Fort Peck Tribes v. Melbourne

3 Am. Tribal Law 318
CourtFort Peck Appellate Court
DecidedMarch 26, 2001
DocketNo. 332
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 3 Am. Tribal Law 318 (Fort Peck Tribes v. Melbourne) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Fort Peck Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fort Peck Tribes v. Melbourne, 3 Am. Tribal Law 318 (ftpeckctapp 2001).

Opinion

Brief Factual and Procedural Overview

CARROLL J. DeCOTEAU, Associate Justice.

Tribal Police Officer Frank Martell received a report from his dispatch regarding a vehicular incident wherein a red pick-up nearing collided with another vehicle. Office Martell was dispatched to the scene and took a verbal report from Valerie Chaser, the driver of the other vehicle. Valerie identified the driver of the red pick up as Linda Melbourne. Valerie was given a report form to complete and Officer Martell indicated he would attempt to locate the red pick up. Approximately an hour and a half later, Officer Martell observed Linda Melbourne pulling into her drive way on Court Ave, Poplar, MT. The officer observed the driver of the pick up and identified her as Linda Melbourne. He also observed two (2) passengers. [320]*320Upon approaching the pick up, Officer Martell observed Linda sitting in the driver’s seat and detected the odor of alcohol on Linda’s breath. He asked Linda whether she had been drinking and she stated that she had consumed about “4 beers”. He then administered three (3) field sobriety tests, all of which she failed. Upon failing the tests, Officer Martell arrested Linda, charging her with a violation of Title XVII CCOJ 2000 § 107 (formerly Title IX CCOJ § 107), commonly referred to as driving under the influence or DUI. Linda entered a plea of not guilty at her arraignment.

Linda failed to appear at a scheduled jury trial date on June 9,1999 and the tribal prosecutor filed Criminal Contempt charges (Title VII CCOJ 2000 § 426(b»(formerly Title III CCOJ § 410) on the same day. The trial was rescheduled for November 12,1999. On November 12,1999, a jury found Linda guilty of both charges. The Tribal Court, Judge Marvin Youpee presiding, sentenced Linda to two (2) days flat, twenty-five (25) days or a $250.00 fine, plus $25.00 to be assessed for the ambulance fund, for the DUI and five (5) days flat, suspended for a period of thirty (30) days, and placed on probation for those same thirty (30) days, for the Criminal Contempt. Upon receiving her sentence, Linda immediately moved for a stay of sentence pending the filing of an appeal. The Tribal Court granted her three (3) days to file her appeal and Linda filed a timely appeal on November 17, 1999. Concurrent with her Notice of Appeal, Linda requested a stay from this Court, which was granted on November 23,1999.

Issues Presented

The appellant requests that this Court review the following issues:

Whether it was prejudicial error for the Tribal Court to allow the defense to object to videotape evidence in the presence of the jury?
Whether the Fort Peck Tribes failed to meet its burden of proof by failing to prove each element of the DUI offense, and further, failed to present evidence to rebut exculpatory evidence presented by the defense?
Whether the Tribal Court violated defendant’s protective rights against ‘double jeopardy’ by imposing multiple fines for the same offense?
Whether the Fort Peck Tribes failed to present sufficient evidence to support the conviction for Criminal Contempt?

The appellant also requests clarification of the CCOJ concerning the application for a stay of sentence, thus posing the following question:

Whether the application for a stay of judgment, to any court, automatically stays that judgment until the reviewing court makes its ruling on the stay?

Discussion

Whether it was prejudicial error for the Tribal Court to allow the defense to object to videotape evidence in the presence of the jury?

The defense objected to the introduction of a videotape made at the time of the arrest, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish the proper foundation needed to introduce the tape into evidence and that a correct chain of evidence could not be established. The Tribal Court ultimately agreed with the defense and did not admit the videotape into evidence. Defendant argues that the very fact that she was forced to object to this evidence in the presence of the jury tainted the jury [321]*321against her and resulted m error. We disagree.

As a general practice the Tribal Court hears suppression motions before the start of any trial. However in this instance, the ‘suppression’ was not in the form of a motion but an objection in open court, well after the trial had begun.

In a situation such as this, the defense must assume the responsibility to safeguard against any evidence, which might be prejudicial to its case. Thus, if the defense felt that its objection, and the oral arguments that followed, could possibly have prejudiced the jury, there were abundant opportunities to either avoid or ameliorate the situation. In the first instance, assuming that the defense knew of the videotape before trial, the proper procedure would have been to file a motion in limine. If the defense failed to file a motion in limine or if the evidence surprised the defense, it could have asked for a recess and then requested that the objection be heard out of the presence of the jury. Failing that, the defense, before the close of evidence, could have requested an instruction to the jury from the Tribal Court. (See Fed. R.Crim. Proc. R 301). After failing to take advantage of these opportunities, defendant now contends that it was the duty of the Tribal Court to prevent any and all prejudicial evidence. Although our Tribal Court bears great responsibility and discretion in preventing prejudicial errors, and must be vigilant in protecting the right of all litigants, we do not raise that standard to the point of clairvoyance. The Court could not have known the nature of the defense’s objection and it did not err by allowing oral arguments on defendant’s objection, even in the presence of the jury.

Finally, even if it were shown that the Tribal Court committed error, the burden would have shifted to the defendant to show such error affected her substantial rights, (See Fed. R.Crim. Proc. R 522) Whether the Fort Peck Tribes failed to meet its burden of proof by failing to prove each element of the DUI offense, and further, did the Tribes fail to present evidence to rebut exculpatory evidence presented by the defense?

Title XVII CCOJ 2000 § 107 reads, in part:

Sec. 107. Driving a motor vehicle while under the inftuence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
(a) It is unlawful and punishable for any person who is under the influence of intoxicating liquors, under the influence of any drug, or under the combined influence of alcohol and any drag, to a degree which renders him/her incapable of safely driving a motor vehicle to [322]*322operate or be in actual physical control of any motor vehicle upon the highways or roads of the Reservation.
(emphasis on elements added)
(b) In any criminal prosecution for a violation of paragraph (a) of this Section relating to driving a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, the amount of alcohol in the defendant’s blood at the time alleged as shown by chemical analysis of the defendant’s blood, urine, breath or other bodily substance, shall give rise to the following presumptions:
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13 Am. Tribal Law 450 (Fort Peck Appellate Court, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
3 Am. Tribal Law 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fort-peck-tribes-v-melbourne-ftpeckctapp-2001.