State v. Mumford

688 S.E.2d 458, 201 N.C. App. 594, 2010 N.C. App. LEXIS 35
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 5, 2010
DocketNo. COA09-300
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 688 S.E.2d 458 (State v. Mumford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Mumford, 688 S.E.2d 458, 201 N.C. App. 594, 2010 N.C. App. LEXIS 35 (N.C. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

HUNTER, JR., Robert N., Judge.

Aubrey Alberto Mumford (“defendant”) appeals from judgments entered on jury verdicts of guilty of misdemeanor hit and run and five [595]*595counts of felony serious injury by vehicle. After review, we hold that the trial court erred in accepting inconsistent verdicts of not guilty of driving while impaired and guilty of felony serious injury by vehicle. The former is a statutory element of the latter. Therefore, we vacate the verdicts.

I. Factual Background

On 8 June 2007, a high school graduation party was held at a home on a two-lane highway in Greene County. Partygoers parked cars on both sides of the road near the home. Sometime after the party began, Captain Robert Davenport (“Captain Davenport”) arrived after receiving complaints from neighbors, whereupon he asked the hosts to turn down the music volume. After Captain Davenport left, uninvited guests arrived, resulting in several altercations. Gunfire erupted and partygoers began leaving the party and walking in the road.

About the time the gunfire erupted, a Cadillac, driven by defendant, approached that part of the road used by the departing partygoers. After defendant’s car was hit by a bullet, his car struck Devarus Smith, Jordan Smith, Keendran Tyson, Rosslin Becton, and Rodney Lee Wilkes causing severe injuries requiring hospitalization.

Responding to a call for help, Captain Davenport returned to the scene at 12:36 a.m. with Trooper Billy Ron Beamon (“Trooper Beamon”). Their accident report indicates that the collisions occurred at 12:31 a.m. The officers assisted victims, requested emergency medical personnel, and then began a criminal investigation of the scene. The officers found shell casings from a .9 millimeter handgun, a Cadillac hood ornament, and pieces of a vehicle grill on the road near where the vehicle hit the victims.

Subsequently, Deputy Sheriff Jason Spencer located the Cadillac at defendant’s grandmother’s home. Deputy Sheriff Spencer noticed that a large portion of the grill and the hood ornament were missing, and bullet holes were in the back window area of the driver’s side of the vehicle, near the muffler. Deputy Sheriff Spencer also found a beer bottle top inside the Cadillac. Captain Davenport and Trooper Beamon were notified that a suspect, Aubrey Alberto Mumford, defendant, was in custody at the Sheriff’s office. When Captain Davenport arrived at the Sheriff’s office at 2:30 a.m., he advised defendant of his Miranda rights.

[596]*596Trooper Beamon concluded that defendant was impaired based on the strong odor of alcohol coming from defendant while he was in custody. Authorities placed defendant under arrest for driving while impaired and asked defendant to take an intoxilyzer test. Trooper Beamon advised defendant of his chemical analysis rights at 3:28 a.m. After a fifteen-minute observation period, defendant blew a .09 alcohol blood level at 3:47 a.m. After the intoxilyzer results recorded, defendant was informed of his results and taken to the magistrate’s office where Trooper Beamon charged defendant with felony hit and run, driving while impaired, and driving while license revoked. Defendant was processed and released to the county jail after being formally charged by the magistrate.

On 9 June 2007, after being advised of his Miranda rights, defendant gave a written statement to Captain Davenport. Defendant stated that at 6:00 p.m. the previous day, he was at home having a 32-ounce beer when he received a call from his cousin who told defendant to come to his grandmother’s house. Defendant left his home and drove to his grandmother’s house, stopping to buy another 32-ounce beer along the way. He stayed briefly at his grandmother’s house and left to make another stop at another person’s home where he had a shot of liquor. Defendant then went to the barber shop where he took two swallows from the beer that he had purchased earlier.

After defendant left the barber shop and was on the way back to his grandmother’s house, defendant came upon a large crowd of people standing in the road. Defendant was driving about 50 m.p.h. and had on his low beam headlights when he noticed the people in the road. Defendant said he slammed on the brakes. In addition, defendant stated he saw a man go under his car and felt the car run over the man. Defendant said he was going to get out of his car, but someone began shooting at him. He then laid in the seat and pressed the gas pedal. After the incident, defendant returned to his grandmother’s house and took two or three big swallows of the beer he purchased earlier and put it back in the car. Defendant then began walking down the street until a police officer took him in custody.

On 3 March 2008, defendant was charged in an indictment with the following: (1) one count of felony hit and run; (2) five counts of felony serious injury by vehicle while engaged in the offense of impaired driving; (3) one count of driving while impaired; and (4) one count of driving while license revoked. Defendant pled guilty to driving while license revoked prior to trial. On 8 September 2008, [597]*597defendant stood trial for the 3 March 2008 indictment in Greene County Superior Court.

At trial, Trooper Beamon testified that he was aware that defendant consumed alcohol after the accident, but that two or three big swallows of beer was not enough to account for defendant’s elevated alcohol level. Trooper Beamon projected, based upon the tests he administered, that if at the time of the test defendant’s alcohol level was .09, then three hours earlier, at the time of the incident, his alcohol level would have been .15. Further, Trooper Beamon testified that he ran a DMV record check that showed defendant’s license was permanently suspended. Defendant’s DMV record was identified as State’s exhibit “28” and the State introduced the record into evidence based on Trooper Beamon’s testimony. When the court asked defendant’s trial counsel if there was any objection to the admission of the exhibit, trial counsel stated that the matter had been stipulated and defendant pled guilty to the driving while license revoked charge before trial. Evidence of defendant’s driving record which was produced at trial showed numerous violations and suspensions for failure to appear, as well as convictions for driving without a license and driving while his license was revoked.

The court followed the pattern jury instructions on felony serious injury by vehicle and gave the jury separate instructions on impaired driving, the second element of felony serious injury by vehicle. With regard to felony serious injury by vehicle, the jury instructions provided, in pertinent part, the following:

The Defendant has been charged with five counts of felonious serious injury by vehicle. For you to find the Defendant guilty of this offense, the State must prove four things beyond a reasonable doubt. First, that the Defendant was driving a vehicle. Second, that he was driving the vehicle upon a highway or street within the state. Third, that at the time the Defendant was driving that vehicle he was under the influence of an impairing substance.
Alcohol is an impairing substance.

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

Related

State v. Mumford
699 S.E.2d 911 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
688 S.E.2d 458, 201 N.C. App. 594, 2010 N.C. App. LEXIS 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mumford-ncctapp-2010.