Shelton v. State

1978 OK CR 87, 583 P.2d 1107, 1978 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 245
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedAugust 17, 1978
DocketF-77-685
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1978 OK CR 87 (Shelton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shelton v. State, 1978 OK CR 87, 583 P.2d 1107, 1978 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 245 (Okla. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSSEY, Presiding Judge:

Appellant, Jerry Don Shelton, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged, tried and convicted in the District Court, Ponto-toc County, Case No. CRF-77-20, for the offense of Driving While Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor, a Second and Subsequent offense, in violation of 47 O.S. 1971, § 11-902. His punishment was fixed at three (3) years’ imprisonment and from said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

At the trial Bob Cole testified that on the evening of February 26, 1977, he and his wife went to a ball game. They were proceeding south on Mississippi Street when another vehicle pulled in front of them. Cole applied his brakes but struck the other vehicle. He identified the defendant as the driver of that vehicle. A passenger got out of the vehicle and the defendant followed him out on the passenger’s side. The passenger walked off stating he was going for help. Cole detected the odor of alcohol but was unable to determine if it came from the defendant or from inside the vehicle. Captain Miller arrived at the scene and subsequently took custody of the defendant.

Loretta Cole’s testimony did not differ substantially from the testimony of her husband. She testified that immediately following the accident, she observed the defendant sitting behind the steering wheel. She observed a liquor bottle and cans of beer inside the defendant’s vehicle.

Captain Tom Miller of the Ada Police Department testified that he investigated an accident at approximately 7:00 p. m. on February 26, 1977. He observed the defendant sitting in a 1969 Ford. He asked the defendant if he had been driving the vehicle and the defendant stated that he had not been the operator. Defendant’s speech was slurred and he had a strong odor of alcohol about his person. He removed the defendant from the vehicle and placed him in his police unit. He found an open bottle of whiskey laying on the front floorboard of defendant’s vehicle. Defendant was advised of his rights as to a chemical test and consented to blood test. He was transported to a hospital where a technologist took a blood sample. The sample was sealed and subsequently mailed to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Office in McAlester. He further testified that in his opinion defendant was very drunk.

Cheryl Weems testified that she was employed as a medical technologist at the Valley View Hospital, and that on the evening of February 26, 1977, she took a blood sample from the defendant. The blood was placed in two vials which she gave to Captain Miller.

Gerald Belyeu testified that he was employed as a forensic chemist with the Okla *1110 homa State Bureau of Investigation. He performed an analysis of the defendant’s blood sample and found that it had an alcohol content of .26% weight per volume.

Defendant did not testify nor was any evidence presented in his behalf.

Defendant asserts in his first assignment of error that the procedure under which defendant was bound over for trial at the preliminary examination was irregular and violated defendant’s constitutional rights. Defendant argues that the trial court did not have jurisdiction in that he received the notice of his trial date prior to the time he was bound over for trial after preliminary examination. This assignment of error is not properly before this Court in that the “notice of trial date was not made a part of the defendant’s record.” We have consistently held that errors not ascertainable from the defendant’s record are not properly before this Court. See Sherman v. State, 20 Okl.Cr. 306, 202 P. 521 (1921) and Jones v. State, Okl.Cr., 527 P.2d 169 (1974). Assuming that defendant did, in fact, receive a notice of trial prior to his preliminary hearing, defendant has totally failed to show how he was prejudiced thereby. Defendant did, in fact, have a preliminary hearing and was bound over some twenty days prior to the date of his actual trial. We therefore find this assignment of error to be without merit.

Defendant contends in his second assignment of error that the trial court erred in allowing testimony that a bottle of whiskey and beer was found in the defendant’s vehicle. Defendant does not object to the search and seizure but rather urges that the testimony was incompetent, irrelevant, immaterial and prejudicial to his right to a fair trial. We are of the opinion that this assignment of error is wholly without merit. In Stone v. State, Okl.Cr., 461 P.2d 962 (1969) wherein the defendant asserted a similar proposition, we stated:

“[I]n Willaford v. State, 97 Okl.Cr. 247, 261 P.2d 630 (1955), and Moran v. State, 95 Okl.Cr. 6, 237 P.2d 920 (1951), this Court held that a partially filled bottle of liquor found in the automobile of a defendant is admissible, as circumstantial evidence, against the driver in a prosecution for driving while intoxicated.”

For his third assignment of error the defendant alleges that his constitutional rights were violated by the extraction of the blood sample. Defendant argues that he did not “knowingly” waive his privilege against self-incrimination in that he was too intoxicated to give a conscious waiver of any right. From the facts and circumstances in the instant case it is readily apparent that the defendant was conscious at the time of electing and consenting to take the blood test within the meaning of Title 47 O.S.Supp.1977, § 753. The results of the blood test were admissible. In Ross v. State, Okl.Cr., 556 P.2d 638 (1976) we stated:

. It is the results of the tests which are presented in evidence, and the results are not protected by either the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution nor Article II, § 21 of the Oklahoma Constitution.”

For his fourth assignment of error the defendant asserts that the trial court erred in denying his request for a one day continuance for the purpose of locating a defense witness. We must disagree. The record reflects that the defendant made an oral request for continuance based on the missing witness after the State announced ready. The trial court examined the court file and ascertained that the subpoena had not been issued until the date of trial. Under such circumstances the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that the subpoena was not diligently issued. DeWolf v. State, 95 Okl.Cr. 287, 245 P.2d 107 (1952). The defendant failed to comply with the statutory requirements of 12 O.S. 1971, § 668 which have been found by this Court to be fundamental in a motion for a continuance. See Wartson v. State, Okl.Cr., 560 P.2d 1044 (1977).

For his fifth assignment of error defendant contends that the prosecuting attorney made improper remarks during his closing argument. We carefully examined *1111 each of the alleged seven improper remarks and find that on six occasions defendant failed to properly preserve the same by objecting and requesting that the jury be instructed to “disregard the remark.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1978 OK CR 87, 583 P.2d 1107, 1978 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 245, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shelton-v-state-oklacrimapp-1978.