Priego, Marisol

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 12, 2015·No. PD-0269-15·Published

Opinion

PD-0269-15

PD- -15

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS

MARISOL PRIEGO, Appellant VS.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

*******************

APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW *******************

FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF TEXAS AT TEXARKANA

No. 06-14-0008-CR

2015 Tex.App. LEXIS 1464

*******************

ON APPEAL FROM THE 124TH DISTRICT COURT GREGG COUNTY TRIAL COURT NO. 41,399-B ********************

EBB B. MOBLEY

State Bar #14238000

Attorney at Law

March 12, 2015 422 North Center P.O. Box 2309

Longview, Texas 75606

Telephone (903) 757-3331

Facsimile (903) 753-8289

ebbmob@aol.com

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Index of Authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Statement of the Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Statement of the Procedural History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Statement Requesting Oral Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Opinion Below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Questions for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Is a driver who is passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle “operating” it for the purpose of DWI?

Is it necessary for the State to establish a temporal link between a defendant’s driving and his intoxication?

Reasons for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

TRAP 66.3(a): conflict with the court of appeals decision in Murray v.

State, 440 S.W.3d 927 (Tex.App. - Amarillo, 2014, pet. granted PD 1230-14)

TRAP 66.3(c): conflict with a court of criminal appeals decision in Kucembia v. State, 310 S.W.3d 460 (TexCrim.App. 2010)

Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7 Prayer for Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Certificate of Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Certificate of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Appendix: Sixth Court of Appeals Opinion No. 06-14-0008-CR, slip op. 2-13-15, 2015 Tex.App. LEXIS 1464

Page 1 of 8

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

Cases

Johnson v. State, 517 S.W.2d 536, 538 (Tex.Crim.App. 1975) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Kucembia v. State, 310 S.W.3d 460 (Tex.Crim.App. 2010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,7

Murray v. State, 440 S.W.3d 927 (Tex.App. - Amarillo, 2014, pet granted PD 1230-14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,6

Scillitani v. State, 297 S.W.3d 498, 503-05 (Tex.App. - Houston [14th Dist.]

2009) (Hudson, J., concurring) vacated and remanded, 315 S.W.3d 542 (Tex.Crim.App. 2010); Scillitani v. State, 343 S.W.3d 914, 919-20 (Tex.App. - Houston [14th Dist.] 2011, pet. ref’d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..7

State v. Blackman, 254 Neb. 941, 580 N.W.2d 546, 550-51 (Neb. 1998) . . . . . . . . . .7

Rules TRAP 66.3(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 TRAP 66.3© . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Page 2 of 8

MARISOL PRIEGO, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS:

Now comes MARISOL PRIEGO, Appellant, and respectfully urges this Court to grant discretionary review in this case.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

This is an appeal from a conviction for felony DWI. The jury found MARISOL PRIEGO guilty, and assessed her punishment at ten years imprisonment.

STATEMENT OF THE PROCEDURAL HISTORY OF THE CASE The Court of Appeals rendered its decision and delivered its written published opinion on February 13, 2015. No Motion for Rehearing was filed.

STATEMENT REQUESTING ORAL ARGUMENT Oral argument of this case is requested on behalf of Appellant.

Page 3 of 8

THE OPINION BELOW

The Court of Appeals opinion below is found in the Appendix to this petition, as well as at 2015 Tex.App. LEXIS 1464.

Marisol Priego was found unconscious in the driver’s seat in a vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a business in Kilgore. The vehicle was running, in gear, and Priego had her seat belt buckled. No witness saw Priego drive the vehicle. Priego testified that she bought two bottles of Canadian Mist, drove to the parking lot, chugged one bottle and part of a second, and passed out. A subsequent test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.478.

The court of appeals held that because the defendant was the only person in control of the motor vehicle where she was found unconscious, there is no other evidence in the record which tends to suggest that anyone other than her operated the vehicle, and the vehicle was not in a location where it had been located one hour prior to her discovery, legally sufficient evidence supports the connection.

Page 4 of 8

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

Is a driver who is passed out behind the wheel of a running motor vehicle “operating” it for the purpose of DWI?

Is it necessary for the State to establish a temporal link between a defendant’s driving and his intoxication?

REASONS FOR REVIEW

TRAP 66.3(a): conflict with the court of appeals decision in Murray v.

State,440 S.W.3d 927 (Tex.App. - Amarillo, 2014, pet granted PD 1230-14).

TRAP 66.3(c): conflict with the court of criminal appeals decision in Kucembia v. State, 310 S.W.3d 460 (Tex.Crim.App. 2010).

Page 5 of 8

ARGUMENT

This case poses the classic questions when a motorist is found “sleeping it off”

in a parked vehicle. When did the defendant become intoxicated, and when did she “operate” the vehicle to get to the location where law enforcement found it and the defendant?

DEFINITION OF “OPERATING”

The facts at bar are factually nearly identical to those in Murray v. State, 440 S.W.3d 927 (Tex.App. - Amarillo 2014, pet granted). Murray was found unconscious and intoxicated behind the wheel of his running vehicle. The State argued that a running vehicle always supports the rational inference that it had been started, and starting it enables its use. The court of appeals rejected that argument and required “more indicia” allowing a fact finder to reasonably infer that the accused took action to affect the functioning of his vehicle in a manner that would enable the vehicle’s use or that the defendant exerted personal effort upon his vehicle for its intended purpose, Murray slip op. at p. 4.

Any definition of operating should consider that the essence of DWI is “operating” while intoxicated as defined by statute. Sleeping while intoxicated is not an offense, nor is driving while drinking. “Operating” and “intoxicated” must coincide in time. To allow inference of “operating” is simply to wink at the lack of evidence, direct or circumstantial of what the State is called upon to prove.

Page 6 of 8

TEMPORAL LINK ANALYSIS

Kucembia v. State, 310 S.W.3d 460 (Tex.Crim.App. 2010) discussed at length the need for the State to establish a temporal link between a defendant’s driving and his intoxication. This “temporal link” element was not discussed in the case at bar, and indeed the validity of the temporal link requirement seems to be in question in Texas jurisprudence.

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