Royer v. State

542 So. 2d 1301, 1988 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 433
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedApril 26, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 542 So. 2d 1301 (Royer v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Royer v. State, 542 So. 2d 1301, 1988 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 433 (Ala. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

542 So.2d 1301 (1988)

Thomas ROYER, Jr.
v.
STATE.

8 Div. 766.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

April 26, 1988.
Rehearing Denied February 24, 1989.
Certiorari Denied April 28, 1989

*1302 Randall O. Gladden, Huntsville, for appellant.

Don Siegelman, Atty. Gen., and Jane LeCroy Brannan, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

Alabama Supreme Court 88-646.

McMILLAN, Judge.

The appellant, Thomas Royer, Jr., was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol in Madison County District Court; he thereafter appealed to the Circuit Court of Madison County. He was charged with the violation of § 32-5A-191(a)(1) and (2). He was found guilty and sentenced to one year's imprisonment, suspended for two years and was fined $1,000 and costs. The trial court conditioned the suspended sentence on the priviso that the appellant serve 60 days on the Madison County Work Release Program and pay the fine and costs.

The prosecutor and defense counsel entered a stipulation as to the facts as follows:

"[O]n July 6, 1986, the Defendant was observed driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle here in Madison County. He was stopped by Trooper Jimmy Smith. Trooper Smith would testify that he has seen intoxicated persons on several occasions and that in his opinion the Defendant was intoxicated. The Defendant was given a test with an Intoxilizer 5000 by Trooper Jimmy Smith. Trooper Smith is certified by the State Board of Health to perform such a test. The Intoxilizer 5000 has been approved both by the State Board of Health and the Alabama State Troopers as a proper test to measure a person's blood alcohol content. The Defendant was under the observation of Trooper Jimmy Smith for 20 minutes prior to the test and the Defendant had had nothing to eat or drink during that period of time. The Trooper followed the procedure set forth by the State Board of Health, and the results of that test were .26, which is over the legal limit."

I

The defendant argues that he was illegally convicted because, he says, he "was charged with two provable parts of a criminal statute, i.e. Sections 32-5A-191(a)(1) and 32-5A-191(a)(2), Code of Alabama (1975)." The appellant argues that the complaint did not adequately confer subject matter jurisdiction or personal jurisdiction over him upon the municipal court. The Alabama Uniform Traffic Ticket and Complaint issued against the appellant indicates that the officer checked the box designating, as a description of the offense, driving under the influence of alcohol rather than controlled substances. He further marked in "test type" "2" and filled in a blank to indicate a blood alcohol content level of .26 percent. Further, the ticket shows that the appellant was charged with a violation of "§ 32-5A-191 2-A-1-A" of the State Code. See Collier v. State, 544 So.2d 981 (Ala.Cr.App.1987) ("There is no subsection `(A)(1)(2)' to § 32-5A-191" as was charged; however, the defendant was properly charged with a violation of subsection (a)(2) of § 32-5A-191). Although the appellant contends that the charge under the U.T.T.C. was duplicitous, there is no showing in the record that this issue was raised until the appellant filed a motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, motion for acquittal in circuit court. The appellant's brief on appeal contains a copy of another such motion filed in district court alleging that the U.T.T.C. was fatally defective for failing to apprise the appellant of the charges against him. However, exhibits attached *1303 to briefs are not part of the record and cannot be considered by this court. Martin v. State, 449 So.2d 801 (Ala.Cr.App. 1984). See also Anderson v. State, 455 So.2d 957 (Ala.Cr.App.1984); Dean v. City of Dothan, 516 So.2d 854 (Ala.Cr.App. 1987).

"A warrant does not require the same particularity which is demanded in indictments. Brazleton v. State, 66 Ala. 96, 98 (1880). Even `[a]n indictment need not set out the statute a defendant is charged under.' Canada v. State, 421 So.2d 140, 144 (Ala.Cr.App.1982). See also Ex parte Bush, 431 So.2d 563, 564 (Ala.), cert. denied, Bush v. Alabama, 464 U.S. 865, 104 S.Ct. 200, 78 L.Ed.2d 175 (1983)."

City of Dothan v. Holloway, 501 So.2d 1175, 1176-77 (Ala.Cr.App.1986). Cf. Rule 15.2(b), Alabama Temporary Rules of Criminal Procedure which addresses indictments.

Where a prosecution is based upon an affidavit and warrant, the offense may be designated by name or by words from which it may be inferred. Ex parte McElroy, 241 Ala. 554, 555-56, 4 So.2d 437 (1941). "`[T]he warrant must "designate" the misdemeanor in such manner that the man of ordinary intelligence may know what offense he is called upon to answer.' Slater v. State, 230 Ala. 320-21, 162 So. 130 (1935)." City of Dothan, supra, at 1176.

"[I]n a criminal prosecution technical accuracy in the description of the offense, either in the complaint or warrant, is not required.' Wilson v. State, 18 Ala.App. 375, 92 So. 508 (1922). A warrant must state the offense either by name or so that it can be clearly inferred. Spraggins v. State, 139 Ala. 93, 35 So. 1000, 1003 (1904).

"`The affidavit and warrant are far from perfect, and would be insufficient as an indictment, but the same particularity is not required in prosecutions of this character before a magistrate, and it is sufficient to designate the offense, either in the complaint or warrant, by name only, or by words from which it may be inferred. Brown's case, 63 Ala. 97; Adams v. Coe, 123 Ala. 664, 26 South. 652 ...' Nolen v. Jones, 200 Ala. 577, 578, 76 So. 935 (1917).

"Criminal charges brought by affidavit and warrant are `in a large measure informal.' Bonner v. State, 28 Ala.App. 406, 407, 187 So. 643 (1938), cert. denied, 237 Ala. 446, 187 So. 645 (1939)."

Jones v. State, 513 So.2d 50, 51 (Ala.Cr. App.1986).

The incorrect citation of a Code section does not void an indictment which otherwise states an offense, and, "in the absence of a showing of actual prejudice to the defendant, reference to the erroneous Code section will be treated as mere surplusage." Ex parte Bush, 431 So.2d 563, 564 (Ala.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 865, 104 S.Ct. 200, 78 L.Ed.2d 175 (1983). See also Tinsley v. State, 485 So.2d 1249, 1251 (Ala. Cr.App.1986).

This court in Corum v. City of Huntsville, 491 So.2d 1091 (Ala.Cr.App.1986), stated that the "mere inclusion of the applicable Code section in a charging instrument is [in]sufficient `to put the defendant on notice that he [is] charged with violation of any provable part of the statutory provision.'" Id. at 1093, quoting Ex parte Washington, 448 So.2d 404, 407 (Ala.1984); Ex parte Hightower, 443 So.2d 1272 (Ala. 1983). "Instead, the offense must be designated with specificity." Id. In Corum, the issuing officer failed to circle or mark the appropriate square in order to designate the charged offense. The court noted that although the notations "Test Type 2" and "BAC .216%" implied that the appellant was being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, "the essentials of an offense must be explicitly charged, and may not be left to inference or aided by intendment." Id. at 1092.

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Bluebook (online)
542 So. 2d 1301, 1988 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 433, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/royer-v-state-alacrimapp-1988.