People v. Bodoh

558 N.E.2d 178, 200 Ill. App. 3d 415, 146 Ill. Dec. 215, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 873
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 15, 1990
Docket1-87-2419
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 558 N.E.2d 178 (People v. Bodoh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Bodoh, 558 N.E.2d 178, 200 Ill. App. 3d 415, 146 Ill. Dec. 215, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 873 (Ill. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

JUSTICE McNAMARA

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a jury trial, defendant, Todd Bodoh, was convicted of reckless homicide and driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The trial court merged the two convictions for sentencing purposes, and defendant was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and one year of mandatory supervised release. Defendant appeals, alleging that the trial court improperly permitted the jury to consider the results of a blood test not taken pursuant to the Illinois Department of Public Health regulations; that defendant received ineffective assistance of counsel; that the trial court erred in denying defendant’s request for a continuance to obtain new counsel; that the trial court improperly allowed the jury to receive a diagram which allegedly was based on hearsay statements; and that the trial court committed errors, the cumulative effect of which requires reversal of defendant’s conviction.

As to the collision, the following facts were adduced at trial. On December 20, 1985, at approximately 5:33 p.m., defendant was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a vehicle driven by Sharon Haberkorn. The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of Route 171, one-half mile south of Route 83. As a result of the collision, Marcella Botica, a passenger in the Haberkorn vehicle, suffered fatal injuries. Haberkorn sustained multiple injuries. She does not remember the accident itself, but does remember leaving the shopping mall which is in the area of the accident. She also remembers her actions while in the immediate vicinity of the mall.

Michael Kopischke, who was driving northbound on Route 171, testified that he observed a gray or silver Corvette, defendant’s vehicle, enter from a side street onto Route 171 in the northbound curb lane. He observed the Corvette move from the curb lane to the left lane, pass a car travelling in the curb lane, and then swerve back over to the curb lane. As the Corvette moved back into the curb lane, Kopischke saw a yellow Cadillac in the left lane. The Corvette accelerated and passed the Cadillac. As the Corvette accelerated, it began to sway from side to side and then swerved into oncoming traffic, colliding with a southbound vehicle. Kopischke did not see any vehicle cut in front of the Corvette at any time.

Illinois State Trooper Glen DeVries arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the accident and observed that there had been two separate accidents, one involving defendant’s vehicle and the Haberkorn vehicle, and another involving a tan Cadillac. After making measurements, DeVries contacted Trooper Peter Chico, an accident construction officer, who took photographs and additional measurements of the scene.

At the hospital where defendant had been taken for his injuries, defendant told the officers that he had been cut off by a 1972 green Chevelle and stated that this was why he ended up in the southbound lane. DeVries did not see any green paint on defendant’s car and none of the witnesses mentioned seeing a green Chevelle in the vicinity of the accident. Through his experience in accident reconstruction, Chico determined that the rear damage to defendant’s vehicle was caused or “induced” by the front-end collision and not by a rear-end impact.

Defendant testified that he drove on Bell Road and entered into traffic at the intersection of Bell Road and Route 83 and 171 after stopping for a stop sign. He drove directly into the curb lane of Route 171. He then changed from the curb lane to the inside lane. Defendant did not switch lanes to pass a slower moving vehicle. Defendant stated that while he was travelling in the inside lane, a green car cut in front of him and slammed on its brakes. He then had to slam on his brakes and was hit from behind, forcing his vehicle into oncoming traffic. At this time, his car collided with the Haberkorn vehicle. Defendant did not recall seeing a yellow Cadillac in front of him. Although he stated that he was hit from behind, he admitted that he never saw the car that hit him.

With regard to defendant’s consumption of intoxicating liquor, the following evidence was offered. At the hospital, the troopers detected an odor of alcoholic beverage on defendant’s breath. Defendant told them that he had been coming from a party and that he had consumed eight beers throughout the day. Trooper Chico stated that defendant was 5 feet 10 inches in height and weighed 160 pounds. The troopers read defendant the implied consent warnings, which stated that his license would be suspended if he refused to submit to any chemical test. The troopers did not receive any response from defendant, and they ordered a phlebotomist to withdraw blood in their presence.

Terry Swanburg, a phlebotomist at Palos Community Hospital, testified that she drew defendant’s blood at 9:45 p.m. Swanburg drew the blood using a kit provided by the Department of Public Health. The troopers were present. Swanburg gave the two vials containing defendant’s blood to DeVries. He placed them in an evidence locker and later sent them to the laboratory for analysis. The results of the laboratory were sent to DeVries’ attention at the police station several days later. The analysis revealed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.087.

Defendant’s blood had been drawn earlier in the evening by Debra Kutka, also a phlebotomist at the hospital. Kutka testified that at 7:55 p.m., she drew specimens of blood from defendant for alcohol-level analysis at the request of Dr. Rose, the emergency room physician. Following the procedure, she took the specimen, labeled with the date, time and her initials, to the hospital laboratory where Mike Navarro, a medical technologist, performed the analysis. Navarro testified that he used a calibrated automatic clinical analyzer. He stated that the analyzer automatically issues an error code when the machine is not functioning properly. There was no error code on defendant’s test. Navarro’s analysis revealed an alcohol concentration of 0.122. Navarro testified that pursuant to hospital procedures, blood samples are kept for one week and then are discarded.

Christopher Long, chief toxicologist for the Illinois State Police, testified as to the interpretation of the blood test results. Long testified that a 160-pound person who stopped drinking at 5:35 p.m. and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.122 grams at 7:55 p.m. and 0.087 grams at 9:45 p.m. would be able to metabolize alcohol at the rate of 0.020 grams per hour. Long used this metabolization rate to determine that this same individual would have a blood-alcohol concentration ranging from approximately 0.14 to 0.18 at 5:33 p.m., and would have had approximately nine beers within the course of the hour-long period beginning at 4:30 p.m., and ending at 5:30 p.m. Long testified that his extrapolations related to total body burden of alcohol and not to blood-alcohol concentration.

With respect to the consumption of liquor, defendant testified that he was employed on the night shift at the B.O.C. division of Fisher Body. At approximately 6 a.m., he left work with two other men, James Weber and another individual. The three men stayed at a Mend’s house for a couple of hours and then proceeded to a company party at Johnny’s 84, arriving at approximately 10 a.m. Defendant stated that he had a beer shortly after he arrived, and that he had five or six more beers during the course of the day.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
558 N.E.2d 178, 200 Ill. App. 3d 415, 146 Ill. Dec. 215, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 873, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bodoh-illappct-1990.