STATE v. NELSON

2015 OK CR 10, 356 P.3d 1113, 2015 WL 5515527
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 18, 2015
DocketS-2014-924
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 2015 OK CR 10 (STATE v. NELSON) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
STATE v. NELSON, 2015 OK CR 10, 356 P.3d 1113, 2015 WL 5515527 (Okla. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinions

OPINION

HUDSON, Judge.

{1 Appellant, the State of Oklahoma, charged Appellee Nathan Charles Nelson in Tulsa County District Court, Cage No. CM-2014-1815, with Obstructing an Officer (Count 1), in violation of 21 0.8.2011, § 540; Resisting an Officer (Count 2), in violation of 21 0.8.2011, § 268; Failure to Carry Insur[1115]*1115ance/Security Verification Form (Count 3), in violation of 47 O.8.Supp.20183, § 7-606; and Failure to Signal (Count 4), in violation of 47 0.8.2011, § 11-604. Appellee filed a Motion to Quash Illegal Arrest and Detention on September 28, 2014. A hearing on Appel-lee's motion was held on October 1, 2014, and October 22, 2014. At the conclusion of the hearing, Special Judge Bill Hiddle granted Appellee's motion and suppressed all evidence resulting from the traffic stop. Appellant, the State of Oklahoma, now appeals, raising the following issues:

I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DETERMINING THAT THERE WAS NO REASONABLE SUSPICION TO STOP THE VEHICLE.
II THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT EXTENDED THE LIMITED COMMON LAW RIGHT TO RESIST AN ILLEGAL ARREST TO ALLOW MOTORISTS TO WALK AWAY FROM A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN THE ORIGINAL BASIS FOR THE STOP WAS LATER RULED TO BE INVALID.
III. SINCE THE LIMITED RIGHT TO RESIST AN ILLEGAL ARREST IS NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY APPLYING THE EXCLUSIONARY REMEDY TO THE RESISTING ARREST CHARGE. -
IV. DECISIONS TO OBSTRUCT THE TRAFFIC STOP AND THEN RESIST ARREST FOR OBSTRUCTION ARE SEPARATE CRIMINAL ACTS THAT DO NOT CONSTITUTE FRUIT OF THE POISONOUS TREE OF THE STOP AND THEREFORE THE EXCLUSIONARY RULE DOES NOT APPLY TO THE CHARGES OF OBSTRUCTION AND RESISTING ARREST. °
V. THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT PLACED THE ONUS ON THE STATE TO REMEDY THE CONSEQUENCES OF APPELLEF'S FAILURE TO FILE A MOTION THAT COMPLIED WITH OKLAHOMA LAW AFTER THE TRIAL COURT DETERMINED THAT APPEL-LEE'S MOTION VIOLATED 12 0.8. RULE 4.

2 We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 22 0.8.2011, § 1053(5), After thorough consideration of the entire record before us on appeal, including the original record, tran-seripts, and briefs of the parties, we REVERSE the district court's order in part for reasons discussed below.

BACKGROUND _

3 The October 1, 2014 hearing on Appel-lee's motion to quash was very brief as Special Judge Hiddle essentially terminated the hearing shortly after Officer Turnbough took the stand. The State presented one witness, Officer Tyler Turnbough. Officer Turn-bough conducted the- traffic stop at issue herein on March 19, 2014, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The testimony relating to the traffic stop was as follows:

Q. [By Prosecutor Keller] Why did you pull this car over?
A. [Turnbough] We observed the driver fail to signal his intentions as he was turning left into a parking lot.
Q. Okay. And at that point what happened next?
A. We conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The vehicle parked. The two occupants exited the vehicle and we made contact with the driver and the passenger.
Q. Do you see the driver in the courtroom today?
A. Yes.
Q. Would you please tell the Court where he's seated and what he's wearing?
A. He's in the gallery wearing a cream-colored polo.
MR. KELLER: May the record reflect the witness has identified the defendant?
THE, COURT: The record will so reflect.
Q. (BY MR, KELLER) What happened next? ‘
THE COURT: Do you care what happened next?
MR. HENSON [Defense Counsel]: I really don't care what happened after that, Your Honor.
[1116]*1116THE COURT: I assume after that you arrested, or may I-
MR. HENSON: Yep. By all means, Your Honor, please.
THE COURT: That you found that the driver didn't have insurance and in one way or another you cited him for obstruetion and resisting. Is that right?
THE WITNESS: Correct.
THE COURT: And took him to jail?
THE WITNESS: Correct.
THE COURT:; All right. else? Anything
MR. KELLER: Umm, based on that
[[Image here]]
THE COURT: You got all-you got the rest of the day if you to [sic] want [to] take it, Mr. Keller. I'm not rushing you: I just-I have an inclining of where Mr. Henson is going, so ...

14 Thereafter, the prosecutor essentially made only two final inquiries of Officer Turn-bough before passing him as a witness,. The prosecutor questioned Officer Turnbough regarding "whether or not defendant could turn into this parking lot with reasonable safety", to which the officer replied, "[yles." The prosecutor also inquired "[wlas there any traffic on that road", to which the Officer Turnbough replied, "[olnly his vehicle and us.”

T5 The remaining events which form the basis for Appellee's arrest and misdemeanor charges can be gleaned from Officer Turn-bough's probable cause affidavit. Following the stop, Appellee along with another ocen-pant exited the vehicle. Appellee, upon request, was unable to provide proof of valid insurance. While another officer was in the process of citing Appellee for these traffic infractions, Appellee attempted to walk away from the traffic stop. Officer Turnbough ordered Appellee to stop, but Appellee continued to walk away from the scene. Officer Turnbough then positioned himself in Appel-lee's direct path and ordered Appellee to return to his car. Appellee replied, "I can go wherever I want, and you can't stop me." As a result, Officer Turnbough physically restrained Appellee, having to push Appellee back toward the site of the stop. During this struggle, Appellee turned around to face Officer Turnbough. Turnbough directed Ap-pellee to turn back around and put his hands behind his back. While Appellee initially complied, he immediately pulled away as Officer Turnbough was attempting to handcuff him. Another officer then stepped in to help facilitate the arrest. Appellee's attempt to avoid being restrained included pulling his hands away and attempting to lie on his hands.

T6 During the brief hearing on October 1, 2014, Special Judge Hiddle made reference to a case he clearly found to be dispositive in the matter. While defense counsel apparentty was aware of "the case", the State was not. The State thus requested an opportunity to review and possibly respond to this case before the trial court ruled on Appellee's motion. The trial court granted the State's request and the hearing was concluded. -It is clear from the October 22, 2014 hearing tran-seript that Johnson v. State, 2013 OK CR 12, 308 P.3d 1053 was "the case" the trial court was referencing.

17 The State filed its Response to Defendant's Motion to Quash Illegal Arrest and Detention on October 21, 2014. Notable within its response the State asserted that Officer Turnbough effectuated the initial traffic stop pursuant to a Tulsa municipal ordinance.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2015 OK CR 10, 356 P.3d 1113, 2015 WL 5515527, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-nelson-oklacrimapp-2015.