People v. Nakamura

Superior Court of Guam·Decided March 28, 2013·No. CM0868-11·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE SUI>ERIOR COURT OF GUAM 2

3 THE PEOPLE OF GUAM, )

) CRIMINAL CASE NO. CM0868-ll 4 VS. )

5 ) DECISION AND ORDER JONES NAKAMURA, )

6 )

Defendant. )

7

8 INTRODUCTION

9 This matter came before the Honorable James L. Canto II on the Defendant's second lO motion to reconsider, filed December 11, 2012. Oral arguments were heard on January 7, 2013.

11 Assistant Attorney General Gabrielle L. Rossi, Esq. appeared on behalf of the Government and 12 Assistant Public Defender Suresh Sampath, Esq. represented the Defendant. Having considered 13 the parties' briefs, oral arguments, and the applicable law, the Court now issues the following 14 Decision and Order.

15 BACKGROUND

16 Defendant is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving 17 based upon the following events. On August 13, 2011 at 9:55p.m., Guam Police Officer ArtS.

18 Calvo observed Defendant's vehicle on the side of the road in what appeared to be a single-car 19 collision with the curb. (Testimony of ArtS. Calvo, Record Log at 3:20, Jan. 7, 2012.) Officer 20 Calvo broadcasted a call on his police radio for backup and stopped his car at the scene in order 21 to direct traffic around the accident. !d. At 9:58 p.m., Officer Calvo approached Defendant 22 who was standing next to the accident. !d. Officer Calvo could smell alcohol on Defendant's 23 breath and Defendant affirmed that he had been drinking beer. !d.

24 After Officer Calvo spoke with Defendant, Guam Police Officer Ramon Q. Sablan 25 arrived at the scene and observed Defendant had bloodshot, watery eyes and smelled of alcohol.

26 (Testimony of Ramon Q. Sablan, Record Log at 3:15, Jan. 7, 2012.) Officer Calvo asked 27 Defendant if he were willing to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, and Defendant 28 replied "yes". (Testimony of Art S. Calvo, Record Log at 3:20, Jan. 7, 2012.) Defendant alleges he was told to take the field tests and that he would have refused to participate if given

1

2 the choice. (Declaration of Jones Nakamura, Mar. 13, 2012.) Defendant allegedly failed the 3 standardized field sobriety tests and was arrested at 10: I 5 p.m. (Testimony of Art S. Calvo, 4 Record Log at 3:20, Jan. 7, 2012.) 5 On March 13, 2012, Defendant moved to suppress all evidence obtained from the 6 investigative detention because it lasted longer than fifteen (15) minutes in violation of 8 GCA 7 § 30.30. Defendant asserted that his initial detention was an unreasonable seizure and that all 8 evidence obtained during or as a result of the seizure must be suppressed. The Court denied 9 suppression on the grounds that probable cause to arrest appeared before fifteen minutes of 10 detention elapsed. (Decision and Order, Jun. 13, 2012.) On July 2, 2012, Defendant filed a 11 motion to reconsider because disputed facts were considered as undisputed. On reconsideration, 12 the Court denied suppression because the disputed facts did not change its probable cause l3 analysis. (Decision and Order, Oct. 2, 2012.) The matter was thereafter reassigned to Judge 14 James L. Canto II. 15 On December 11, 2012, Defendant filed a second motion to reconsider on the basis that 16 material facts remain in dispute. The Government agreed that an evidentiary hearing is 17 necessary pursuant to People v. Santos, 1999 Guam 1 ~~ 16-25 and further argued that the 18 Court's prior probable cause analysis must be applied pursuant to the law of the case doctrine. 19 DISCUSSION

20 1. Reconsideration and the Law of the Case

21 The law of the case doctrine generally precludes a court from reconsidering an issue it 22 has already decided unless: 1) the first decision is clearly erroneous; 2) the law, evidence or 23 other circumstances have changed; or 3) manifest injustice would result. People v. Hualde, 24 1999 Guam 3 ~ 13. However, the trial court, "always has the power to reexamine, modify, 25 vacate, correct and reverse its prior rulings and orders," and the, "[l]aw of the case does not ... 26

