People v. KORZENEWSKI

2012 IL App (4th) 101026, 970 N.E.2d 90, 361 Ill. Dec. 90, 2012 WL 2061440, 2012 Ill. App. LEXIS 454
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 7, 2012
Docket4-10-1026
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 2012 IL App (4th) 101026 (People v. KORZENEWSKI) 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. KORZENEWSKI, 2012 IL App (4th) 101026, 970 N.E.2d 90, 361 Ill. Dec. 90, 2012 WL 2061440, 2012 Ill. App. LEXIS 454 (Ill. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

970 N.E.2d 90 (2012)
361 Ill. Dec. 90

The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Harold D. KORZENEWSKI, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 4-10-1026.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District.

June 7, 2012.

*92 Michael J. Pelletier, State Appellate Defender, Karen Munoz, Deputy Defender, Duane E. Schuster, Asst. Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Springfield, for appellant.

Jack Ahola, Macon County State's Attorney, Decatur (Patrick Delfino, Director, Robert J. Biderman, Dep. Director, Aimee Sipes Johnson, Staff Attorney, State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, of counsel), for the People.

OPINION

Justice McCULLOUGH delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

¶ 1 Following an August 30, 2009, traffic stop, the State charged defendant, Harold D. Korzenewski, with (1) aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (count I) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(2)(C) (West 2008)), (2) driving while license suspended or revoked (count II) (625 ILCS 5/6-303(d-3) (West 2008)), and (3) unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia (count III) (720 ILCS 600/3.5(a) (West 2008)). Defendant tendered an open guilty plea on counts II and III and proceeded to trial on count I.

¶ 2 On the day of the March 2010 trial, defense counsel filed a motion in limine seeking to bar any testimony regarding the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test conducted on defendant at the time of the traffic stop when no other tests were performed. Counsel argued that under People v. McKown, 236 Ill.2d 278, 338 Ill.Dec. 415, 924 N.E.2d 941 (2010) (McKown I), "the undue prejudice of [the HGN] evidence outweighs its probative value." Immediately before voir dire, the trial court conducted a hearing on defendant's motion in limine. Defendant expressed his concern that since the only field sobriety test given was the HGN, when the jurors hear "evidence of the HGN test they will assume that a failure is an absolute failure, meaning they will just assume that defendant was intoxicated at the time the officer pulled him over. And absent any other tests to verify the finding in the HGN, we think that the evidence is unduly prejudicial." After hearing arguments from both parties, the court denied the motion, and the jury trial commenced. At the jury trial, defense counsel made no objection to the arresting officer's testimony about the HGN test or foundation for that testimony. On cross-examination, defense counsel asked several questions on the HGN test. *93 The gist of the officer's testimony was that defendant was speeding, he stopped defendant, and defendant refused the one-legged stand and walk-and-turn tests stating he would fail them. Defendant also refused a Breathalyzer test. The jury found defendant guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.

¶ 3 In April 2010, defense counsel filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, alternatively, for a new trial. Counsel alleged (1) the trial court erred in denying defendant's motion in limine seeking suppression of the HGN test and (2) the evidence was insufficient to prove defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Following a May 2010 hearing where arguments from both parties were heard, the court denied the posttrial motion and proceeded to sentencing. The court sentenced defendant to five years' imprisonment on count I and ordered him to pay $133 in restitution to the Decatur police department. Additionally, the court sentenced defendant to four years' imprisonment on count II to be served concurrently with the five-year sentence on count I and imposed a $750 fine for count III.

¶ 4 In June 2010, defendant filed a notice of appeal and a motion for reduction of sentence. We docketed his appeal and remanded with directions to strike the notice of appeal and proceed on defendant's motion to reconsider sentence. People v. Korzenewski, No. 4-10-0451 (Aug. 11, 2010) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). The trial court struck defendant's pro se notice of appeal as directed, and defendant filed an amended motion to reconsider sentence. In December 2010, the trial court denied defendant's amended motion to reconsider sentence after a hearing.

¶ 5 This appeal followed.

¶ 6 On appeal, defendant asserts (1) he was denied a fair trial when the trial court admitted evidence of the HGN test because the State failed to lay a proper foundation for the officer's testimony regarding the HGN test as the officer who administered the test did not follow the strict protocols required in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Student Manual (Manual), and (2) the court erred in ordering the $133 restitution because the Decatur police department is not a victim eligible for restitution. The State responds (1) defendant forfeited his foundation argument because he failed to preserve the issue for review and, absent forfeiture, no error resulted from the admission of the HGN test; and (2) the restitution was properly ordered. We agree with the State that defendant has forfeited the foundation issue, but agree with defendant that the restitution order was improper.

¶ 7 Generally, "[t]o preserve an issue for appeal, the defendant must have raised the issue in a motion in limine or an objection at trial and also in a posttrial motion." People v. Brown, 319 Ill.App.3d 89, 96, 253 Ill.Dec. 399, 745 N.E.2d 173, 181 (2001). The failure to properly preserve an issue for review results in forfeiture. People v. Sorrels, 389 Ill.App.3d 547, 552, 329 Ill.Dec. 590, 906 N.E.2d 788, 793 (2009). To challenge the foundation for admission of a test, a defendant must make a "timely and specific objection to the foundation requirements." People v. Rigsby, 383 Ill.App.3d 818, 823, 322 Ill. Dec. 227, 890 N.E.2d 1146, 1150 (2008). See also People v. Trefonas, 9 Ill.2d 92, 98, 136 N.E.2d 817, 820 (1956) (regarding timeliness requirement on objections, stating, "A party cannot sit by and permit evidence to be introduced without objection and upon appeal urge an objection which might have been obviated if made at *94 the trial."). "[A]n objection requirement is especially important in cases of an improper foundation because errors in laying a foundation are easily cured." Rigsby, 383 Ill.App.3d at 823, 322 Ill.Dec. 227, 890 N.E.2d at 1150 (citing People v. DeLuna, 334 Ill.App.3d 1, 21, 267 Ill.Dec. 778, 777 N.E.2d 581, 598 (2002)); see also 3 Robert J. Steigmann & Lori A. Nicholson, Illinois Evidence Manual § 20:4, at 144-45 (4th ed. 2006) (citing People v. Bush, 214 Ill.2d 318, 336-37, 292 Ill.Dec. 926, 827 N.E.2d 455, 466 (2005), and People v. Taylor, 357 Ill. App.3d 220, 226, 293 Ill.Dec. 489, 828 N.E.2d 799, 804 (2005)).

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Bluebook (online)
2012 IL App (4th) 101026, 970 N.E.2d 90, 361 Ill. Dec. 90, 2012 WL 2061440, 2012 Ill. App. LEXIS 454, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-korzenewski-illappct-2012.