Istiphan v. City of Madison

81 So. 3d 1200, 2012 Miss. App. LEXIS 128, 2012 WL 695444
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMarch 6, 2012
DocketNo. 2010-KM-01785-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 81 So. 3d 1200 (Istiphan v. City of Madison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Istiphan v. City of Madison, 81 So. 3d 1200, 2012 Miss. App. LEXIS 128, 2012 WL 695444 (Mich. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

CARLTON, J„

for the Court:

¶ 1. Khader Hanna Istiphan appeals his conviction and sentence for driving under the influence (DUI), first offense. Isti-phan raises the following assignments of error: whether (1) he was denied effective assistance of counsel in violation of his constitutional rights; (2) the verdict is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence; (3) the trial court erred in disallowing into evidence the toxicology report of serum and urine samples taken from Istiphan at St. Dominic’s Hospital on January 8, 2009, at 3:54 a.m., approximately three hours after his traffic stop; (4) the failure to admit into evidence the toxicology report effectively denied Istiphan of a fair trial in violation of his constitutional rights; (5) a verdict of guilty by the court being against the overwhelming weight of the evidence effectively denied him a fair trial in violation of his constitutional rights; and (6) the lower court erred in not granting a motion for a new trial.1 Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. On January 8, 2009, at approximately midnight, Istiphan was traveling eastbound on Hoy Road in Madison, Mississippi, when he was stopped by Madison Police Department Officer James Craft. Officer Craft testified that, while on patrol, he observed Istiphan’s vehicle weaving in the roadway and crossing over the center lane markings. Officer Craft said when he approached the vehicle, he asked Istiphan, the driver of the vehicle, for his driver’s license and proof of insurance.2 As this was taking place, Officer Craft testified that he smelled the odor of alcohol emitting from inside the vehicle. Officer Craft testified that he questioned Istiphan as to if he had been drinking, to which Istiphan replied he had consumed two drinks approximately two hours before he was stopped.3 Officer Craft asked Istiphan to [1203]*1203step out of the vehicle, and Istiphan complied. Officer Craft stated that he then attempted to administer a preliminary breath test (PBT), the horizontal gaze nys-tagmus test (HGN), and the walk-and-turn test; however, Istiphan would not cooperate and exhibited an argumentative demeanor. Officer Craft also testified that he again smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Istiphan during the attempted administration of the PBT, and Officer Craft observed that Istiphan demonstrated coordination impairment while he was trying to get Istiphan to complete the walk- and-turn test. After determining that he was not going to be able to successfully administer any of the sobriety tests, Officer Craft placed Istiphan under arrest for DUI and transported him to the City of Madison Police Department.4

¶ 3. Officer Craft testified that, once at the police department, Istiphan notified him that he was having an anxiety attack and needed medical attention. Officer Craft called Madison Rescue and AMR who arrived shortly thereafter and conducted an examination of Istiphan. While at the police department, Officer Craft also asked Istiphan to take the Intoxilyzer test, but Istiphan refused. Istiphan was charged with careless driving, DUI, first offense,5 and DUI refusal. Istiphan then requested permission to go to the hospital to receive medical treatment, and he was released.6 Istiphan testified that upon admission to St. Dominic’s Hospital, he requested a blood sample be drawn and tested for the presence of alcohol; however, the trial court found the toxicology report to be inadmissible at trial.

¶ 4. Istiphan entered a plea of nolo con-tendere in the Municipal Court of Madison County for DUI, first offense, and careless driving. He appealed his DUI conviction to the County Court of Madison County, where he received a trial de novo by the county court judge sitting without a jury. The county court ultimately found Istiphan guilty of DUI, first offense, in violation of Mississippi Code Annotated section 63 — 11— 30(l)(a) (Supp.2011). The county court judge then imposed a forty-eight hour suspended sentence, and ordered Istiphan to pay a fine of $900 and costs and assessments. He also ordered Istiphan to complete the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program. Istiphan filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), or in the alternative, a new trial, which the county court denied. Istiphan then appealed to the Circuit Court of Madison County. The circuit court, sitting as an appellate court, affirmed the judgment of the county court. Subsequent to the circuit court’s ruling, Istiphan requested a finding of a constitutional question of the circuit court, which was denied.

[1204]*1204¶ 5. Feeling aggrieved of his conviction and sentence, and the circuit court’s denial of the existence of a constitutional question, Istiphan filed his notice of appeal with the Mississippi Supreme Court, and the supreme court assigned the case to this Court.7

DISCUSSION

I. SUFFICIENCY & WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE 8

¶ 6. Istiphan argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a directed verdict9 because the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction of DUI, first offense, under Mississippi Code Annotated section 63-ll-30(l)(a). Istiphan also argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion for a new trial because the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. Istiphan further claims that the guilty verdict by the court being against the overwhelming weight of the evidence denied him a fair trial in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 3, Sections 14 and 26 of the Mississippi Constitution.

¶ 7. “In a criminal proceeding, motions for a directed verdict and a JNOV challenge the legal sufficiency of the evidence supporting the guilty verdict.” Bas-kin v. State, 39 So.3d 959, 962 (¶ 6) (Miss.Ct.App.2010) (quoting Croft v. State, 992 So.2d 1151, 1157 (¶ 24) (Miss.2008)). “Because a motion for a directed verdict and a motion for a JNOV both require consideration of the evidence before the trial court when the decision to grant or deny was made, this Court only reviews the ruling on the last occasion that the challenge was made.” Id. (citations omitted). Thus, we will review Istiphan’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence as pertaining to his motion for a JNOV. In determining whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain a conviction, “the critical inquiry is whether the evidence shows ‘beyond a reasonable doubt that [the] accused committed the act charged, and that he did so under such circumstances that every element of the offense existed[.]” Bush v. State, 895 So.2d 836, 843 (¶ 16) (Miss.2005) (quoting Carr v. State, 208 So.2d 886, 889 (Miss.1968)). The relevant question is “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 315, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). We will determine the evidence to be sufficient if the evidence against the defendant is such that “reasonable fair-minded men in the exer[1205]

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Bluebook (online)
81 So. 3d 1200, 2012 Miss. App. LEXIS 128, 2012 WL 695444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/istiphan-v-city-of-madison-missctapp-2012.