State v. Daily

265 P.3d 945, 164 Wash. App. 883
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 15, 2011
Docket29554-1-III
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 265 P.3d 945 (State v. Daily) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Daily, 265 P.3d 945, 164 Wash. App. 883 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

*885 Brown, J.

¶1 This court granted discretionary review of Deborah Daily’s driving under the influence (DUI) conviction to determine whether the trial court should have considered the lesser-included offense of physical control of a vehicle while under the influence and the affirmative defense of safely off the roadway. The case facts do not support a conclusion that solely the lesser-included offense was committed. Therefore, the “safely off the road” affirmative defense to the lesser-included offense is inapplicable. Accordingly, we affirm.

FACTS

¶2 An eyewitness saw Ms. Daily driving her vehicle erratically for several miles. The witness called 911 at 1:41 p.m. and described her driving as including weaving, crossing the fog line and center line numerous times, and almost colliding with other vehicles head on. Four police officers were dispatched and en route for approximately 10 minutes when, at 1:55 p.m., Ms. Daily pulled into a gas station parking lot and parked her vehicle. When officers arrived at 1:57 p.m., Ms. Daily was found asleep in her car. She admitted to driving the vehicle. She, however, claims she did not know police were pursuing her.

¶3 Ms. Daily admitted to consuming alcohol the evening prior. Ms. Daily had an alcohol concentration of 0.13 within two hours of driving.

¶4 The State charged Ms. Daily with DUI. She asked the court to consider the lesser-included offense of physical control of a vehicle, RCW 46.61.504(1), and its statutory *886 defense of safely off the roadway, RCW 46.61.504(2). The court denied her request based on the case facts. Following a stipulated facts bench trial, the court found Ms. Daily guilty as charged. The superior court affirmed. And, this court accepted discretionary review.

ANALYSIS

A. Lesser-included Offense

¶5 The issue is whether the trial court erred in preliminarily ruling Ms. Daily would not be permitted to submit an instruction in her DUI trial for the lesser-included offense of physical control of a vehicle while under the influence. Ms. Daily contends it was legal error not to allow a jury to consider the lesser-included offense. We note at the outset that we do not address the tentative nature of the trial court’s preliminary rulings in view of Ms. Daily’s decision to waive her jury trial and submit to a stipulated facts trial.

¶6 Review of the district court’s decision on appeal, here and in the superior court, is governed by the standards contained in RALJ 9.1. State v. Ford, 110 Wn.2d 827, 829, 755 P.2d 806 (1988). We review the record before the district court, reviewing factual issues for substantial evidence and legal issues de novo. City of Bellevue v. Jacke, 96 Wn. App. 209, 211, 978 P.2d 1116 (1999).

¶7 In Washington, “physical control while under the influence is an included offense of DUI.” State v. Huyen Bich Nguyen, 165 Wn.2d 428, 433, 197 P.3d 673 (2008). The issue then is whether the trial court was required to consider the lesser offense in this case.

¶8 A defendant is entitled to an instruction on a lesser-included offense if the defendant satisfies the two-prong test articulated in State v. Workman, 90 Wn.2d 443, 447-48, 584 P.2d 382 (1978). Under the legal prong of the test, “ ‘each of the elements of the lesser offense must be a necessary element of the offense charged.’ ” State v. Fernandez-Medina, *887 141 Wn.2d 448, 454, 6 P.3d 1150 (2000) (quoting Workman, 90 Wn.2d at 447-48). Under the factual prong, evidence in the case must support an inference that solely the lesser crime was committed to the exclusion of the charged offense. Id. at 455. When determining whether the evidence at trial was sufficient to support an instruction on a lesser-included offense, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the party requesting that instruction. Id. at 455-56. An instruction is warranted “ ‘[i]f the evidence would permit a jury to rationally find a defendant guilty of the lesser offense and acquit him of the greater.’ ” Id. at 456 (quoting State v. Warden, 133 Wn.2d 559, 563, 947 P.2d 708 (1997)). The evidence must affirmatively establish the defendant’s theory of the case; it is not enough that the fact finder might simply disbelieve the evidence pointing to guilt. Id. (citing State v. Fowler, 114 Wn.2d 59, 67, 785 P.2d 808 (1990), overruled on other grounds by State v. Blair, 117 Wn.2d 479, 816 P.2d 718 (1991)).

¶9 Our Supreme Court recognizes that each element of physical control is a necessary element of DUI. See Nguyen, 165 Wn.2d at 435 (“[A]ll of the elements of RCW 46.61.504 (physical control while under the influence) fall within the elements of RCW 46.61.502 (DUI), thus satisfying the legal prong of the Workman test.”). The focus then is whether evidence in the case supports an inference that solely physical control was committed to the exclusion of the DUI. It does not.

¶10 Ms. Daily admits she was driving the vehicle. Moreover, a witness observed Ms. Daily weaving, crossing the fog line and center line numerous times, and almost hitting other vehicles head on just minutes before officers found her asleep in her car. Unlike in Nguyen where there was no *888 admissible evidence 1 that the defendant was driving the vehicle, driving is clearly established here. The offense of physical control of a vehicle does not require actual driving of the vehicle. RCW 46.61.504. Thus, the evidence does not support an inference that solely physical control was committed and not DUI. Therefore, the Workman test does not require consideration of the lesser-included offense of physical control. The district court properly concluded likewise, and the superior court properly affirmed.

B. Affirmative Defense

¶11 The issue is whether Ms.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Washington v. Brandon Robert Hankel
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2022
Moriah Sargent v. Wa State Department Of Licensing
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2018
State Of Washington v. David Karlson
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2016

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 P.3d 945, 164 Wash. App. 883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-daily-washctapp-2011.