State v. Luis M. Rocha-Mayo

2014 WI 57, 848 N.W.2d 832, 355 Wis. 2d 85, 2014 Wisc. LEXIS 660, 2014 WL 3376467
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 11, 2014
Docket2011AP002548-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2014 WI 57 (State v. Luis M. Rocha-Mayo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Luis M. Rocha-Mayo, 2014 WI 57, 848 N.W.2d 832, 355 Wis. 2d 85, 2014 Wisc. LEXIS 660, 2014 WL 3376467 (Wis. 2014).

Opinions

N. PATRICK CROOKS, J.

¶ 1. This is a review of an unpublished court of appeals decision that upheld Luis M. Rocha-Mayo's convictions for first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, first-degree reckless endangerment by use of a dangerous weapon, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license causing death to another person.1 The convictions stem from a high-speed collision involving Rocha-Mayo's car and two motorcycles. The collision resulted in the death of one motorcyclist as well as injuries to Rocha-Mayo.

¶ 2. During trial, the State introduced the preliminary breath test (PBT) result obtained from Rocha-Mayo by an emergency room (ER) nurse for diagnostic [88]*88purposes. The Kenosha County Circuit Court, the Honorable Wilbur W Warren III presiding, utilized Wis JI — Criminal 11852 in instructing the jury on the PBT result. Over Rocha-Mayo's objection, the State also offered testimony from Dr. William Falco, an ER physician who treated Rocha-Mayo. The physician testified that Rocha-Mayo appeared to be intoxicated at the time he was undergoing treatment in the ER.

¶ 3. Rocha-Mayo asks this court to review three issues. First, whether Wisconsin statutes governing breath alcohol testing allow admission of a PBT result as evidence of intoxication in operating while intoxicated (OWI) related trials when the results are not [89]*89obtained by law enforcement. Second, whether the circuit court improperly instructed the jury in regard to the PBT result. Third, whether the circuit court erred in allowing an ER physician to testify that Rocha-Mayo appeared intoxicated while being treated in the ER. The State asserts that the circuit court did not err in any regard. In the alternative, the State contends that any circuit court error was harmless.

¶ 4. Since we conclude that this case can and should be resolved by application of a harmless error analysis, we assume, without deciding, that the circuit court erred when it allowed the State to admit, as evidence, the PBT result obtained by a medical professional for diagnostic purposes. Likewise, we assume, without deciding, that the circuit court erred under these circumstances in utilizing Wis JI — Criminal 1185 to instruct the jury on its use of the PBT evidence. We conclude, however, that the circuit court did exercise appropriate discretion when it allowed Dr. Falco to testify that, based on his observations and medical experience, Rocha-Mayo was intoxicated while undergoing treatment in the ER. We agree with the court of appeals that "[t]he legal concept at issue was whether Rocha-Mayo was under the influence of an intoxicant at the time he operated the motor vehicle."3 Dr. Falco's testimony related only to his observations of Rocha-Mayo in the ER, and he did not testify about Rocha-Mayo's driving ability on the night of the accident. In fact, Dr. Falco specifically testified that he could not give any indication of Rocha-Mayo's level of intoxication at the time of the accident.

[90]*90¶ 5. Although we assume without deciding that the circuit court erred in admitting the PBT result as evidence and in instructing the jury in regard to the PBT, we conclude that these alleged errors were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Even without the PBT evidence, the jury heard evidence of Rocha-Mayo's level of intoxication from witnesses and from Rocha-Mayo himself. Rocha-Mayo admitted that he consumed two or three beers at home and an additional five or six beers at a bar, and that he was drinking alcohol in his car just prior to the collision. Dr. Falco and Steven Edwards, an ER nurse, testified that they could smell alcohol on Rocha-Mayo's breath in the ER. Finally, Dr. Falco testified that Rocha-Mayo appeared to be intoxicated while being treated in the ER. We therefore conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that any error by the circuit court did not contribute to the verdict.

I. Background

¶ 6. At trial, the facts leading up to the collision were disputed. We discuss only those facts relevant to our decision.

¶ 7. On June 22, 2008, Rocha-Mayo left El Rodeo,4 a bar in Kenosha, Wisconsin, at approximately 2:00 a.m., around the time of the bar's closing.5 He left the bar in his vehicle and started traveling west on 52nd Street. Shortly after leaving the bar, Rocha-Mayo encountered three motorcyclists. One of the motorcycles in the group also carried a passenger.

[91]*91¶ 8. At that point, the descriptions of what happened diverge; however, a road-rage type incident unfolded in which Rocha-Mayo and the motorcyclists were driving within close proximity to one another. At one point one of the motorcyclists threw a metal baton through Rocha-Mayo's rear window. The motorcycle carrying two people turned off of 52nd Street. The other two motorcyclists and Rocha-Mayo continued traveling on 52nd Street at high rates of speed upwards of 70 miles per hour (mph).

¶ 9. At the intersection of 52nd Street and Green Bay Road, Rocha-Mayo's vehicle struck one of the motorcycles. That motorcyclist later died of his injuries. The other motorcyclist was uninjured and left the scene of the accident. Rocha-Mayo also sustained injuries and was taken to St. Catherine's Medical Center.

¶ 10. Dr. Falco and Edwards attended to Rocha-Mayo in the ER and examined him for a possible head injury. Dr. Falco and Edwards both testified that they could smell alcohol on Rocha-Mayo's breath. Dr. Falco also testified that he observed Rocha-Mayo talking rapidly on his phone upon arrival, and that Rocha-Mayo had a diminished memory of the accident. Rocha-Mayo also told Dr. Falco that he had been drinking alcohol.

¶ 11. Due to these observations, Dr. Falco ordered Edwards to test Rocha-Mayo's breath for the presence of alcohol to determine whether Rocha-Mayo's symptoms might be alcohol-related. Edwards performed the PBT and recorded a result of 0.086.6

[92]*92¶ 12. Rocha-Mayo sought to exclude the PBT test result from his trial. He argued that Wis. Stat. § 343.3037 prohibits the use of PBT results in OWI-related trials. The circuit court denied his motion to suppress the result. The circuit court reasoned that Wis. Stat. § 343.303 must be read in its entirety, and that the plain language of the statute applies to PBT results obtained by law enforcement. Therefore, the circuit court found that the PBT result was admissible because it was taken by a medical professional for diagnostic purposes. In addition, the PBT was not taken at the direction of, or at the request of, law enforcement. The circuit court pointed out that no law enforcement officers were present in the ER at the time Edwards administered the PBT.

¶ 13. Rocha-Mayo proceeded to trial on the charges of first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, and first-degree reckless endangerment by use of a dangerous weapon. Before trial, he pleaded guilty to the charge of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license causing death to another person.

¶ 14.

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

Related

State v. Kristine L. Buttke
Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2021
State v. Erick O. Magett
2014 WI 67 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Luis M. Rocha-Mayo
2014 WI 57 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2014 WI 57, 848 N.W.2d 832, 355 Wis. 2d 85, 2014 Wisc. LEXIS 660, 2014 WL 3376467, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-luis-m-rocha-mayo-wis-2014.