State v. Hardeman

906 So. 2d 616, 2005 WL 388149
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 18, 2005
Docket2004 KA 0760
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 906 So. 2d 616 (State v. Hardeman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hardeman, 906 So. 2d 616, 2005 WL 388149 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

906 So.2d 616 (2005)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
John Lee HARDEMAN.

No. 2004 KA 0760.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 18, 2005.

*620 Joseph L. Waitz, Jr., District Attorney, Ellen D. Doskey, Assistant District Attorney, Houma, for State of Louisiana.

Sherry Watters, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, for Defendant-Appellant John Lee Hardeman.

Before: PARRO, KUHN, and FOIL,[1] JJ.

PARRO, J.

The defendant, John Lee Hardeman, was charged by amended bill of information with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (DWI), fifth offense (instant offense), a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:98, and he pled not guilty.[2] Predicate number one was set forth as the defendant's July 30, 1999 guilty plea to DWI committed on July 18, 1998.[3] Predicate number two was set forth as the defendant's April 28, 2000 guilty plea to DWI committed on August 16, 1999.[4] Predicate number three was set forth as the defendant's March 20, 2002 guilty plea to DWI committed on January 4, 2002.[5] Predicate number four was set forth as the defendant's March 20, 2002 guilty plea to DWI committed on December 4, 2001.[6] Following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty as charged by unanimous verdict. He moved for a new trial and for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal, but the motions were denied. He was sentenced to fifteen years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. He moved for reconsideration of the sentence, but the motion was denied. He now appeals, designating three assignments of error. We affirm the conviction and the sentence.

FACTS

Houma Police Department Officer Rory Olds gave the following account of the events surrounding the arrest of the defendant for the instant offense. On July 12, 2003, at 7:43 p.m., Officer Olds was notified *621 that an anonymous caller had advised the police that a white male, who appeared to be intoxicated and who might drive away, was getting into a blue truck with a red tailgate at the Shop-n-Bag store near Lafayette Street and Park Avenue. On Park Avenue near Lafayette Street, Officer Olds began following a vehicle fitting the description given by the caller. The vehicle turned onto Belanger Street without violation of any traffic laws, but then parked in a no parking zone. The area had a yellow curb and the words "NO PARKING" were painted in yellow on the roadway in front of the yellow curb. The defendant exited the vehicle, and Officer Olds activated his police emergency lights and approached the defendant. Officer Olds asked the defendant why he had parked in the no parking area, and the defendant stated he was going to speak with someone and would be leaving shortly. Officer Olds detected an odor of alcohol on the defendant's breath. Officer Olds asked the defendant whether he had had anything to drink, and the defendant answered negatively. When asked to produce his driver's license, the defendant indicated the license had been suspended. The defendant failed horizontal-gaze nystagmus, one-leg stand, and walk and turn field sobriety tests. Thereafter, he advised Officer Olds that he (the defendant) was taking "a lot" of medications "for everything." He also indicated he had consumed two beers. An Intoxilyzer breath test registered at .187, and he was arrested for fifth offense DWI. He was also charged with parking in a no parking zone and driving under suspension.

The defendant gave the following account of the events surrounding his arrest for the instant offense. On July 12, 2003, at approximately 6:30 p.m. or 7:10 p.m., he was advised by an employee whom he had recently discharged that the defendant's truck had been left unlocked at the Shop-n-Bag. The defendant walked to the Shop-n-Bag to retrieve his truck. The defendant went into the store, purchased a soda, and left in his truck. He drove behind a police unit and noticed he was being followed by another police unit. The police unit in front of the defendant signaled to turn right and the unit behind the defendant activated its emergency lights. According to the defendant, he attempted to park his vehicle in a legal parking place, but was forced to partially park in the no parking area due to a lack of parking space. He claimed the first thing Officer Olds said to him following the stop was that the police had a tip that he was intoxicated. The defendant denied being asked why he was parking in a no parking area and denied telling Officer Olds that he (the defendant) was going to meet a friend. The defendant claimed he had consumed two or three non-alcoholic beers on the day of his arrest prior to his arrest, and thus responded negatively when Officer Olds initially asked him whether he had been drinking "beer." He also claimed he was taking Plavix, Lipitor, Monopril, Cardarone, Lopressor, aspirin, and nitroglycerine as a result of a heart attack and appendicitis.

MOTION TO SUPPRESS[7]

In assignment of error number one, the defendant contends the trial court erred in denying the motion to suppress the evidence, because there was no corroboration of the anonymous tip, and the stop based on the "no parking" violation was a *622 pretext for the illegal stop; further, the police actions exceeded the bounds necessary for a "no parking" stop and constituted an arrest without probable cause.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, § 5 of the Louisiana Constitution protect people against unreasonable searches and seizures. Measured by this standard, LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 215.1, as well as federal and state jurisprudence, recognizes the right of a law enforcement officer to temporarily detain and interrogate a person whom he reasonably suspects is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a crime. Reasonable suspicion for an investigatory detention is something less than probable cause and must be determined under the specific facts of each case on the basis of whether the officer had sufficient knowledge of facts and circumstances to justify an infringement on the individual's right to be free from governmental interference. State v. Robertson, 97-2960 (La.10/20/98), 721 So.2d 1268, 1269.

As a general matter, the decision to stop an automobile is reasonable where the police have probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred. The standard is a purely objective one that does not take into account the subjective beliefs or expectations of the detaining officer. Although they may serve, and may often appear intended to serve, as a prelude to the investigation of much more serious offenses, even relatively minor traffic violations provide an objective basis for lawfully detaining the vehicle and its occupants. State v. Waters, 00-0356 (La.3/12/01), 780 So.2d 1053, 1056 (per curiam).

The defendant moved to suppress the evidence on the basis of the alleged unconstitutionality of the vehicle stop in this matter. Following a hearing, the motion was denied.

LSA-R.S. 32:143, in pertinent part, provides:

A. No person shall stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or traffic control device, in any of the following places:
* * *
(14) At any place where official signs prohibit such;
* * *

The motion to suppress was properly denied. Officer Olds had probable cause to believe that a traffic violation had occurred in this matter.

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

Related

State of Iowa v. Jasmaine R. Warren
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2021
State of Louisiana v. Gerald W. Dahlem
197 So. 3d 676 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2016)
State v. Dahlem
148 So. 3d 591 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State v. White
68 So. 3d 508 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2011)
State v. Hines
52 So. 3d 1120 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State v. Holden
11 So. 3d 1247 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State v. Dave
994 So. 2d 50 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Loza
973 So. 2d 178 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
State v. Gage
965 So. 2d 592 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
State v. Jones
907 So. 2d 137 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
906 So. 2d 616, 2005 WL 388149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hardeman-lactapp-2005.