In Commonwealth v. LaBelle, 397 Pa. Super. 179, 579 A.2d 1315 (1990), the Superior Court en banc held that the “double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment may indeed serve to bar a prosecution of a more serious offense, once a defendant had been convicted on a summary charge, if the requirements of case law are met.” In the Matter of Huff, 399 Pa. Super. 574, 582 A.2d 1093 (1990), the Superior Court considered whether the concepts of double jeopardy or collateral estoppel, in the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, prevent the Commonwealth from proceeding against a juvenile in Juvenile Court on homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault charges, following his prior conviction of two summary traffic violations before a district justice. In analyzing this question, the Superior [254]*254Court considered whether the Commonwealth “in supporting the delinquency petition, is attempting to reprove conduct which forms the basis for the appellant’s conviction on the summary offenses. . . . No evidence may be introduced which would prove the conduct constituting an offense for which the appellant had previously been convicted.” Id.

In Huff, the Superior Court chose to carve out a jurisdictional exception to the double jeopardy analysis. The Superior Court interpreted Grady v. Corbin, 495 U.S _, 110 S.Ct. 2084, 109 L.Ed.2d 548 (1990). In Huff, the Superior Court quoted LaBelle, supra, holding that “the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment may indeed serve to bar prosecution of a more serious offense, once a defendant has been convicted on a summary charge, if the requirements of case law are met.” Huff, supra, quoting LaBelle.

The Superior Court accepted the Commonwealth’s assertion that a jurisdictional exception to the double jeopardy clause should be recognized since in Huff no single court had jurisdiction over both the summary offenses and the delinquency proceeding. At the same time, the Superior Court referred to Commonwealth v. LaBelle, where it specifically overruled Commonwealth v. Evers, 381 Pa. Super. 568, 554 A.2d 531 (1989), which had held that “the constitutional prosecutions of the double jeopardy clause are not implicated where a felony or misdemeanor protection is preceded by a conviction before a district justice, whether by summary trial or guilty plea for a summary offense.” Evers, supra.

The Commonwealth argues that this court erred by granting defendant’s motion to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds. As previously stated, the test established in Grady, supra, is whether to establish an essential element of an offense charged in that [255]*255prosecution, the Commonwealth will prove conduct that constitutes an offense for which the defendant had already been prosecuted.

The question is whether the disposition of the summary offense amounts to prosecution for that conduct, thus placing the defendant once in jeopardy, and the present driving under the influence prosecution would place the defendant again in jeopardy for the same conduct.

The Commonwealth and defendant agreed that the court would consider the issue presented in defendant’s petition to dismiss based on the transcripts of the preliminary hearing before District Justice Anthony Horning on August 30, 1990. The facts briefly stated are that on July 19, 1990, defendant was driving his motor vehicle southbound on Route 61 in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Defendant was observed veering off the road to the right side of the highway two times. (N.T. 2.) Defendant “drove across all three lanes. There is a left-turning lane, there is [sic] two travel lanes to go south and then off to the right there is also a right-turn lane. He did this twice.” (N.T. 2.) Defendant then went through a red light without stopping. “He came up to the left lane, that lane which is controlled by a left-turning arrow. As he came up and approached the intersection, the traffic signal was red. He made a left turn without stopping, nearly causing an accident to two vehicles which were northbound on Route 61.” (N.T. 2.) The prosecutor “filed the charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving for nearly causing an accident, traffic control signals for proceeding past the red signal and driving on roadways laned for traffic. This was in response to his unable to — he was unable to stay within the lane of traffic.” (N.T. 3.)

[256]

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

Related

Benton v. Maryland
395 U.S. 784 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Grady v. Corbin
495 U.S. 508 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Lyons
576 A.2d 1105 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Simons
492 A.2d 1119 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
In the Interest of R.R.
464 A.2d 348 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)
Commonwealth v. Burkett
445 A.2d 1304 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. Evers
554 A.2d 531 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
Matter of Huff
582 A.2d 1093 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1991)
Commonwealth v. Labelle
579 A.2d 1315 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Bidner
422 A.2d 847 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Beaver
463 A.2d 1097 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 Pa. D. & C.4th 251, 1991 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 365, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-schmehl-pactcomplberks-1991.