Hamlin v. State

902 S.W.2d 613, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 911, 1995 WL 257234
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 4, 1995
DocketNo. 01-94-00616-CR
StatusPublished

This text of 902 S.W.2d 613 (Hamlin 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
Hamlin v. State, 902 S.W.2d 613, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 911, 1995 WL 257234 (Tex. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION

TAFT, Justice.

This case involves trial court error when the court sustains the State’s challenge for cause of a venire member who cannot follow law which was not alleged in the charging instrument.

A jury found appellant, Todd Roderick Hamlin, guilty of driving while intoxicated and assessed punishment at 120-days confinement, probated for 240 days, plus a $750 fine. In four points of error, appellant contends that (1) the prosecutor made improper jury argument during the guilt-innocence phase of trial; (2) the .prosecutor made improper jury argument during the punishment phase of trial; (3) the trial court erred in denying appellant’s motion to suppress; and (4) the trial court erred in sustaining the [615]*615State’s challenge for cause of venire member number six. We reverse.

Summary of Facts

On September 10, 1993, at approximately 3:35 a.m., Officer Douglas Muxworthy of the College Station Police Department saw appellant and another driver accelerating their cars as if racing. The officer followed appellant’s car, which slowed when the patrol car approached. Appellant’s car was weaving inside its lane. The officer stopped appellant’s car after noticing the rear license plate light was not functioning.

Officer Muxworthy smelled alcohol on appellant’s breath, observed that appellant’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and noted appellant’s poor performance on several field sobriety tests. The officer arrested appellant for driving while intoxicated. At the police station, appellant was videotaped. He refused to take a blood or breath test. Appellant was charged by information which alleged that he was intoxicated “by not having the normal use of his mental and physical faculties.”

Challenge for Cause

In his fourth point of error, appellant contends the trial court erred in sustaining the State’s challenge for cause after venire member person number six said he believed .10 to be an arbitrary blood alcohol level. The State maintains the challenge for cause was appropriate because the potential juror could not follow the legal definition of intoxication. Appellant argues that the law is inapplicable because no chemical test was performed or alleged in this case.

1. Standard of Review

A prospective juror who would ultimately be guided by personal beliefs rather than by the law is unqualified to sit on a jury. Castillo v. State, 739 S.W.2d 280, 296 (Tex.CrimApp.1987). The State may challenge for cause any venire member who “has a bias or prejudice against any phase of the law upon which the State is entitled to rely for conviction or punishment.” Tex.Code Ceim. PROcAnn. art. 35.16(b)(3) (Vernon Supp. 1995). The State is not limited to challenges based upon laws relating to the particular facts of the case on trial. Phillips v. State, 701 S.W.2d 875, 884 (Tex.Crim.App.1985). Yet there are theoretical limits to the laws the State may rely on and raise in voir dire. Id.

When reviewing a trial court’s decision to sustain a challenge for cause, we look to the totality of the testimony supporting the trial court’s implied finding of fact that the prospective juror is unable to take the requisite oath and follow the law as given by the trial court. Kemp v. State, 846 S.W.2d 289, 295-96 (Tex.Crim.App.1992); Cantu v. State, 842 S.W.2d 667, 682 (Tex.Crim.App.1992), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 113 S.Ct. 3046, 125 L.Ed.2d 731 (1993). An appellant complaining of an erroneously excluded juror must demonstrate that either: (1) the trial court applied the wrong legal standard in sustaining the challenge for cause; or (2) the trial court abused its discretion in applying the correct legal standard. Kemp, 846 S.W.2d at 296; Cantu, 842 S.W.2d at 682. A reviewing court gives great deference to the trial court, who is in the best position to observe the responses and demeanor of the prospective jurors. Castillo v. State, 739 S.W.2d 280, 296 (Tex.Crim.App.1987).

2. Application to the Facts

During voir dire, the prosecutor explained the two methods of proving intoxication: (a) physical or mental impairment or (b) a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 or more.1 Veni-re member number six said:

[Prospective juror]: I have certain objections as to part B.
[[Image here]]
.1 seems, to me, rather arbitrary. Texas, that says you’re drunk. In other states you can have .1, but you wouldn’t be drunk. It’s a crime in one state, but not another. To me, that’s a little bit arbitrary. You’re a criminal here, but not in [616]*616this other state, indicates something’s a little arbitrary there.
[Prosecutor]: You think it’s too high or too low?
[Prospective juror]: I think that part A is the main thing. It’s not how much, it’s whether you’re incapacitated or not. If you’re incapacitated, then you’re intoxicated. It shouldn’t really be based on the particular level, because some people can get intoxicated and couldn’t drive a motor vehicle way below .1. And I think there’s others above .1 who still would be very competent on the highway. I think it’s a very biological thing.

After the defense attorney questioned the panel, the trial court asked several venire members to individually approach the bench. When venire member number six was called to the bench, the following conversation took place:

[Prosecutor]: Now, my question to you, sir, is whether you have a breath test or not, are you going to require both a breath test and signs of physical intoxication, under definition A, to reach a decision or come to a verdict in this case?
[Prospective juror]: Basically, to me, decision A is the most important, regardless. As I see DWI, regardless of how little or how much, the reason the law is there is to keep people who are impaired off the road. To me, that’s what’s important.
[Prosecutor]: Yes, sir. Let’s suppose the only evidence you have of intoxication was .10 or .12.
[Defense counsel]: I’m going to object to that, Judge, for the reason that that’s not alleged in this case. This man has said he could do it based on the only thing that’s alleged in this case. If they had alleged .10, this might be a good area to go into. But it doesn’t apply in this case. We don’t have alleged .10 in this case.
[Prosecutor]: The purpose of this hearing, Your Honor, is to decide whether this person can follow the law under the state law. He’s already stated that he does not feel .10 — he has stated both arbitrary and he doesn’t like it and would not follow it. This person does not know what evidence is going to appear in a case or not, neither does the Court.
[Defense counsel]: He can follow the law that’s in this case. .10 is not in this case.

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Related

Peoples v. State
548 S.W.2d 893 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Kemp v. State
846 S.W.2d 289 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Scherlie v. State
715 S.W.2d 653 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Scherlie v. State
689 S.W.2d 294 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Becker v. State
840 S.W.2d 743 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Cantu v. State
842 S.W.2d 667 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Bell v. State
724 S.W.2d 780 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Phillips v. State
701 S.W.2d 875 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Castillo v. State
739 S.W.2d 280 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
902 S.W.2d 613, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 911, 1995 WL 257234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamlin-v-state-texapp-1995.