People v. Burke

581 N.E.2d 304, 220 Ill. App. 3d 839, 163 Ill. Dec. 353, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1744
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 10, 1991
Docket1-88-2530
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 581 N.E.2d 304 (People v. Burke) 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. Burke, 581 N.E.2d 304, 220 Ill. App. 3d 839, 163 Ill. Dec. 353, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1744 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE LINN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Martin Burke appeals from an order of the trial court denying his petition to rescind a statutory suspension of his driving privileges. On appeal he contends that (1) the trial court failed to hold the statutory summary suspension hearing within 30 days of the request; (2) the trial court erred in continuing the summary suspension where the sworn report failed to establish that defendant was warned of his implied-consent rights; (3) the trial court erred in relying upon the testimony of the arresting officer in finding reasonable grounds to establish that defendant was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and (4) the trial court erred by not rescinding the summary suspension where it was not based on a proper uniform traffic ticket as required by section 11—501.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 95½, par. 11—501.1).

On December 27, 1987, defendant was arrested and charged with driving “under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.” The sworn law enforcement report indicated that his driver’s license was surrendered and his driver’s privileges would be suspended effective February 11, 1988, due to his failure to submit to a chemical test.

On January 20, 1988, all parties appeared before the court, and the State requested a continuance because the arresting officer, Illinois State Trooper Kim Brooks, who had been subpoened to testify, was unable to attend due to an injury sustained on duty that day. The court continued the matter to January 29, 1988. At that time, the State told the court that the officer was still injured and requested a continuance. The court denied the State’s motion, and the State agreed to proceed based upon the sworn report of the officer while the defendant relied upon his own testimony. The court then con-eluded that (1) the summary suspension would be sustained; (2) defendant’s request for rescission based upon the arresting officer’s failure to appear would be denied; and (3) the summary suspension would be stayed pending appeal.

On February 16, 1988, defendant filed a motion to reconsider denial of the summary suspension or for a new hearing. On February 24, 1988, the court continued the post-hearing motions to April 14, 1988. At that time, the court granted defendant’s motion to reconsider and set a new hearing on the petition to rescind the statutory summary suspension.

On May 4, 1988, the case was reassigned to a different judge at defendant’s request and the hearing proceeded. The defense presented two witnesses: defendant and Jeff Hockensmith, the passenger in defendant’s car at the time of the stop in this case.

Hockensmith was a long-time friend of defendant, and he stated that between 9:30 p.m. and about 1:15 a.m. defendant was at his house in Park Ridge, where they ate pizza but did not consume alcoholic beverages. About 1:15 a.m., they left and drove to the Beaumont Tavern, located at Armitage and Halsted in Chicago, where they met two other friends and drank about two or three glasses of beer until about 2:30 to 2:45 a.m. About 3 a.m. they left the tavern, and defendant began to drive him home on 1-90. When he told defendant to exit at Cumberland Avenue, defendant quickly moved from the center lane to the right lane toward the exit. After defendant exited the expressway, the officer stopped defendant, requested defendant’s driver’s license and asked him to exit the car. Defendant asked her if she was arresting him, and she answered that she was for drunken driving. He opined that defendant was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol that night.

Defendant testified that between 1:15 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., he consumed about two or three eight-ounce glasses of beer. He denied consuming any drugs. He stated that when his friend told him to exit the expressway at Cumberland, he moved from the center lane to the right lane for about 50 feet before exiting onto Higgins Road. At that time, he noticed flashing lights behind him so he pulled over to the curb. When the officer approached his car, she requested his driver’s license. He reached into the compartment between the two seats and handed it to her from his wallet. She then asked him to step out of his car, and he responded that on his attorney’s advice he would not get out of the car unless he was under arrest. She again asked him the same question, and he asked her if he was under arrest. She then answered that he was under arrest for drunken driving. Defendant denied that he was told why she wanted him to exit the vehicle before he was arrested. Defendant denied that he was ever requested or ever refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Officer Brooks testified that when she first saw defendant’s car in the left lane on the expressway near the Lawrence Avenue exit in front of her, the vehicle was not staying in its left lane. She stated that it moved on and off the roadway and almost struck the median barrier. She then saw the car move into the middle lane, over to the right lane and back to the middle lane without signaling. Near the Harlem Avenue exit defendant’s vehicle passed another car almost hitting it as it did so. When the car exited at Cumberland, she activated her emergency lights and siren. After her backup unit arrived 30 seconds later, she approached defendant’s car to request defendant’s driver’s license.

When defendant opened his window, Officer Brooks was about V-k feet away. She smelled a very strong odor of alcohol on his breath and observed that his eyes were very glassy. His speech was very slurred and she was not able to understand him easily. When she asked him to get out of the car so she could administer a field sobriety test, he refused. He asked her if he was going to be placed under arrest because his lawyer advised him not to step out of the car unless he was under arrest. She then explained to him that she was going to do a field sobriety test to determine if he was going to be arrested. When he refused, she told him he was going to be placed under arrest for drunken driving and to step out of the car. As defendant started to walk toward the police car, he used her car to balance himself. The officer told him to come back to the rear of his car, where she again told him that he was under arrest. She handcuffed him, searched him and placed him inside. She read him the statutory warnings to motorists and asked him if he would submit to a breathalyzer test. He refused all of the tests so she took him to the police station.

In issuing its ruling, the trial court observed that the obvious mistake as to the date that the test was refused in the law enforcement sworn report was a formal defect which was cured by the testimony of the officer. The ticket indicates that the test was refused at 4:22 a.m. on November 27, 1987, when the arrest was made on December 27, 1987. The court further concluded that although the ticket charged defendant with “driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs,” that does not in any way alleviate that the warning must be given to someone driving under the influence of alcohol. Again, the court concluded that the dual charge was a formal defect which was cured by the testimony, which related solely to the consumption of alcohol. The court concluded that at the time the officer ordered defendant out of the car she had reasonable grounds to believe that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol.

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Bluebook (online)
581 N.E.2d 304, 220 Ill. App. 3d 839, 163 Ill. Dec. 353, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-burke-illappct-1991.