State v. Barker

490 S.W.2d 263, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1063
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 9, 1973
Docket34461
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 490 S.W.2d 263 (State v. Barker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Barker, 490 S.W.2d 263, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1063 (Mo. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

KELLY, Judge.

This appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Audrain County, Missouri, was taken by the Defendant-Appellant (hereinafter referred to as the defendant) for review of his conviction on three separate charges arising out of the operation of a motor vehicle on Highway 54 in Au-drain County, Missouri, on May 29, 1971. Missouri Uniform Traffic Tickets were issued to the defendant summoning him to appear in the Magistrate Court of Audrain County, Missouri, on the 18th day of June, 1971, to answer charges of: (1) speeding by driving a motor vehicle on U.S. Highway 54 near Scott’s Corner at a time when lighted lamps were required on said vehicle and the lawful speed limit for passenger cars on the highway was sixty-five (65) m. p. h. in excess of said speed limit, to-wit, eighty (80) m. p. h.; (2) failing to drive on the right side of the roadway; and (3) driving while intoxicated. According to the Missouri Uniform Traffic Tickets issued these charges were based on violations of the following sections of the Missouri Revised Statutes: Section 304.010, 304.015 and 564.440 respectively, V.A.M.S.

The traffic tickets (as these Missouri Uniform Traffic Tickets shall hereinafter be referred to) were filed in the Magistrate Court of Audrain County, Missouri, and on June 3, 1971, the prosecuting attorney for Audrain County filed an Information in three counts charging the same offenses set out in the traffic tickets, but he did not sign the traffic tickets in the spaces thereon for the signature of the prosecuting official. On July 12, 1971, the defendant appeared and filed his application for change of venue from the Magistrate Court of Audrain County, Missouri; this application was sustained and the cause was transferred to the Circuit Court of Audrain County, Missouri, where the defendant appeared in person and by counsel for arraignment and entered his plea of not guilty on each of the charges. The cause was set for trial on October 22, 1971, and on that date a trial by jury was had. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on each count but in their verdict advised the court that they were unable to agree on the punishment to be imposed; thereupon the trial judge fixed the punishment on each count as follows: Count I — speeding— $20.00 and court costs; Count II — failure to drive on the right half of the roadway —$25.00 and court costs; and Count III — driving while intoxicated — 60 days in jail and court costs. Defendant filed a timely motion for new trial which was presented, considered and overruled. Allocution was granted and sentence was imposed as previously fixed by the trial judge. This appeal followed.

The facts, most favorably considered from the standpoint of the State and as the jury could have found from the evidence are: that at approximately 1:30 a. m. on the morning of the 29th day of May, 1971, Trooper Gordon Hale of the Missouri State Highway Patrol was proceeding westwardly on U.S. Highway 54 in a patrol car of the Highway Patrol some distance east of the City of Mexico, in Au- *267 drain County, Missouri, when he observed a 1970 Mercury Monterey convertible automobile traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed. That at this location where he made this observation the highway is two lanes wide — 24 feet wide. That also at this time the Mercury convertible automobile was traveling with the right front headlight out. The trooper, as soon as he found a place to turn around, made a U turn and headed the patrol car back in the direction from whence he had come to overtake the passing Mercury convertible. The trooper had to travel in excess of 110 m. p. h. to get into position to pace the Mercury convertible, but, when he did, he paced it for a distance of two miles and formed the opinion that it was traveling in excess of 80 m. p. h., IS m. p. h. in excess of the legal speed limit. The trooper then turned on the red lights on the top of the patrol car and closed on the Mercury convertible, which started weaving across the centerline of the two lane highway until it went over a small hill when it veered sharply to the left and went completely onto the left side of the highway and back again into the eastbound traffic lane. Both cars proceeded eastwardly on U.S. 54 until the Mercury convertible turned off U.S. 54 at its intersection with Route BB and into a roadside park situated there. The trooper pulled in behind the Mercury convertible, got out of the patrol car and walked up to the Mercury convertible where he recognized the defendant “underneath the wheel.” He directed the defendant to get out of the car and to come to the rear of the defendant’s car. The trooper observed the defendant get out of the Mercury convertible and walk to the rear of the Mercury convertible. He observed the defendant in the headlights of the patrol car and the defendant walked in a bent-over position and as he drew near the trooper could smell the odor of alcohol on him. The defendant’s eyes were “bleary, he was red-faced, his clothing was mussed and his beard was awry.” The trooper expressed his opinion that the defendant was at that time intoxicated. The trooper took the defendant to the Mexico Police Station where the defendant consented to take a breathalyzer test. Trooper Hale administered the breathalyzer test and obtained a reading of .22th of 1% blood alcohol, which corroborated his opinion of the defendant’s intoxication at the time he was driving the motor vehicle on U.S. 54.

The defendant on appeal contends that the judgment of the trial court should be reversed for the following reasons:

1. the trial court was without jurisdiction because (a) the prosecuting attorney failed to sign the Missouri Uniform Traffic Tickets, (b) the traffic tickets failed to allege that the offenses charged occurred on a public road or highway, and (c) the information filed in the Magistrate Court of Audrain County, Missouri, was invalid because not in the form of the Uniform Traffic Ticket as required by Supreme Court Rules 37.05 and 37.46, V.A.M.R.;
2. the trial court admitted into evidence, over objection, the results of a breathalyzer test which was not administered in accordance with the regulations governing* its use and which did not give results expressed in terms of Section 564.442 RSMo., V.A.M.S.;
3. the trial court admitted into evidence, over objection, testimony relative to the speed of the vehicle when there was no proper foundation laid for such testimony; and
4. the trial court admitted into evidence, over objection, testimony relative to the condition of another individual in the car with the defendant when such evidence was irrelevant, immaterial and highly prejudicial.

In considering defendant’s allegations of error with respect to his first contention and the three subdivisions thereunder, we may treat those with reference to the traffic tickets and the information as one.

*268 Defendant relies on two cases. Kansas City v. Asby, Mo.App., 377 S.W.2d 511 and State ex rel. House v. White, Mo.App., 429 S.W.2d 277. In Kansas City v.

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Bluebook (online)
490 S.W.2d 263, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1063, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-barker-moctapp-1973.