State v. Coolidge

915 S.W.2d 820, 1995 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 287
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 30, 1995
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 915 S.W.2d 820 (State v. Coolidge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Coolidge, 915 S.W.2d 820, 1995 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 287 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION

WADE, Judge.

The defendant, Richard N. Coolidge, was convicted of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. The trial court imposed a jail sentence of 11 months and 29 days, all but 20 days of which was suspended. Conditions of release require 100 hours of community service and treatment for alcohol abuse.

In this appeal, the defendant presents the following issues for review:

(1) whether the defendant’s being held in jail for six hours after his arrest precluded further sentence on double jeopardy grounds;
(2) whether the Fourth Circuit Court of Davidson County had jurisdiction;
(3) whether evidence sought by the defendant from the district attorney general was properly excluded; and
(4)whether the sentence was excessive.

We find no error and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

On March 14, 1990, the defendant was arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant by officers from the Nashville-Davidson County Metropolitan Police Department. A blood-alcohol examination established that the defendant registered .18. Pursuant to policy, the defendant had to be held for six hours before being released on bail. At trial, the defendant sought to present evidence that two of the breathaiizers within the police department, Nos. 1010 and 1029, were not properly calibrated between December of 1989 and April of 1990. The office of the district attorney had investigated allegations of impropriety and, by the time of this trial, had released a report. The defendant received a copy of the report and issued a subpoena for the district attorney general to appear as a witness. The evidence was not allowed and, at the conclusion of the trial, the jury returned a verdict of guilt. The trial court allowed the defendant approximately 8½ hours of jail credit towards a 20-day period of confinement.

I

The defendant’s initial argument is that the six-hour holding period qualifies as punishment for the offense and, thus, any further sentence by the trial court after the determination of guilt is precluded by double jeopardy principles. See U.S. Const. amend. V, Tenn. Const. Art. I, § 10. The defendant relies primarily upon two United States Supreme Court cases which stand for the proposition that civil forfeiture proceedings, if punitive rather than remedial, may preclude subsequent criminal prosecution. See Austin v. United States, 509 U.S. 602, 113 S.Ct. 2801, 125 L.Ed.2d 488 (1993); United States v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 109 S.Ct. 1892, 104 L.Ed.2d 487 (1989). The rationale for the argument here is that if a civil forfeiture provision can be so punitive in nature as to bar subsequent criminal prosecution, then a post-arrest holding period, if also punitive in [823]*823nature, should bar subsequent criminal prosecution on the same grounds.

Certainly, both state and federal constitutional provisions protect against “the peril of both a second punishment and a second trial for the same offense.” Whitwell v. State, 520 S.W.2d 338, 341 (Tenn.1975); see State v. Smith, 810 S.W.2d 155 (Tenn.Crim.App. 1991). The holding in Doe v. Norris, 751 S.W.2d 834, 839 (Tenn.1988), also provides some guidance:

In determining whether the confinement involved ... is punishment ... [e]ourts must decide whether the confinement is imposed for the purpose of punishment or whether it is an incident of a legitimate governmental purpose. Where ... no showing of an express intent to punish is made ... “that determination ... tum[s] on Vhether an alternative purpose to which [the restriction] may rationally be connected is assignable for it, and whether it appears excessive in relation to the alternative purpose assigned.’ ”

(Citation omitted).

Interestingly, there are very few reported cases on this particular subject. The issue appears to be one of first impression in this state. From those few sources available, it would appear that the determinative question is whether the pretrial detention period amounts to punishment. If so, a subsequent conviction violates double jeopardy safeguards; but if merely “remedial in nature,” a conviction and sentence are not precluded.

Generally, punishment imposed without a prior adjudication of guilt is “per se illegitimate.” Schall v. Martin, 467 U.S. 253, 272, 104 S.Ct. 2403, 2414, 81 L.Ed.2d 207 (1984). On the other hand, if the state action is remedial and not intended to inflict punishment as a means of vindicating public justice, the double jeopardy clause serves as no protection. State v. Conley, 639 S.W.2d 435 (Tenn.1982); see Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez, 372 U.S. 144, 83 S.Ct. 554, 9 L.Ed.2d 644 (1963). In Conley, for example, our supreme court held that prior convictions for driving under the influence of an intoxicant resulting in the suspension of license did not preclude a subsequent conviction under the Motor Vehicle Habitual Offender’s Act to further bar the defendant from driving.

Unless the restriction is related to a legitimate goal, courts may infer that its purpose is punitive. Pretrial confinement in order to assure a defendant’s presence at trial may be one legitimate purpose. But it is not exclusive. See Campbell v. McGruder, 580 F.2d 521, 529 (D.C.Cir.1978). In our view, detention for the purpose of detoxification may also qualify. Cf. Jamestown v. Erdelt, 513 N.W.2d 82 (N.D.1994); City of Fargo v. Stutlien, 505 N.W.2d 738 (N.D.1993). In Erdelt, the North Dakota Supreme Court held that a blanket policy of detaining those arrested for DUI for a period of eight hours, without making an individualized determination of whether the defendant presented a danger to himself or others was unlawful and required a dismissal of the charge:

[A]fter the driver is arrested, tested, and posts bond, the officer’s main concern is to ensure the person does not drive again until no longer under the influence. If the arrestee posts bond and goes with a responsible person, that danger is normally minimal. We construe [the statute] to require that, absent extraordinary circumstances, the person must be released on bond to go with a responsible adult.

513 N.W.2d at 85.

As indicated, the decision was based upon statutory construction rather than double jeopardy grounds. While the North Dakota decisions are helpful, the test in Doe v. Norris would appear to govern the issue presented in this case.

The initial burden is on the defendant to make a threshold showing of double jeopardy. United States v. Sinito,

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Bluebook (online)
915 S.W.2d 820, 1995 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-coolidge-tenncrimapp-1995.