Reagan v. State

968 S.W.2d 571, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 2608, 1998 WL 210975
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 30, 1998
Docket06-97-00174-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 968 S.W.2d 571 (Reagan v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reagan v. State, 968 S.W.2d 571, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 2608, 1998 WL 210975 (Tex. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

ROSS, Justice.

Mervin Reagan appeals from his conviction for driving while intoxicated. He was convicted in a jury trial, and the court assessed punishment of ninety days’ confinement, probated for twelve months, and a $750.00 fine. Reagan contends that the trial court erred by admitting evidence, and that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction. The conviction is affirmed.

Reagan was pulled over by a police officer who had seen him drift over a divider onto the shoulder of a highway and change lanes *572 without signalling. The officer testified that Reagan smelled of alcohol and that he was unable to adequately perform various sobriety tests. The officer then arrested Reagan for driving while intoxicated. No breath or blood test was administered.

Reagan first contends that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction. In our review of the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we employ the standards set forth in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 807, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573 (1979), and Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154 (Tex.Crim.App.1991), and look to see whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In our review of the factual sufficiency of the evidence, we view all the evidence and set aside the verdict only if it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust. Jones v. State, 944 S.W.2d 642, 647 (Tex.Crim.App.1996); Clewis v. State, 922 S.W.2d 126, 129 (Tex.Crim.App.1996). Examples of such a wrong and unjust verdict include instances in which the jury’s finding is manifestly unjust, shocks the conscience, or clearly demonstrates bias. Clewis, 922 S.W.2d at 135. If we find factual insufficiency, we vacate the conviction and remand for a new trial. Jones, 944 S.W.2d at 648; Clewis, 922 S.W.2d at 133-135.

In determining the sufficiency of the evidence, this Court must consider all the evidence, whether properly or improperly admitted. Johnson v. State, 871 S.W.2d 183, 186 (Tex.Crim.App.1993); Beltran v. State, 728 S.W.2d 382, 389 (Tex.Crim.App.1987).

Reagan contends that the evidence is insufficient because (1) there is nothing in the record to show what his “normal” mental and physical faculties were; thus, there is no way that the jury could determine whether the evidence showed that he did not have normal use of his faculties; (2) his driving did not reflect any loss of his faculties; (3) the sobriety tests performed at the scene do not necessarily show a loss of his faculties; and (4) the videotape did not show any loss of his faculties.

Reagan has not provided any authority to support his position that the State must prove the “normal” faculties of a defendant before proving that the faculties that were normal for that particular person were impaired by the use of alcohol. As pointed out by the State, this precise argument was presented to the Dallas Court of Appeals in 1988, which dealt with the contention in this manner:

In his second point of error appellant contends the evidence was insufficient because there is no evidence of appellant’s normal use of his faculties and thus no proof that he lost his normal use of them as alleged in the information. We do not construe an allegation that appellant did not have normal use of his mental and physical faculties the same as an allegation that appellant did not have his normal use of his faculties. The former allegation does not require proof of the defendant’s normal abilities. Rather, it means that the faculties which must be tested belong to appellant. If there was evidence that appellant could not use his faculties on the occasion in question, in the manner in which the normal non-intoxieated person would be able to use his faculties, the evidence is sufficient to convict him unless the jury finds that his inability to perform on that occasion is not due to intoxicants (e.g. diabetes; epilepsy).

Massie v. State, 744 S.W.2d 314, 316 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1988, pet. ref'd). The reasoning set forth in that opinion is persuasive, and we agree that this is the proper way of dealing with this contention.

Reagan correctly states that the arresting officer did not describe his driving as being excessively poor. That fact tends to show that he was not intoxicated to the degree that his faculties were impaired, but is not conclusive.

The arresting officer testified that he asked Reagan to perform the heel and toe walk and turn test 1 and the one-leg stand *573 test, 2 and testified that Reagan did not properly complete either test. He further testified that Reagan smelled of alcohol and admitted consuming “a couple of drinks,” had bloodshot, watering, and dilated eyes, and that his speech was slurred. The officer also testified that he administered the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test, 3 and that Reagan failed the test.

The State also listed Reagan’s refusal to submit a breath specimen for analysis and his refusal to perform field sobriety tests on videotape as evidence that supports the conviction. Although such a refusal would not prove guilt, his refusals may have eliminated a potential source of evidence disproving the State’s case. See Perkins v. State, 940 S.W.2d 365 (Tex.App.-Waco 1997, pet. granted) (court held that videotape conclusively demonstrated appellant was not intoxicated).

Under Section 49.04 of the Texas Penal Code, “[a] person commits an offense if the person is intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place.” Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 49.04(a) (Vernon Supp.1998). “Intoxicated” means:

(A) not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body; or
(B) having an alcohol concentration of 0.10 or more.

Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 49.01(2) (Vernon 1994).

Reagan did not submit to any scientific means of determining his level of alleged intoxication.

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Bluebook (online)
968 S.W.2d 571, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 2608, 1998 WL 210975, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reagan-v-state-texapp-1998.