State v. Dvorak

295 S.W.3d 493, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 998, 2009 WL 1851185
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 30, 2009
DocketED 91727
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 295 S.W.3d 493 (State v. Dvorak) 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. Dvorak, 295 S.W.3d 493, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 998, 2009 WL 1851185 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

PATRICIA L. COHEN, Judge.

Introduction

Stephen J. Dvorak (“Defendant”) appeals from the judgment of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, following a jury trial, convicting him of possessing a loaded firearm while intoxicated in violation of Mo.Rev.Stat. § 571.030.1(5). Defendant claims that the trial court erred in: (1) admitting evidence that he refused to submit to a breathalyzer test because, (a) such evidence was inadmissible under Mo.Rev. Stat. § 577.041 and, (b) the admission violated his right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; (2) refusing to grant his motion for mistrial based on the State’s comments during closing argument that he was “dangerous” and a “vigilante”; and (3) denying his motion for judgment of acquittal for insufficient evidence of intoxication. We affirm.

Background

Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence at trial revealed the following relevant facts:

Around 10:15 pm on August 7, 2006, Detective James Taschner responded to a disturbance call, and, upon arriving at the scene, found Defendant, a fifty-year-old *496 man, sitting on the ground wearing only a pair of shorts. As Detective Taschner approached, Defendant attempted to stand up, but was unable to do so. Detective Taschner asked Defendant if he needed help. Defendant responded that he had been drinking that day. Detective Tas-ehner then helped Defendant stand up, however Defendant continued to sway back and forth. Detective Taschner smelled an odor of alcohol on Defendant.

After another police officer arrived, Detective Taschner asked Defendant if he had any weapons, and Defendant replied that he had a handgun tucked in his waistband. Detective Taschner removed a fully loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semiautomatic handgun from Defendant’s shorts. Defendant told Detective Taschner that he had the gun because, earlier that day, he had been cut off by a car while driving, and he was looking for the occupants of the car who he believed lived in the area and were selling drugs. Because Detective Taschner believed that Defendant was intoxicated and angry about the earlier confrontation, he arrested and handcuffed Defendant. Defendant continued to have difficulty standing, and the officers placed Defendant on the ground. After a short discussion, the officers decided to transport Defendant to the police station for processing. The officers escorted Defendant to the police car to prevent him from falling.

At the police station, Detective Taschner asked Defendant if he would take a breathalyzer test, and Defendant refused. During the booking process, Defendant struggled to stand up and had to lean against the counter to stay upright. After Detective Taschner finished booking Defendant, Defendant was then placed in a holding cell.

After two hours in the holding cell, Defendant began to complain of chest pains. Detective Taschner called the paramedics, who arrived shortly thereafter to examine Defendant. After taking his vital signs, which appeared normal, the paramedics led Defendant outside to take him to a hospital. Once outside the police station, Defendant told one of the paramedics, “I just needed you guys to get me free,” and walked away. A police officer caught up to Defendant and placed him back in custody in a holding cell until he was released the following morning.

Ultimately, Defendant was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm while intoxicated. Prior to his trial, Defendant moved in limine to bar the admission of evidence that he had refused to submit to the breathalyzer test at the police station. The trial court sustained the motion on the grounds that applicable case law provided that such evidence was inadmissible under Section 577.041.

At trial, the State called Detective Tas-chner to testify about the events surrounding Defendant’s arrest. On direct examination, Detective Taschner testified about Defendant’s inability to stand up and keep his balance, and that it was his opinion that Defendant was “extremely intoxicated that night.” During cross-examination, Detective Taschner admitted that several important facts regarding Defendant’s intoxication, including his testimony that Defendant had to be escorted to the police car, were not included in his police report. Additionally, Detective Taschner admitted that while he normally uses field sobriety tests to determine a suspect’s degree of intoxication, he did not administer any of these tests to Defendant.

Following cross-examination of Detective Taschner, the prosecutor argued to the trial court that because defense counsel asked Detective Taschner about his failure to administer field sobriety tests, the defense had opened the door for the *497 State to question Detective Taschner about his request for Defendant to take a breathalyzer test. Despite its prior ruling on Defendant’s motion in limine, the trial court agreed and permitted the prosecutor to elicit testimony from Detective Tas-chner regarding his request and Defendant’s refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test.

After the State rested, Defendant took the stand and testified that he was not intoxicated, but that the only alcohol he drank that day was two beers he had at dinner. In contrast to the testimony given by Detective Taschner, Defendant testified that he had no problems standing or talking to the detective. Defendant also testified that his chest pains were caused by bad indigestion from the Kentucky Fried Chicken he had for dinner and that he did not tell the paramedics that he needed them to get free. On cross-examination, the prosecutor asked Defendant why he refused the breathalyzer test since Defendant claimed he was sober and the test would have vindicated him. Defendant answered that, based on his observation of the officers “fooling” with the breathalyzer, he was concerned that they “didn’t know how to use the machine.... ”

In his testimony, Defendant also elaborated on why he was outside only in his shorts with a handgun on the night in question. He stated that he thought he heard a woman’s voice and was concerned that someone was breaking into his neighbor’s home. Defendant said that after putting on shorts and grabbing his handgun, he went outside and saw the car that had cut him off earlier. Near the car, he saw two white kids, one of whom appeared to be selling drugs. Defendant claimed that he walked towards the car, took his phone out of its pouch, and told them to go home or he would call the police. Defendant testified that the kids left immediately and that Detective Taschner subsequently stopped him as he was walking back to his house.

Defendant also testified to his good character. Specifically, he stated that he had never been arrested before, had been a gun owner for the past thirty years, and had received the citizen citation award and the medal of valor from the St. Louis County police for his assistance in reporting a crime several years ago.

During closing argument, the prosecutor argued that the only disputed issue in the case was whether Defendant was intoxicated.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
295 S.W.3d 493, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 998, 2009 WL 1851185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dvorak-moctapp-2009.