Jones v. State

881 So. 2d 209, 2003 WL 21005836
Court of Appeals of Mississippi·Decided May 6, 2003·No. 2000-KA-00407-COA·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

881 So.2d 209 (2003)

Patrick JONES, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2000-KA-00407-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

May 6, 2003.

*211 Raymond L. Wong, Cleveland, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Dewitt T. Allred III, attorney for appellee.

EN BANC.

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

IRVING, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. The motion for rehearing is denied. However, the original opinion issued herein is withdrawn and this opinion substituted.

¶ 2. Patrick Jones appeals from a judgment of conviction entered by the Circuit Court of Bolivar County, Mississippi following a jury verdict which found him guilty of negligently causing the death of another while operating a vehicle under the influence of cocaine. In this appeal, Jones contends that the trial court erred in admitting the results of his urine analysis and that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict. He also contends that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence and exhibits bias and prejudice against him since, in his view, it is based solely upon suspicion and speculation. We disagree and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

FACTS

¶ 3. While driving his loaded tractor trailer rig along Highway 61 North, just south of Shaw, Jones collided with Emma Powell's automobile. More specifically, Jones struck Powell's vehicle from the rear as they were both proceeding north in the outside lane of Highway 61 North which, at the point of impact, is a four-lane highway. At the time of the collision, the weather was clear. There were no obstructions blocking the view of northbound motorists. There were no skid marks indicating that Jones had applied his brakes prior to impact. However, there were skid marks from Powell's vehicle, apparently caused by the weight of Jones truck resting on the rear of her car while, at the same time, pushing her car down the road. Powell and Jones were both injured and transported to the Bolivar Medical Center. Powell later died as a result of the injuries she received.

¶ 4. Sergeant Bob McFadden with the Mississippi Highway Patrol's Traffic Enforcement Division investigated the accident. After Powell was pronounced dead, McFadden administered a breath test to Jones. This test was negative for alcohol, and McFadden did not request that a urine analysis be performed on Jones.

*212 ¶ 5. Although McFadden did not request that a urine analysis be administered to Jones, one was administered by hospital personnel as a part of the diagnostic treatment administered to Jones.[1] Clint Robinson, an emergency room registered nurse, retrieved the urine sample from Jones, and Betty Cooper, a medical technologist with Bolivar Medical Center, following hospital procedures, performed the analysis on Jones's urine. This analysis determined that Jones had cocaine in his system. The results of Cooper's cocaine analysis were confirmed, pursuant to standard hospital policy, by Memphis Pathology Laboratories (MPL). However, no one from MPL testified. Over persistent objection from Jones, the trial court admitted the results of the urine analysis, performed by Cooper, and the confirmation report performed by MPL. Additional facts will be presented during the discussion of the issues.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES

1. Admissibility of the Result of Urine Analysis

¶ 6. Jones contends, for several reasons, that it was error for the trial court to admit the result of his urine analysis. First, he contends that the analysis was not performed by methods approved by the State Crime Laboratory and the Commissioner of Public Safety as required by Mississippi Code Annotated § 63-11-19 (Rev.1996). He next argues that Cooper, who performed the analysis, did not possess a valid permit issued by the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory for making such analysis. Thirdly, he contends that the confirmation report from MPL, which confirmed Cooper's findings, was hearsay and violated his right of confrontation under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Finally, he contends that the urine sample existed as a result of a physician-patient relationship because it was taken as part of his care as a patient and not at the direction of Sergeant McFadden as directed and authorized by Mississippi Code Annotated § 63-11-19 (Supp.2001). Since he never waived the physician-patient privilege, Jones asserts that any analysis and testimony about the analysis should not have been allowed.

¶ 7. The State contends that the statute in question is superseded by the Mississippi Rules of Evidence and that the rules are the paramount authority guiding the trial judge's decision on admissibility of evidence. The State does not address the merits of Jones's hearsay argument concerning the confirmation report nor his argument regarding the violation of the physician-patient privilege, arguing instead that these issues are procedurally barred.

¶ 8. We will discuss first Jones's last argument regarding the non-waiver of the physician-patient privilege because if we rule that the physician-patient privilege precludes use of Jones's urine specimen, the State's case unravels at the seams. However, we begin by reciting our standard of review of a trial judge's decision to admit or deny evidence. That standard is an abuse of discretion standard. Johnston v. State, 567 So.2d 237, 238 (Miss.1990).

A. Physician-Patient Privilege

¶ 9. "Admission of evidence is within the discretion of the trial judge. That discretion must be exercised within the scope of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence, and reversal will only be had when an abuse of discretion results in prejudice to *213 the accused." Parker v. State, 606 So.2d 1132, 1137-38 (Miss.1992).

¶ 10. The physician-patient privilege exists as a result of statutory enactment and court promulgated rules. State v. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, 726 So.2d 554 (¶¶ 10, 11) (Miss.1998); Miss.Code Ann. § 13-1-21(1) (Supp.2001); M.R.E. 503(b). Our supreme court has previously announced quite clearly that the physician-patient privilege applies with equal force in criminal proceedings as it does in civil cases. Cotton v. State, 675 So.2d 308, 312 (Miss.1996).

¶ 11. However, the physician-patient privilege is not an impenetrable fortress and contains a number of statutory exceptions. In Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle (BMH-GT), the State, as a part of a criminal investigation of a homicide, issued a subpoena duces tecum and search warrant to BMH-GT for medical records of patients who were admitted or treated at BMH-GT for cuts and lacerations inflicted on any part of the patient's body from July 8-9, 1996. BMH-GT, citing Mississippi Code Annotated § 13-1-21 refused to honor the subpoena duces tecum. The trial court, relying upon the statutory physician-patient privilege, as well as the one created by the rules of evidence, quashed both the search warrant and the subpoena duces tecum. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, 726 So.2d at 556 (¶ 1).

¶ 12. On appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed the trial court. In reaching its decision, the supreme court found some support in the fact that Mississippi Code Annotated § 45-9-31 requires medical personnel to report to law enforcement personnel information regarding persons who have been treated for injuries caused by gunshot or knifing. The court gave the following reasons for its decision:

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

Jones v. State, 881 So. 2d 209, 2003 WL 21005836 (Mich. Ct. App. 2003).

881 So. 2d 209 (Jones v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Wesley Littleton v. State of Mississippi
Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2024
Lepine v. State
10 So. 3d 927 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2009)
Luckett v. State
989 So. 2d 995 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2008)
Doss v. State
906 So. 2d 836 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2004)
Jones v. State
858 So. 2d 139 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2003)
Patrick Jones v. State of Mississippi
Mississippi Supreme Court, 1999