State v. Doles

433 N.E.2d 1290, 70 Ohio App. 2d 35, 24 Ohio Op. 3d 25, 1980 Ohio App. LEXIS 9704
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 4, 1980
Docket80AP-144
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 433 N.E.2d 1290 (State v. Doles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio 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. Doles, 433 N.E.2d 1290, 70 Ohio App. 2d 35, 24 Ohio Op. 3d 25, 1980 Ohio App. LEXIS 9704 (Ohio Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

Strausbaugh, P. J.

This is an appeal from a decision of the Juvenile Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, finding the defendant guilty of speeding.

On October 28, 1979, defendant was observed driving an automobile southbound on U. S. Route 33 by State Highway Patrol Trooper Stanley C. Vince. In the proceedings before a referee of the Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, the state patrolman testified that he “clocked” the defendant’s automobile with a model K-55 moving radar unit while traveling in the opposite direction on the same highway. After the state patrolman’s testimony, as well as at the close of the state’s presentation of evidence, defendant moved for a dismissal on the grounds that the evidence presented by the state was insufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding. The referee overruled both of defendant’s motions and found defendant guilty of speeding.

Defendant timely asserted his objections to the report of *36 the referee and further argued, at a hearing before the Court of Common Pleas, that the state’s evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding as there was no expert testimony as to the construction of the K-55 moving radar device and its method of operation. In its decision finding the defendant guilty of speeding, the trial court judicially noted that the K-55 radar unit is a scientifically reliable device for measuring the speed of a vehicle.

Defendant has appealed his conviction to this court, asserting the following assignments of error:

“1. Where there is no testimony as to the construction and method of operation of a moving radar unit, sole evidence of a vehicle speed measured from the moving radar unit is insufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding.
“2. Where there is no testimony as to the proper calibration of a speed measuring device, the sole evidence of speed measured by the device is insufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding.”

The principles that aré applicable to the admission of data from a radar device were established in East Cleveland v. Ferell (1958), 168 Ohio St. 298.

In East Cleveland, supra, at page 301, the Ohio Supreme Court established the following fundamental principles to be applied when data from a radar device is to be admitted as evidence, quoting from Professor Wigmore, The Science of Judicial Proof (3 Ed. 1937, at page 450):

“ ‘A. The type of apparatus purporting to be constructed on scientific principles must be accepted as dependable for the proposed purpose by the profession concerned in that branch of science or its related art. This can be evidenced by qualified expert testimony; or, if notorious, it will be judicially noticed by the judge without evidence.
“ ‘B. The particular apparatus used by the witness must be one constructed according to an accepted type and must be in good condition for accurate work. This may be evidenced by a qualified expert.
“ ‘C. The witness using the apparatus as the source of his testimony must be one qualified for its use by training and experience.’ ” (Emphasis deleted.)

In applying the above standards, this court, in State v. Wilcox (1974), 40 Ohio App. 2d 380, 384, held that “ * * * a *37 defendant may not be convicted of speeding solely upon evidence obtained from a radar speed meter device mounted in a moving patrol car in the absence of expert testimony with respect to the construction of the device and its method of operation with respect to its ability to differentiate the speed of a vehicle approaching the moving patrol car from the opposite direction from the combined speed at which they are moving toward each other.” Such evidence goes toward establishing the dependability of a radar speed meter device mounted in a moving patrol car.

This court reaffirmed Wilcox in a later case by overturning a conviction of speeding where the defendant was “clocked” by a police officer using a hand-held radar device known as a “Custom Signals HR-12.” This court held, in the case of Gahanna v. Carson (Franklin Co. Ct. of Appeals No. 79AP-315, September 20, 1979), unreported, that “ * * * where there is no testimony as to the construction and method of operation of a speed measuring device not the subject of judicial notice, the testimony of the user that he operated the device as instructed is insufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding. * * * ” (Emphasis added.)

There is no indication in the record of this case of any expert testimony with respect to the construction and method of operation of the K-55 moving radar device. In his testimony, which was the only evidence presented by the prosecution, the state patrolman admitted that he was not an expert and that he could not testify as to the construction and method of operation of his K-55 radar unit.

In its decision finding the defendant guilty of speeding, the trial court took judicial notice that the K-55 radar unit is a scientifically reliable device for measuring the speed of a vehicle. In support of his first assignment of error, defendant contends that the trial court had no basis for taking any judicial notice concerning the K-55 radar unit and that, in the absence of expert testimony on the construction and method of operation of the K-55 radar unit, the defendant’s conviction for speeding is improper.

“ * * * In order for judicial notice to be taken, the fact must be one of common knowledge throughout the jurisdiction of the court. Strain v. Isaacs (1938), 59 Ohio App. 495. * * * ” Bunco, Inc., v. Liquor Control Comm. (Franklin Co. Ct. of Ap *38 peals No. 79AP-897, March 18,1980), unreported. In Wilcox, this court expressed uncertainty in the dependability of the use of a radar speed-detecting device mounted in a moving patrol car. In the absence of expert testimony with respect to the construction of the K-55 radar unit and its method of operation with respect to its ability to differentiate the speed of a vehicle approaching the moving patrol car from the opposite direction from the combined speed at which they are moving toward each other in any case within the jurisdiction of the trial court, it was improper for the trial court to take judicial notice of the dependability of the K-55 radar unit. There do not appear to be any reported cases from this jurisdiction, nor unreported cases from this court, with sufficient expert testimony to make the dependability of a mobile radar speed-detecting unit any more certain since the Wilcox decision. As a result, the dependability of the K-55 radar unit is not of common knowledge within this jurisdiction and cannot be the subject of judicial notice.

While other courts have taken judicial notice of the dependability of moving radar units, State v. Shelt (1976), 46 Ohio App. 2d 115, and Akron v.

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Bluebook (online)
433 N.E.2d 1290, 70 Ohio App. 2d 35, 24 Ohio Op. 3d 25, 1980 Ohio App. LEXIS 9704, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-doles-ohioctapp-1980.