State v. Cespedes-Rodriguez

294 P.3d 493, 253 Or. App. 698, 2012 WL 6050544, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1466
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedDecember 5, 2012
Docket090747995; A144008
StatusPublished

This text of 294 P.3d 493 (State v. Cespedes-Rodriguez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cespedes-Rodriguez, 294 P.3d 493, 253 Or. App. 698, 2012 WL 6050544, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1466 (Or. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

SERCOMBE, J.

After a bench trial, defendant was convicted of failure to perform the duties of a driver, ORS 811.700. Defendant appeals, arguing that the state produced insufficient evidence to disprove his choice of evils defense beyond a reasonable doubt. We conclude that the evidence was sufficient to disprove that defense and, accordingly, affirm.

We state the facts in the light most favorable to the state. State v. Baranovich, 241 Or App 280, 282, 249 P3d 1284, rev den, 350 Or 571 (2011). Defendant was driving in downtown Portland when he rear-ended and damaged a pedicab,1 causing its operator, Altermatt, to fall to the ground. Defendant, who, according to Altermatt, smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, remained inside his car following the accident and offered Altermatt $100 if he could “just leave.” Altermatt became visibly upset at defendant’s remark and told him that she wanted his “information” and that she thought that he was drunk. Meanwhile, Altermatt’s friend, Kelly, approached, stood with his hands behind his back, and calmly told defendant to get out of his car. Defendant then put his car in reverse and drove backward. Altermatt and Kelly chased the car and stood near its front hood. Kelly then hit the car multiple times with a metal object, and defendant drove forward past Altermatt and Kelly and left the scene of the accident. In the days following the accident, defendant did not contact the police or respond to repeated attempts by the police to interview him.2

Defendant was ultimately arrested and charged with failure to perform the duties of a driver, ORS 811.700, and recklessly endangering another person, ORS 163.195. Prior to trial, defendant notified the state that he intended to rely on a choice of evils defense. See ORS 161.055(3) (a defendant may raise a defense by providing notice in writing to the state before commencement of trial). At trial, defendant testified that he left the scene of the accident [700]*700because Kelly was striking his car with a metal object and he was afraid for his safety. Defendant did not formally move for a judgment of acquittal. Rather, defendant argued in his closing argument that the state had failed to disprove his choice of evils defense beyond a reasonable doubt.

After noting that it had considered the choice of evils defense with respect to the count of failure to perform the duties of a driver, the trial court found defendant guilty of that charge:

“ [H] e runs into the pedibike or the bicycle and the defendant admits that, in fact, he knows he ran into the bicycle. There is no dispute about that. Admits that the victim — he didn’t see exactly what happened to the victim, but she came out, so he knew there was an incident.
“And then he starts to move his car and it’s at that point that the intent, I think, is then clarified later when he doesn’t respond to the officers, although he may not have had a duty to, I think that information is relevant, what happens the next day to whether it was his intent to leave the scene of the accident and I do believe it was his intent.
“He didn’t stop once he was out of the danger of the other witness and potentially the victim, which I’ll get to in just a moment. So I do feel there are sufficient facts proven beyond a reasonable doubt to show that the defendant was intending to leave the scene of the accident after the first hit.”

The trial court alternatively concluded that defendant “did not stop at the first opportunity, which is * * * what he was obligated to do under the duties of a driver.”

In contrast, the trial court found defendant not guilty of recklessly endangering another person. The state’s theory at trial was that defendant had recklessly endangered Altermatt when he drove forward past Altermatt and Kelly and left the scene. The trial court explained its verdict on that count as follows:

“With respect to count [two], however, I find him not guilty. I think in that circumstance and I find that really the choice of evils defense applies to count [two]. * * *
[701]*701“I do give credence to the defendant’s testimony about- — • because I think it is supported by the photographs, that Mr. Kelly was coming at his car, hit it not just once, but multiple times, and that’s inconsistent — the victim’s testimony was inconsistent with that, but I think if facts are clear from the photos that there were multiple hits that wouldn’t have happened from just one swift movement, whether it was brass knuckles, it clearly wasn’t done by a fist.
* * * *
“So — and I do find that the defendant was backing up and trying to get away from the victim and Mr. Kelly at the time that they were surrounding his car and that that was essentially a choice of evils to move away from them.
“And I think his — he couldn’t be reckless in that circumstance because I think he was trying to get away from them. * * *
* * * *
“And I do think that the — any recklessness that could have been established by the defendant was actually that there was a choice of evils defense that would apply to that count.”

On appeal, defendant contends that the trial court “erred by finding that the state had produced evidence to disprove the ‘choice of evils’ defense on the failure to perform the duties of a driver charge.” Defendant argues that “the evidence showed that the defense applied to both of the charges against him” and that he had no obligation under ORS 811.7003 to stop at the first opportunity after [702]*702leaving the scene of the accident. The state responds that there was sufficient evidence to show that defendant’s motive in leaving the scene was to escape responsibility for the accident rather than to ensure his safety and, therefore, the trial court did not err in concluding that the state had disproved that defense beyond a reasonable doubt. We agree with the state.

The choice of evils defense arises under ORS 161.200, which provides:

“(1) Unless inconsistent with other provisions of chapter 743, Oregon Laws 1971, defining justifiable use of physical force, or with some other provision of law, conduct which would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable and not criminal when:
“(a) That conduct is necessary as an emergency measure to avoid an imminent public or private injury; and

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Related

State v. Olson
719 P.2d 55 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1986)
State v. JOON BUM KO
264 P.3d 1293 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
State v. Joon Bum Ko
263 P.3d 1082 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
State v. BARANOVICH
249 P.3d 1284 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
State v. BARANOVICH
258 P.3d 527 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Jackson
567 P.2d 1057 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1977)
State v. McDaniel
283 P.3d 414 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2012)

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Bluebook (online)
294 P.3d 493, 253 Or. App. 698, 2012 WL 6050544, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cespedes-rodriguez-orctapp-2012.