People v. Maldonado

897 N.E.2d 854
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 28, 2008
Docket2-07-0015, 2-07-0016, 2-07-0017, 2-07-0058
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 897 N.E.2d 854 (People v. Maldonado) 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. Maldonado, 897 N.E.2d 854 (Ill. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

897 N.E.2d 854 (2008)

The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Antonio MALDONADO, Defendant-Appellant.
The People of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Jose Vasquez, Defendant-Appellant.
The People of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Victorino P. Mongue, Defendant-Appellant.
The People of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Marcelino Romero-Flores, Defendant-Appellant.

Nos. 2-07-0015, 2-07-0016, 2-07-0017, 2-07-0058.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District.

October 28, 2008.

*857 Thomas A. Lilien, Deputy Defender, Jaime L. Montgomery, Office of State Appellate Defender, Elgin, IL, for Appellant.

James P. Hursh, Boone County State's Attorney, Belvidere, Lawrence M. Bauer, Deputy Director State's Attorney Appellate Prosecutor, Elgin, Catherine A. Voigt, Attorney At Law, Glen Ellyn, IL, for Appellee.

Justice SCHOSTOK delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendants, Antonio Maldonado, Jose Vasquez, Victorino Mongue, and Marcelino Romero-Flores, were convicted of aggravated driving under the influence (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)) for driving while intoxicated and while not licensed to drive by this state. The defendants were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay certain fines. On appeal, the defendants argue that section 11-501(d)(1)(G) of the Illinois Vehicle Code (the Vehicle Code) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)) was not in effect at the time of their offenses. Accordingly, they request that their convictions be reduced to DUI and that their cases be remanded for new sentencing hearings. Alternatively, the defendants argue that they are entitled to monetary credit against their fines for time spent in custody prior to sentencing. We affirm and remand with directions.

On March 17, 2006, Maldonado was charged by indictment with two counts of aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)). On April 16, 2006, Mongue and Vasquez were charged in separate, unrelated indictments with two counts of aggravated DUI as defined in section 11-501(d)(1)(G), and two counts of aggravated DUI as defined in section 11-501(d)(1)(H) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G), (d)(1)(H) (West 2006)). On November 3, 2006, Romero-Flores was indicted on two counts of aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)).

All four defendants were represented by the same trial counsel. Each defendant filed a pretrial motion to declare section 11-501(d)(1)(G) of the Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)) unconstitutional. All of the motions were denied. Each of the defendants' cases eventually proceeded to a stipulated bench trial. In each case, the parties stipulated to the foundation and admissibility of the evidence, but did not stipulate whether the evidence was sufficient to convict. The evidence included police reports and Breathalyzer test results as to each defendant. As to Maldonado, Vasquez, and Mongue, the stipulated evidence also included driver's abstracts showing that they did not possess driver's licenses. Finally, in each case, the State proceeded on only one count of aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)) and dismissed the additional counts.

The police reports indicated as follows. On February 25, 2006, the police stopped the car Maldonado was driving, because a registration check showed the registered owner to have a suspended driver's license. Maldonado was not the owner of the car. Maldonado admitted that he had been drinking, he failed multiple field sobriety tests, and a Breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to be 0.238. On March 7, 2006, the police pulled Mongue over after observing him commit several traffic violations. Mongue admitted that he had been drinking, and a Breathalyzer test showed his BAC to be 0.125. On March 26, 2006, Vasquez was pulled over after a police officer saw Vasquez's *858 car straddling the double yellow lines in the center of the road. Vasquez admitted that he had been drinking, and a Breathalyzer test revealed his BAC to be 0.239. On August 19, 2006, Romero-Flores was pulled over for improper lane usage. The officer determined that Romero-Flores did not have a driver's license and that he was too intoxicated to perform field sobriety tests. Romero-Flores agreed to submit to a Breathalyzer test, which showed his BAC to be 0.184. None of the defendants were licensed to drive.

After reviewing the stipulations, police reports, and Breathalyzer test results, the trial court found each of the defendants guilty of aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(G) (West 2006)). The trial court sentenced Maldonado, Vasquez, and Mongue to 18 months' conditional discharge with stayed jail time and imposed fines of $400 along with various other fines, costs, and fees. The trial court sentenced Romero-Flores to 12 months' probation with stayed jail time and imposed a $600 fine, as well as other fines, costs, and fees. Each of the defendants filed a timely notice of appeal. On March 20, 2008, the defendants filed a motion to consolidate their appeals. On March 31, 2008, this court granted that motion.

The defendants' first contention on appeal is that they were charged and convicted under a subsection of section 11-501 of the Vehicle Code that never took effect. The defendants acknowledge that Public Act 94-329, passed May 18, 2005, and effective January 1, 2006, amended section 11-501(d)(1), in part, by adding an additional subsection, (d)(1)(G), which elevated the offense of DUI, a Class A misdemeanor, to aggravated DUI, a Class 4 felony, where the violation was committed while the driver did not possess a driver's license. The defendants argue, however, that Public Act 94-609, passed May 20, 2005, and effective January 1, 2006, deleted section (d)(1)(G) added by Public Act 94-329, so that the defendants' offenses were once again classified as DUI, a Class A misdemeanor. The defendants argue that Public Act 94-609 controlled at the time of the offenses of Mongue, Maldonado, and Vasquez. The defendants further argue that Public Act 94-963, passed April 25, 2006, and effective June 28, 2006, also did not include the language added by Public Act 94-329 and that this act controlled at the time of Romero-Flores's offense. Finally, the defendants argue that all the amendments to the Vehicle Code made by the 94th General Assembly, contained in Public Acts 94-110, 94-113, 94-114, 94-116, 94-329, 94-609, and 94-963, irreconcilably conflict, rendering impossible a cohesive reading of all seven acts.

At the outset we note that the defendants are asserting their claim, that section 11-501(d)(1)(G) of the Vehicle Code did not exist at the time of their offenses, for the first time on appeal. Generally, claims raised for the first time on appeal are deemed to be forfeited. People v. Williams, 267 Ill.App.3d 82, 91, 203 Ill.Dec. 831, 640 N.E.2d 981 (1994); see also People v. Hauschild, 226 Ill.2d 63, 73 n. 1, 312 Ill.Dec.

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Related

People v. Hill
2012 IL App (5th) 100536 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2012)
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932 N.E.2d 1038 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2010)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
897 N.E.2d 854, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-maldonado-illappct-2008.