Crouse, Lawrence Frank v. State

441 S.W.3d 508, 2014 WL 1408081, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 3422
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 27, 2014
Docket05-12-00863-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 441 S.W.3d 508 (Crouse, Lawrence Frank v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crouse, Lawrence Frank v. State, 441 S.W.3d 508, 2014 WL 1408081, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 3422 (Tex. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice FITZGERALD.

In a trial before the court, appellant was convicted of driving while intoxicated and sentenced to thirty days in jail, suspended for eighteen months, and a $50 fíne. In five issues on appeal, appellant contends the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction and the trial court erred in admitting evidence that was procured through an illegal search and seizure and not properly authenticated. Concluding appellant’s arguments are without merit, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Sufficiency of the Evidence

In his fourth and fifth issues, appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. Specifically, appellant contends there was insufficient evidence to establish the reason appellant was intoxicated or that he was intoxicated in a public place.

At 1:80 a.m. on May 4, 2011, officers George White and Jennifer Larue spotted appellant’s red Toyota sitting in a field with the lights on. Appellant began to drive around in a circle, as if he did not know where he was going. The car then left the field and continued into a parking lot for an industrial building. There were eighteen-wheelers and other work vehicles parked in the parking lot. The officers turned on their lights to initiate a traffic stop, but appellant’s car continued through another portion of the field and onto a gravel road leading to the highway. Officer White pulled the police car in front of appellant’s car to block his path. Although it was not raining, appellant had his windshield wipers on, as well as, his turn signal.

The officers questioned appellant about where he lived and where he was coming from. Appellant seemed confused, disoriented, and unaware of where he was. When the officer asked what date it was, appellant responded May 16th, not the true date of May 4th. Officer White described appellant’s speech as slurred and thick-tongued. Appellant fidgeted, his pupils were dilated, and he would not make eye contact with the officers. Every time the officers asked appellant a question, he would look off in a different direction. Although the officers did not smell alcohol, Officer Larue thought appellant appeared to be “on something.” Appellant had a difficult time balancing when he walked around the vehicle, and he leaned up against the vehicle with his body at a slant while he was answering the officers’ questions.

Appellant identified himself as “Junior Crouse” and told the officers he did not have his driver’s license with him. He first claimed he had an Ohio driver’s license and then one from Texas. The officers could not verify either license. Appellant was wearing a hospital band on his wrist bearing the name “Lawrence Frank Crouse.” He told the officers that a guy told him to go into the field, but no one else was around. Appellant also told the officers he was a registered nurse and was coming from Dallas after getting some gas.

The officers found some medical release papers on the front seat of appellant’s car. When they asked appellant about the papers, he responded that he had been in the hospital that day for chronic back pain and had daily checks for depression. The release papers listed all of appellant’s medications, and they all had warnings about the possibility of dizziness that could affect *511 operating a motor vehicle or dangerous equipment. Specifically, the discharge summary showed that the medications prescribed included Flexoril, a muscle relaxant, and Vicodin, a pain medication. Both medications included the warnings: “DO NOT DRIVE, ride a bicycle or operate heavy machinery until you know how it will affect you,” and “May cause drowsiness when taken with alcohol, muscle relaxant, sedative or pain medication. Use with caution.” Concerned appellant had some mental health issues, the officers unsuccessfully attempted to contact his mother at the address listed on the insurance papers.

Officer Larue administered the standardized field sobriety tests. During the HGN test, appellant’s eyes would not follow Officer Larue’s pen, he moved his head, and he swayed back and forth. Officer Larue observed six clues, indicating intoxication. Officer Larue testified alcohol and narcotics cause HGN. During the walk-and-turn test, appellant missed the heel-to-toe position, raised his arms more than six inches, stepped off the line, turned improperly, and took ten steps instead of the nine he was instructed to take. The officer observed six clues, indicating intoxication. The officer also stated that during the testing process appellant tried to walk away several times. Appellant told the officer that he had leg weakness from his back surgery. Before taking the one-leg stand test, appellant told Officer Larue that he could not do a one-leg stand “on a good day” but would try the test anyway. During the test, appellant swayed, put his foot down, and did not count as instructed. Officer Larue observed three clues, indicating intoxication. Based on her observations, Officer Larue arrested appellant for public intoxication. When Officer Larue called her sergeant, he told her to charge appellant with DWI and ask for a blood test. The officer further testified that at one point, appellant was so off balance that Officer Larue had to grab his handcuffs to prevent him from falling down.

Appellant agreed to provide a blood specimen. His blood was drawn at a hospital. The lab results showed the following drugs in appellant’s system: Alprazolam, 0.006 milligrams per liter; Lorazepam 0.02 milligrams per liter; Cyclobenzaprine (no quantification performed); and Mirtaza-pine (no quantification performed).

Both officers testified appellant did not have normal use of his mental and physical faculties. The record also contains the videotape showing the traffic stop and testing process and appellant’s medical records and discharge summary.

Appellant testified he had been diagnosed with “Bipolar I with rapid cycling” and saw a psychiatrist and counselor every month. Appellant explained that he went to the doctor for severe back pain at around 5:00 p.m. the day before he was stopped. Just after 8:00 p.m., he received intravenous morphine. He was discharged approximately two hours and twenty minutes later. The hospital records indicated appellant was discharged with a family member, but appellant claimed he drove himself. He remembered driving away, having a horrible headache, opening his door to vomit, and an officer pounding on his window with a flashlight. He was so disoriented, scared, and confused that he did not understand what the officers were asking him. He told Officer Larue that he had taken Depakote, a mood stabilizer, early the day before, that he had leg problems, and that the tumor surgery on his back had a significant effect on his ability to stand and walk due to chronic numbness and weakness from his mid thigh down. According to appellant, there was no way he could perform the tests correctly, but he tried the tests to be cooperative. He *512 also claimed he had taken his bipolar medications regularly for years and had never been told not to drive or had his ability to drive affected. However, he missed his evening doses of Depakote and Remeron (sleep aid/antidepressant) the day he was stopped and believed it was possible for his ability to drive to be affected by the missed doses. Appellant further testified that he was currently taking medication for a seizure disorder.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
441 S.W.3d 508, 2014 WL 1408081, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 3422, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crouse-lawrence-frank-v-state-texapp-2014.