People v. Valdez

411 P.3d 94
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 25, 2014
DocketCourt of Appeals No. 11CA1659
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 411 P.3d 94 (People v. Valdez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Valdez, 411 P.3d 94 (Colo. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinions

Opinion by JUDGE TAUBMAN

¶ 1 Defendant, Arthur Ray Valdez, appeals his judgment of conviction following a jury verdict finding him guilty of aggravated driving after revocation prohibited (ADARP) and driving under the influence (DUI). He also appeals the sentences imposed for the offenses. We affirm.

I. Background

¶ 2 In March 2010, a witness driving in Pueblo observed a vehicle parked along the curb at an intersection. Concerned, he stopped and discovered Valdez passed out and unresponsive in the driver's seat. He contacted law enforcement officials.

¶ 3 When law enforcement officials arrived, they observed Valdez in a stupor with a twenty-four-ounce can of beer between his legs, and his feet near the gas and brake pedals. They also found his keys in the ignition. When they arrested Valdez, he slurred his speech and drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point, he attempted to start the vehicle, but the officers restrained him. They eventually removed him from the vehicle. At the time of the arrest, Valdez's driver's license had been revoked because he was a habitual traffic offender.

¶ 4 The prosecution charged Valdez with ADARP and DUI. The jury convicted him as charged, and the trial court sentenced him to three years of probation for ADARP and two years of probation plus sixty days in jail for DUI.

II. Sufficiency of the Evidence

¶ 5 Valdez contends that the trial court erred in denying his motions for judgment of acquittal on the charges of ADARP and DUI because the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he "operated" or "drove" an "operable" motor vehicle. We disagree.

A. Standard of Review

¶ 6 We review the denial of a motion for a judgment of acquittal de novo. People v. Reed, 2013 COA 113, ¶ 49, 338 P.3d 364. In doing so, we review the record to "determine whether the evidence before the jury was sufficient both in quantity and quality to sustain the defendant's conviction." Clark v. People, 232 P.3d 1287, 1291 (Colo. 2010).

B. Analysis

¶ 7 To determine if the evidence presented to the jury is sufficient to sustain a defendant's conviction, we apply a substantial evidence test. Id . This test considers "whether the relevant evidence, both direct and circumstantial, when viewed as a whole and in the light most favorable to the prosecution, is substantial and sufficient to support a conclusion by a reasonable mind that the defendant is guilty of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt." Id . (quoting People v. Bennett, 183 Colo. 125, 130, 515 P.2d 466, 469 (1973) ). More specifically, we have to determine "whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt." Id .

*98¶ 8 In applying the test, we must give the prosecution the benefit of every reasonable inference which may be fairly drawn from the evidence. Id . at 1292. The weight and credibility of the evidence are deferred to the jury's judgment. People v. McGlotten, 166 P.3d 182, 188 (Colo. App. 2007).

¶ 9 Here, Valdez contends the prosecution did not prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the requisite elements for his ADARP and DUI convictions. He argues that the prosecution did not provide evidence that he had driven the vehicle. He also asserts that his witnesses testified that the vehicle's battery was dead and that the vehicle had to be pushed or towed. Last, he maintains that the vehicle was inoperable even though he reached for the ignition because the engine would not actually start. We are not persuaded by these arguments.

¶ 10 An ADARP conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant "operated" a vehicle. See § 42-2-206(1)(b)(I), C.R.S. 2014. The term "operate" means "the action of causing something 'to occur ... [or] to cause to function usually by direct personal effort.' " People v. Stewart, 55 P.3d 107, 115 (Colo. 2002) (quoting People v. Gregor, 26 P.3d 530, 532 (Colo. App. 2000) ).

¶ 11 A DUI conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant drove a vehicle. See § 42-4-1301(1)(a), C.R.S. 2014. The term "drive" means to exercise "actual physical control" over a motor vehicle. Stewart, 55 P.3d at 115 (quoting People v. Swain, 959 P.2d 426, 431 (Colo. 1998) ).

¶ 12 However, neither term requires either actual physical movement of a vehicle or that the vehicle travel any particular distance. See Smith v. Charnes, 728 P.2d 1287, 1292 (Colo. 1986) (holding the defendant exercised actual physical control of the vehicle when he was intoxicated and found asleep or unconscious behind the wheel of a stopped vehicle, with the engine running and the lights on); People v. VanMatre, 190 P.3d 770, 774 (Colo. App. 2008) (holding the defendant operated a vehicle even though the vehicle could not move because it lacked fuel and the battery was dead).

¶ 13 Here, the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Valdez had driven and operated the vehicle for purposes of his DUI and ADARP convictions, respectively. First, there was sufficient evidence to prove that Valdez drove the vehicle to the intersection. As noted, the police found him passed out in the driver's seat of the vehicle; his feet were by the gas and brake pedals; the keys were in the ignition; and the lights were on. Further, when law enforcement officials awakened him, he attempted to start the vehicle.

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Bluebook (online)
411 P.3d 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-valdez-coloctapp-2014.