27 1 Defendant swore to the truth of this written declaration under penalty of perjury at the Jan. 7, 2013 suppressio 28 hearing and the Court shall consider this affidavit as testimony per 6 GCA §§ 4308, 7301 & 7302. See People o preclude the court from reconsidering an earlier ruling if the court feels that the ruling was 2 probably erroneous and more harm would be done by adhering to the earlier rule than from the 3 delay incident to a reconsideration and the possible change in the rule of law to be applied." 4 People v. Gutierrez, 2005 Guam ~ 40 n. 7 (quoting Chun v. Board of Trustees of Employees' 5 Retirement System of State of Hawaii, 992 P.2d 127, 136 (Hawai'i 2000)). Furthermore, "[a] 6 judge may reexamine his earlier ruling (or the ruling of a judge previously assigned to the case 7 ... ) if he has a conviction at once strong and reasonable that the earlier ruling was wrong, and if 8 rescinding it would not cause undue harm to the party that had benefitted from it." Id. (quoting 9 Avitia v. Metro. Club ofChicago, Inc., 49 F.3d 1219, 1227 (7th Cir. 1995)). 10 In this case, the Government asserts that the Court cannot reexamine the suppression II analysis of the previously assigned judge. The Court does not agree. The law of the case 12 doctrine should not be applied here where new testimony is considered for the first time. Based 13 upon the discussion infra, the Court holds a strong and reasonable conviction that the earlier 14 analysis was incorrect. Furthermore, a reexamination of the suppression decision and a 15 rescinded order shall not cause undue harm before trial. Cf Avitia, 49 F.3d at 1227-1228 16 (prejudice may result without notice of jury instruction). For these reasons, the Court shall 17 grant reconsideration and reexamine the issues presented by Defendant's motion to suppress 18 under 8 GCA § 30.30. 19 2. The Stop and Frisk Statutes 20 The Fourth Amendment permits brief investigative detentions that are based upon a 21 reasonable suspicion of illegal conduct. People v. Johnson, 1997 Guam 9 ~ 4 (citing Terry v. 22 Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868 (1968)). This principle is codified in the "Stop and Frisk" 23 statutes at 8 GCA Chapter 30. See People v. Cundiff, 2006 Guam 12 ~ 40. 24 \\ 25

26

27

28 Guam v. Santos, 1999 Guam I ~ 21.

Title 8 GCA § 30.10 states:

2 Whenever a peace officer encounters any person under circumstances which reasonably indicate that such person has committed, is committing or is about to 3 commit a criminal offense, the peace officer may detain such person.

4 Title 8 GCA § 30.20 states:

5 Detention pursuant to § 30.10 shall be for the purpose of ascertaining the 6 identity of the person detained and the circumstances surrounding his presence abroad which lead the officer to believe that he had committed, was committing, 7 or was about to commit a criminal offense, but such person shall not be 8 compelled to answer any inquiry of the peace officer.

9 Title 8 GCA § 30.30 states: 10 No person shall be detained under the provisions of § 30.10 longer than is reasonably necessary to effect the purposes of that section, and in no event ll longer than fifteen (15) minutes. Such detention shall not extend beyond the 12 place where it was first effected or the immediate vicinity thereof.

13 Title 8 GCA § 30.40 states: 14 If at any time after the onset of the detention authorized by § 30.1 0, probable cause for arrest of the person shall appear, the person shall be arrested. If after 15 an inquiry into the circumstances which prompted the detention, no probable 16 cause for the arrest of the person shall appear, he shall be released.

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

People v. Nakamura, (superctguam 2013).

People v. Nakamura (People v. Nakamura) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Wong Sun v. United States
371 U.S. 471 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Beck v. Ohio
379 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 1964)
Terry v. Ohio
392 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Sibron v. New York
392 U.S. 40 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Johnson v. Louisiana
406 U.S. 356 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Brown v. Illinois
422 U.S. 590 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Dunaway v. New York
442 U.S. 200 (Supreme Court, 1979)
United States v. Mendenhall
446 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Florida v. Royer
460 U.S. 491 (Supreme Court, 1983)
United States v. Place
462 U.S. 696 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Nix v. Williams
467 U.S. 431 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Berkemer v. McCarty
468 U.S. 420 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Segura v. United States
468 U.S. 796 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Oregon v. Elstad
470 U.S. 298 (Supreme Court, 1985)
United States v. Sharpe
470 U.S. 675 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Virginia v. Moore
553 U.S. 164 (Supreme Court, 2008)
Chun v. Bd. of Trustees of ERS
992 P.2d 127 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2000)
People v. Maddox
294 P.2d 6 (California Supreme Court, 1956)