Epperson v. Commonwealth

437 S.W.3d 157, 2014 WL 1873570, 2014 Ky. App. LEXIS 74
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMay 9, 2014
DocketNo. 2013-CA-000431-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 437 S.W.3d 157 (Epperson v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Epperson v. Commonwealth, 437 S.W.3d 157, 2014 WL 1873570, 2014 Ky. App. LEXIS 74 (Ky. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION

MAZE, Judge:

Appellant, Brian Epperson, appeals from his conviction and sentence following his trial in Powell Circuit Court. Specifically, he alleges that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion for a continuance following the Commonwealth’s amendment of the indictment against him on the first day of trial. Epperson also argues that the trial court abused its dis[160]*160cretion in failing to suppress toxicology test results, that a portion of Kentucky’s DUI statute violates equal protection, and, in the alternative, that the cumulative effect of these defects in his trial resulted in prejudice against him.

As we conclude that justice required the trial court to grant Epperson’s Motion to Continue, we reverse and remand this case for a new trial. Additionally, we affirm the trial court’s determinations concerning the admissibility of expert testimony and Epperson’s equal protection concerns surrounding KRS 189A.010.

Background

The facts of this case are not in dispute. On November 14, 2011, the vehicle Epper-son was driving crossed the centerline of a two-lane road in Powell County and collided with a vehicle occupied by Donald Tharp and a female passenger. As a result of the collision, Donald Tharp died and his passenger was injured. Epperson suffered only minor injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene of the accident. However, he subsequently submitted to field sobriety tests as well as blood and urine testing in the hours following the accident. Following these tests, authorities arrested Epperson and, on March 7, 2012, a grand jury indicted him on the charges of Murder, fourth-degree Assault, and DUI, first offense. The latter charge alleged, pursuant to KRS1 189A.010(l)(e), that the accident had occurred while Ep-person was “under the influence of [a] substance or combination of substances which impaired his driving ability.... ”

On January 3, 2013, twelve days prior to trial, Epperson filed a Motion to Suppress the toxicology test results for a blood sample taken after the accident. The motion argued that the results of the blood test were irrelevant to the charge of impairment under KRS 189A.010(l)(c) because “[t]he quantity of some of the drugs listed ... such as methadone[ ] are not displayed.” Therefore, the toxicology results provided no evidence regarding the degree of impairment. Following a January 9 hearing, the trial court denied this motion.

After this hearing, in preparation for trial, Epperson’s trial counsel spoke with Chad Norfleet, the Kentucky State Police Laboratory Specialist who analyzed Ep-person’s blood sample. During this conversation, both the Commonwealth and counsel for Epperson learned that the control samples2 used in analyzing Epper-son’s blood were left sitting in the test instrument for four days prior to being tested. Following this, and following the test of Epperson’s blood on the same instruments, the test results did not indicate the levels of two substances, methadone and diazepam; only that both substances were present. On these grounds, prior to jury selection and opening statements, Ep-person filed a Supplemental Motion to Suppress, asking the trial court to find the results of the blood test, and Norfleet’s testimony regarding them, to be unreliable and inadmissible pursuant to Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993). During a meeting on the eve of trial, the parties discussed this and other [161]*161pre-trial motions with the trial court in chambers and on the record. The trial court denied the Motion to Suppress.

Also during this pre-trial meeting, seemingly in response to Epperson’s Motion to Suppress, the Commonwealth moved to amend the portion of the indictment alleging a violation of KRS 189A.010(l)(d) instead of the original violation under subsection (c) of the same statute. Whereas subsection (c) required the Commonwealth to prove that at least one substance caused Epperson’s actual impairment at the time of the accident, the proposed amended charge under subsection (d) required that the Commonwealth prove such a substance was merely present in his bloodstream. Epperson’s counsel objected to the Commonwealth’s motion; however, the trial court granted it, amended the indictment by hand, and proceeded with jury selection.

The morning after amendment of the indictment, immediately prior to the beginning of proof, counsel for Epperson moved the trial court for a continuance, arguing that the amendment and resulting change in defense strategy prejudiced Epperson’s defense and required a continuance under RCr3 6.16. Counsel further argued that subsection (d) of the DUI statute violated equal protection because it unjustifiably distinguished between those who had a prescription for certain substances and those who did not. After hearing these arguments, the trial court denied Epper-son’s Motion to Continue, stating, inter alia, “We worked awful hard yesterday getting a jury ... Since we’ve come this far, we might as well go ahead.” Immediately following the denial of the Motion to Continue, the Commonwealth called its first witness. Also, following the denial of the motion, Epperson’s counsel informed the defense’s expert witness, who was en route from Ohio, that his services were no longer needed.

During trial, several witnesses testified, including the officers who responded to the accident and administered the field sobriety tests, as well as Norfleet, who testified regarding the toxicological results of Ep-person’s blood test. Prior to Norfleet’s testimony, Epperson’s trial counsel renewed his objection to the introduction of the results and Norfleet’s testimony regarding them. Once again, the trial court overruled this objection.

Norfleet first testified to the blood sample’s chain of custody. He also testified that his test of Epperson’s blood sample revealed the presence of four substances: methadone, diazepam, nordiazepam, and oxycodone. The results did not quantify the levels of methadone and diazepam because of the anomaly regarding the control samples. Norfleet stated that he was nonetheless “confident” that methadone and diazepam were present in Epperson’s blood. On cross-examination, Norfleet clarified that the tests run by the control samples did not return amounts of methadone and diazepam within the reasonable or acceptable range established by the known quantities present in each; therefore, he did not feel comfortable stating the quantities, only the presence, of those substances.

Also during Norfleet’s testimony, he referenced, and the Commonwealth sought to introduce a document of which neither party was aware before trial. What became Commonwealth’s Exhibit 23 was a copy of various labels from items contained within the laboratory kit used to test Epperson’s blood sample. Among other information, this document showed an expiration date of June 30, 2011, nearly seventeen months [162]*162prior to the accident.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
437 S.W.3d 157, 2014 WL 1873570, 2014 Ky. App. LEXIS 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/epperson-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-2014.