Minix v. State

726 N.E.2d 848, 2000 Ind. App. LEXIS 510, 2000 WL 366328
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 11, 2000
DocketNo. 20A05-9905-CR-201
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 726 N.E.2d 848 (Minix v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Minix v. State, 726 N.E.2d 848, 2000 Ind. App. LEXIS 510, 2000 WL 366328 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinions

[850]*850OPINION

STATON, Sr. Judge

Following a jury trial, Christopher R. Minix appeals his convictions for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death and operating a motor vehicle with at least .10 percent by weight of alcohol in the person’s blood causing death, both Class C felonies.1 Minix raises three issues on appeal, which we restate as two:

I. Whether the evidence is sufficient to support his convictions.
II. Whether the trial court erred by refusing Minix’s request to supplement Final Instruction No. 5.

We raise one issue sua sponte:

III. Whether the trial court must vacate Minix’s conviction for operating a motor vehicle with at least .10 percent by weight of alcohol in the person’s blood causing death.

We affirm and remand with instructions.2

The facts most favorable to the verdict reveal that Minix drank at least four to five beers and a shot of tequila while socializing with his friends at a tavern. Mi-nix arrived at the tavern with his friend, Jim Medley, at approximately 7:45 p.m., and they left together at approximately 12:45 a.m. While driving Medley and himself home, Minix entered an s-curve on a county road at approximately fifty-five miles per hour. The posted speed advisory for the curve was thirty miles per hour. Marks on the road indicated that the vehicle might have left the traveled portion of the road. Minix lost control of the vehicle, and it struck a tree. Medley died as a result of injuries he incurred in the crash.

Minix was injured in the accident. John Wesley, a paramedic who attended Minix at the scene, noticed that Minix smelled of alcohol. Wesley also noticed that Minix spoke slowly and that his mannerisms were exaggerated, which Wesley associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Deputy Sheriff James Bradberry was also at the scene of the accident. Mi-nix admitted to Bradberry that he had been drinking. However, Bradberry did not perform field sobriety tests on Minix because of Minix’s injuries. Minix was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

At the hospital, Minix’s blood was tested for alcohol content. Minix’s blood was drawn at 2:25 a.m., approximately one and one-half hours after the accident. The test revealed that Minix’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .128 percent.

I.

Sufficiency of the Evidence

Minix argues that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions. When reviewing a claim of sufficiency of the evidence, we do not reweigh the evidence or judge the credibility of witnesses. Jordan v. State, 656 N.E.2d 816, 817 (Ind.1995), reh. denied. We look to the evidence and the reasonable inferences therefrom that support the verdict. Id. The conviction will be affirmed if evidence of probative value exists from which a jury could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.

Minix first contends that the evidence does not support his conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death because the evidence does not establish that he was intoxicated. The term “intoxicated” is defined at Ind.Code § 9-18-2-86 (1993).

“Intoxicated” means under the influence of:
(1) alcohol; ...
so that there is an impaired condition of thought and action and the loss of normal control of a person’s faculties to an extent that endangers a person.

Minix argues that he was not impaired.

In support of his argument, Minix cites the testimony of several witnesses [851]*851who indicated that Minix did not seem intoxicated at or near the time of the accident. He also refers to evidence that the curve in which the accident occurred was excessively dangerous. However, this is an invitation to reweigh the evidence. The facts most favorable to the verdict reveal that Minix drank at least four or five beers and a shot of tequila prior to driving home. He entered a curve, which had a posted advisory speed of thirty m.p.h., at a speed of fifty-five m.p.h. Marks on the road after the accident indicated that he might have left the driving surface prior to losing control of his vehicle. Minix lost control of his vehicle. Robert Foster, a person who lives near the curve and who called 911, testified that the road was free of ice. Wesley, the paramedic, testified that Minix smelled of alcohol and that he spoke slowly and his mannerisms were exaggerated. Minix’s BAC one and one-half hours after the accident was .128 percent.

In Geyer v. State, 531 N.E.2d 235 (Ind. Ct.App.1988), the defendant was convicted of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and he challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction. Geyer had been driving a car when it struck a large light pole. The pole cracked, and the occupants of the car were trapped in the front seat. The street was free of ice or obstructions. There was no evidence that any other vehicles were involved in the accident. The investigating officer detected a strong odor of alcohol in the vehicle and observed that Geyer’s eyes were bloodshot. Two hours after the accident, Geyer’s BAC was .158 percent. A passenger in the car died. This court held that the evidence was sufficient to support Geyer’s conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death. Id. at 237. Specifically, the court held that Geyer’s operation of the vehicle at a high rate of speed permitted the inference that “the accident occurred as a result of a driver whose thought and action were impaired to the extent persons were endangered.” Id.

In Boyd v. State, 519 N.E.2d 182 (Ind.Ct.App.1988), the defendant appealed his conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated on the basis that the evidence was insufficient to establish that he was intoxicated. Boyd was driving a pickup truck and was stopped at a light. When the light changed, the truck took off at a high rate of speed. The truck attained a speed of fifty-four m.p.h. in a thirty m.p.h. zone. A law enforcement officer stopped the truck. Boyd smelled strongly of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was talkative. Boyd’s speech was not slurred, and no field sobriety tests were given. Approximately forty minutes after the accident, Boyd’s BAC was .14 percent. We held that this evidence was sufficient to establish that Boyd was intoxicated. Id. at 184. Specifically, we held that the fact that Boyd was driving fifty-five m.p.h. in a thirty m.p.h. zone at night demonstrated “impaired judgment and ability of such a nature as to endanger others.” Id.

Likewise, the evidence here supports the inference that Minix’s thoughts and actions were impaired and that this resulted in the loss of normal control of his faculties such that both Medley and Minix were endangered. Minix entered a curve with an advisory speed of thirty m.p.h. at a speed of fifty-five m.p.h.

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Bluebook (online)
726 N.E.2d 848, 2000 Ind. App. LEXIS 510, 2000 WL 366328, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minix-v-state-indctapp-2000.