David Corbin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky

CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 14, 2022
Docket2020 SC 0496
StatusUnknown

This text of David Corbin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky (David Corbin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
David Corbin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, (Ky. 2022).

Opinion

IMPORTANT NOTICE NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OPINION

THIS OPINION IS DESIGNATED “NOT TO BE PUBLISHED.” PURSUANT TO THE RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE PROMULGATED BY THE SUPREME COURT, CR 76.28(4)(C), THIS OPINION IS NOT TO BE PUBLISHED AND SHALL NOT BE CITED OR USED AS BINDING PRECEDENT IN ANY OTHER CASE IN ANY COURT OF THIS STATE; HOWEVER, UNPUBLISHED KENTUCKY APPELLATE DECISIONS, RENDERED AFTER JANUARY 1, 2003, MAY BE CITED FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COURT IF THERE IS NO PUBLISHED OPINION THAT WOULD ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE ISSUE BEFORE THE COURT. OPINIONS CITED FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COURT SHALL BE SET OUT AS AN UNPUBLISHED DECISION IN THE FILED DOCUMENT AND A COPY OF THE ENTIRE DECISION SHALL BE TENDERED ALONG WITH THE DOCUMENT TO THE COURT AND ALL PARTIES TO THE ACTION. RENDERED: JANUARY 20, 2022 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Supreme Court of Kentucky 2020-SC-0496-MR

DAVID CORBIN APPELLANT

ON APPEAL FROM ADAIR CIRCUIT COURT V. HONORABLE SAMUEL TODD SPALDING, JUDGE NOS. 19-CR-00097 & 19-CR-00102

COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY APPELLEE

MEMORANDOM OPINION OF THE COURT

AFFIRMING

David Corbin appeals as a matter of right1 his convictions of fleeing or

evading in the first degree, wanton endangerment in the first degree (three

counts), and possession of marijuana. Following a careful review of the record

and applicable law, we affirm.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

In April 2019, David Corbin returned to his home and discovered that his

wife, Michelle, had placed all his possessions on their porch and locked the

front door. Included in Corbin’s possessions were five marijuana plants, which

he had been growing in the house. Corbin attempted to convince Michelle to

1 Ky. Const. § 110(2)(b). open the door but when she refused the couple began shouting at each other

through the entryway. Eventually Michelle called the police and Corbin left the

residence in a 2001 black Ford Explorer, which belonged to Michelle.

Shortly thereafter, deputies from the Adair County Sheriff’s Department

responded to Michelle’s 911 call. While the deputies were still at the house,

Corbin began sending Michelle a series of text messages which read:2

• U dirtywhore u gonna wish u never touched my goddamn plants u will wish u was dead

• It’s a good day to die bitch

• Show that to the lawweall can go together I give no ducks I got another pistol bitch

• U took allu taking of mine give it back or I’m gonna get very nasty that’s your last warn g thief

• U gonna get me killed today goddamn who know who else over your fucking whore shit its [good] day to die bitch I’m ready

• Give me my gun I pass u on by

• U thief ass fucking trash u deserve all the bad u get can’t leave well eno8ghalone little bitch could u

• Got me sks 4 30roundclips and my pistol

• goddamn all of u to hell

• Hey I come out dollar store u truck is gone

• Igotgroceryiesman damn

• Somebody stole it

2 According to the photo taken by the Adair County Deputy, these text messages were sent between 2:48 PM and 5:02 PM on April 5, 2019, the day of the incident. We have left the messages exactly as they appear in the record.

2 After leaving Michelle’s home, Deputy Josh Durbin attempted to find

Corbin. While driving, Durbin spotted a black Ford Explorer which matched

Michelle’s description and began following the vehicle. Durbin radioed for

support and was joined by Sergeant Murphy. The two officers then attempted

to pull the vehicle over. When Corbin, who both officers identified as the driver

of the vehicle, refused to pull over Sergeant Murphy attempted to get in front of

the vehicle and force him into a rolling stop. After the maneuver failed, the

now four deputies in pursuit followed Corbin down a series of roads and onto a

dirt path in the woods. All the vehicles involved in the chase had to stop their

pursuit at this point because the road had become unnavigable. Only Sergeant

Murphy, who was driving an SUV, attempted to follow Corbin down the dirt

path. However, the chase ended quickly when Sergeant Murphy’s SUV became

stuck.

That evening, a group of four officers continued their search for Corbin

on foot. While hiking the woods, the officers spotted a lit cigarette, which was

quickly followed by the churn of an engine as a vehicle drove towards them.

Trooper Bale, who was involved in the original pursuit, later identified the

vehicle as the same Explorer involved in the first chase. Sheriff Brockman,

who was not involved in the original chase but who has known Corbin since

grade school, yelled for the vehicle to stop. Although the vehicle briefly slowed

down, it quickly drove forward again, forcing the officers off the dirt path.

Sheriff Brockman testified that the driver of the vehicle was Corbin. Later that

3 evening, officers found the vehicle abandoned in a field. Several days later,

Corbin was located at a motel in an adjacent county and arrested.

Following his arrest, a grand jury indicted Corbin on nineteen charges,

the most serious of which included: first-degree fleeing or evading; first-degree

wanton endangerment (five counts); cultivation of marijuana; first-degree illegal

possession of a controlled substance; and being a first-degree persistent felony

offender.3 The trial court granted directed verdicts of acquittal on the charges

of disregarding a stop sign, improper passing, and first-degree criminal

mischief. Prior to the final judgment, the trial court vacated two of the first-

degree wanton endangerment convictions, with respect to Deputy Durbin and

Officer Cravens. The trial court then sentenced Corbin to twenty years

imprisonment.

II. Standard of Review

To properly preserve a motion for directed verdict the defendant must,

among other elements, “identify the particular charge the Commonwealth failed

to prove, and must identify the particular elements of that charge the

Commonwealth failed to prove.” Ray v. Commonwealth, 611 S.W.3d 250, 266

(Ky. 2020); CR4 50.01. Corbin concedes that his general motions for a directed

3 Additionally, Corbin was charged with first-degree criminal mischief; speeding

26 mph or greater; disregarding a stop sign; reckless driving; improper passing; and third-degree terroristic threatening. 4 Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure.

4 verdict failed to meet this requirement and thus requests palpable error review

pursuant to RCr5 10.26.

Under RCr 10.26, an unpreserved error may generally be noticed on appeal if the error is palpable and if it affects the substantial rights of a party. Even then, relief is appropriate only upon a determination that manifest injustice resulted from the error. For an error to rise to the level of palpable, it must be easily perceptible, plain, obvious and readily noticeable.

Martin v. Commonwealth, 409 S.W.3d 340, 344 (Ky. 2013) (internal quotations

omitted). Manifest injustice is present when a “defect in the proceeding [exists

that is] shocking or jurisprudentially intolerable.” Martin v. Commonwealth,

207 S.W.3d 1, 4 (Ky. 2006). Consequently, we will find palpable error when the

defendant suffers a “manifest injustice, either through the probability of a

different result or error so fundamental as to threaten a defendant’s

entitlement to due process of law.” Jones v.

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David Corbin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/david-corbin-v-commonwealth-of-kentucky-ky-2022.