People v. Kolomis

604 N.E.2d 521, 237 Ill. App. 3d 91, 178 Ill. Dec. 265, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1923
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 25, 1992
DocketNo. 2—91—1442
StatusPublished

This text of 604 N.E.2d 521 (People v. Kolomis) 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. Kolomis, 604 N.E.2d 521, 237 Ill. App. 3d 91, 178 Ill. Dec. 265, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1923 (Ill. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE INGLIS

delivered the opinion of the court:

The State appeals after the trial court dismissed a complaint against defendant, Nicholas Kolomis, for operating a vehicle that exceeded the registration weight limits in violation of section 15—112(f) of the Illinois Vehicle Code (Code) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—112(f)). The issue on appeal is whether a truck driver who operates a vehicle without a valid registration also can be fined for exceeding the registered weight limit. We reverse and remand.

On October 9, 1991, defendant was stopped by a Kildeer police officer while driving westbound on Route 22 at Krueger Road in Kildeer, Illinois. Defendant was ticketed for having no valid registration in violation of section 3—701 of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 3—701), no valid safety test in violation of section 13—111 of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 13—111), and exceeding the registration weight limit in violation of section 15—112(f) of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—112(f)). The State claims that defendant pleaded guilty to the no valid registration and no valid safety test violations, and fines were imposed.

A hearing was held on the exceeding the registered weight limit charge (overweight charge). The parties agreed that the “Truck Overweight Violation” ticket accurately assessed the truck’s gross weight at the time of the traffic stop at 62,800 pounds. It was also stipulated that defendant’s truck had a “V” license the previous year and that defendant was within the appropriate weight range for a “V” registration at the time of the traffic stop. The trial court dismissed the overweight charge, finding that the facts of the case did not constitute a violation of section 15—112(f) of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—112(f)). The State thereafter filed a timely notice of appeal.

The State contends that defendant can be fined for no valid registration and exceeding the registered weight limit. The State claims that section 15—112(f) of the Code states that an overweight fine can be assessed “in addition to any other violation or penalty.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—112(f).) The State also argues that the legislature could not have intended that a driver with no valid registration be fined less than a driver who has an “underweight” registration. The State concludes that every pound of an unregistered truck must be considered overweight.

Defendant contends that his vehicle was not overweight, so the overweight charge was properly dismissed. Defendant claims that the plain meaning of section 15—112(f) of the Code requires a vehicle to be 2,001 pounds or more over the registration limits. Defendant concludes that because the parties agreed that his truck’s weight was within the weight range of “V” registration, the truck was not overweight as defined under section 15—112(f).

“The primary rule of statutory construction is that the court must ascertain and give effect to the intent of the legislature.” (People v. Ullrich (1990), 135 Ill. 2d 477, 483.) Legislative intent is determined by first examining the statutory language. (Hernon v. E.W. Corrigan Construction Co. (1992), 149 Ill. 2d 190, 194.) Statutory terms are to be given their plain and ordinary meaning. (Hernon, 149 Ill. 2d at 194-95.) In construing a statute, the reviewing court must consider the entire statute as well as the evil to be remedied and the objective to be attained. People v. Palmer (1992), 148 Ill. 2d 70, 85.

Section 15—112(f) of the Code states:

“Whenever the gross weight of a vehicle exceeds the registration weight limits established under Article VIII of Chapter 3 of the Code, by 2,001 lbs. or more, the driver or owner, in addition to any other violation or penalty, shall be fined in accordance to the schedule enumerated in Section 15—113 of this Chapter.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—112(f).)

Section 15—113 of the Code, in pertinent part, imposes fines according to the following schedule:

“from 5001 or more pounds overweight
=
the fine shall be computed by assessing $750 for the first 5000 pounds overweight and $75 for each additional increment of 500 pounds overweight or fraction thereof.”

Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 95½, par. 15—113.

We have found no cases in which a defendant was ticketed for both lacking a valid registration in violation of section 3—701 and exceeding the registered weight limit in violation of section 15—112(f). However, a few cases are analogous and are instructive. In People v. White (1990), 206 Ill. App. 3d 15, the defendant was ticketed for violating a permit for excess weight issued pursuant to section 15—301 of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 95½, par. 15—301) and exceeding the statutory gross weight limitations in violation of section 15—111(g) of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 95½ par. 15—111(g)). The defendant argued that a violation of section 15—301 subjects the permittee to only a minimal fine under section 15—301(j) of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 95½, par. 15-301(j)). (White, 206 Ill. App. 3d at 18-19.) The court found that acceptance of this theory would lead to an absurd result. Drivers could obtain a permit to carry excess weight that restricted travel to a certain roadway and then drive on any roadway, knowing that a fine could be imposed based only on the weight in excess of the permitted weight. (White, 206 Ill. App. 3d at 19.) Thus, the court held that a driver can be prosecuted for exceeding the statutory gross weight limitations even when a permit has been obtained to exceed that limitation if the driver does not follow the route restrictions set forth in the permit. White, 206 Ill. App. 3d at 20.

The State cites People v. Kueper (1969), 111 Ill. App. 2d 42, a case in which the defendant also was charged with operating his truck in violation of a permit for excess weight and operating an overweight truck by violating the rear tandem axle limitation imposed by statute. (Kueper, 111 Ill. App. 2d at 43-44.) One issue on review was whether the defendant could be prosecuted for violating statutory weight limitations after pleading guilty and paying a fine for violating a permit for excess weight. The court found that section 230(g) of the Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 95½, par. 230(g)), the section dealing with violation of a permit for excess weight, provided that penalties for violating a permit for excess weight “shall be in addition to any penalties imposed for violation of other sections of this Act.” (Kueper, 111 Ill. App. 2d at 46.) The court held that prosecution for violation of a permit for excess weight did not bar prosecution for violation of the weight limitations. Kueper, 111 Ill. App. 2d at 46.

The holding of Kueper was adopted by this court in People v. Freehill (1970), 129 Ill. App. 2d 234. There, the defendant was also fined for violating a permit for excess weight and for operating an overweight vehicle. (129 Ill. App. 2d at 236.) However, the court also stated:

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Related

People v. Kueper
249 N.E.2d 335 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1969)
People v. Ullrich
553 N.E.2d 356 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Palmer
592 N.E.2d 940 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1992)
Hernon v. E.W. Corrigan Construction Co.
149 Ill. 2d 190 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1992)
People v. Freehill
262 N.E.2d 604 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1970)
People v. White
563 N.E.2d 1023 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
604 N.E.2d 521, 237 Ill. App. 3d 91, 178 Ill. Dec. 265, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-kolomis-illappct-1992.