People v. ex rel. Hartrich v. 2010 Harley-Davidson

2016 IL App (5th) 150035, 64 N.E.3d 716
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 22, 2016
Docket5-15-0035
StatusUnpublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2016 IL App (5th) 150035 (People v. ex rel. Hartrich v. 2010 Harley-Davidson) 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. ex rel. Hartrich v. 2010 Harley-Davidson, 2016 IL App (5th) 150035, 64 N.E.3d 716 (Ill. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

NOTICE 2016 IL App (5th) 150035 Decision filed 09/22/16. The text of this decision may be NO. 5-15-0035 changed or corrected prior to the filing of a Peti ion for Rehearing or the disposition of IN THE the same.

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

FIFTH DISTRICT ________________________________________________________________________

THE PEOPLE ex rel. MATTHEW HARTRICH, ) Appeal from the State's Attorney of Crawford County, Illinois, ) Circuit Court of ) Crawford County. Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) v. ) No. 14-MR-20 ) 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON, ) ) Defendant ) Honorable ) Christopher L. Weber, (Petra Henderson, Claimant-Appellant). ) Judge, presiding. ________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE CHAPMAN delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Stewart and Cates concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 This appeal involves the application of the excessive fines clause of the eighth

amendment in the context of our State's civil forfeiture provisions. The claimant, Petra

Henderson, is the owner of a motorcycle valued at $35,000. Her husband, Mark

Henderson, was arrested while driving the motorcycle and charged with aggravated

driving while intoxicated and driving while his license was revoked. At the time of

Mark's arrest, Petra was a passenger on the motorcycle. She appeals an order of the trial

court finding the motorcycle subject to forfeiture. At issue is (1) whether the court

1 correctly determined that Petra consented to Mark's use of the motorcycle and (2)

whether the forfeiture violated the excessive fines clause. We conclude that the evidence

supports the court's finding that Mark used the motorcycle with Petra's consent.

However, we find that the forfeiture violated the excessive fines clause, and we reverse

on that basis.

¶2 Petra Henderson is the sole owner of a 2010 Harley-Davidson trike motorcycle.

Her husband, Mark, does not have an ownership interest in the motorcycle. On the

evening of April 25, 2014, Mark suggested to Petra that they go for a ride on the

motorcycle. At the time, Mark's driver's license had been revoked due to a previous

conviction for driving under the influence (DUI). Petra drove the motorcycle from the

couple's home in Robinson, Illinois, to a tavern in Oblong, Illinois. She then drove to

taverns in Lawrenceville and Palestine. Eventually, Petra drove to the Corner Place,

which is located approximately 12 blocks from the Hendersons' home in Robinson. Petra

did not drink any alcohol throughout the evening. Mark, however, had a lot to drink and

was intoxicated by the time he and Petra left the Corner Place shortly after midnight.

¶3 Mark insisted on driving home from the Corner Place. According to both Mark

and Petra, he jumped onto the motorcycle and told Petra that she could either ride home

with him or walk home. She rode home with him. During the short drive home,

Robinson police officer Dan Strauch activated his lights and siren to pull them over.

Instead of stopping, Mark drove home and parked in the Hendersons' driveway. A breath

test indicated that Mark's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.161. Officer Strauch

placed Mark under arrest.

2 ¶4 Mark was charged with aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d) (West 2014)) and

driving while his license was suspended or revoked (625 ILCS 5/6-303 (West 2014)). He

subsequently pled guilty to the charge of aggravated DUI, and the State dismissed the

charge of driving while license revoked.

¶5 The State subsequently filed a request for preliminary review to determine

probable cause for forfeiture, a verified complaint for forfeiture, and an amended verified

complaint for forfeiture. The State alleged that the motorcycle was used with the

knowledge and consent of the owner in the offense of driving while license suspended or

revoked and that it was subject to forfeiture because the revocation was due to a prior

DUI conviction (625 ILCS 5/6-303(g) (West 2014)). In addition, the State alleged that

the motorcycle was used with the knowledge and consent of the owner in the offense of

aggravated DUI during a time in which the driver's license was revoked due to a prior

DUI conviction (720 ILCS 5/36-1(a)(6)(A)(i) (West 2014)).

¶6 The matter came for a hearing on December 3, 2014. Officer Dan Strauch

testified that he was on patrol in Robinson during the early morning hours of April 26,

2014. At approximately 12:30 a.m., he heard a motorcycle revving its engine in the

parking lot of the Corner Place Tavern. He described the sound of the motorcycle as a

"racing sound." He turned around and saw a black 2010 Harley-Davidson trike making a

"very wide" right turn onto Cherry Street. Officer Strauch testified that the motorcycle

then swerved, nearly hitting a telephone pole. At this point, he followed the motorcycle

and activated his lights to initiate a stop. However, the motorcycle did not stop, so

Officer Strauch also activated his siren. He testified that the motorcycle continued

3 driving, weaving back and forth, for approximately 12 blocks. It then turned left, drove

one more block, and pulled into a driveway.

¶7 Officer Strauch testified that Mark Henderson was driving the motorcycle and his

wife, Petra, was a passenger. The officer further testified that Mark "had a strong odor of

alcohol," poor balance, and slurred speech. Officer Strauch arrested Mark for DUI and

then spoke with Petra. Petra indicated that she was aware both that Mark was intoxicated

and that his license had been revoked. She also told Officer Strauch that she told Mark to

stop but he did not do so. Officer Strauch acknowledged that Petra did not specifically

tell him that she gave Mark permission to drive the motorcycle.

¶8 After Officer Strauch testified, the State rested, and Petra moved for a directed

verdict. She pointed to the officer's testimony that Petra told him "that she asked [Mark]

to stop, [and] that he didn't do so." She argued that this testimony demonstrated that she

did not consent to Mark's use of the motorcycle. The State argued in response that the

testimony should be construed to mean that Petra told Mark to stop "in response to the

police officer attempting to stop the vehicle." The court denied the motion.

¶9 Mark testified next. He first described the events leading up to his arrest. He

testified that he called Petra at work to ask if she wanted to go for a ride on the

motorcycle. Petra came home from work later than Mark, so Mark took the motorcycle

out of the garage before she arrived home. He then put the key fob used to start the

motorcycle in his pocket. He explained that the motorcycle did not require the use of a

key to start; rather, it could be started if the key fob was within 8 to 10 feet of the

motorcycle. Mark testified that he kept the fob in his pocket the entire evening. When

4 asked why, he explained, "You just don't think about it. You put it in your pocket and

go."

¶ 10 Mark was asked to describe the configuration of the seats on the motorcycle. He

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

Related

People v. One 2014 GMC Sierra
2018 IL App (3d) 170029 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2018)
People ex rel. Hartrich v. 2010 Harley-Davidson
2018 IL 121636 (Illinois Supreme Court, 2018)
Commonwealth, Aplt. v. 1997 Chevrolet, etc.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2017
Commonwealth v. 1997 Chevrolet & Contents Seized From Young
160 A.3d 153 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2017)
People v. ex rel. Hartrich v. 2010 Harley-Davidson
2016 IL App (5th) 150035 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2016 IL App (5th) 150035, 64 N.E.3d 716, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ex-rel-hartrich-v-2010-harley-davidson-illappct-2016.