State v. Parker

668 P.2d 1319, 35 Wash. App. 650, 1983 Wash. App. LEXIS 2823
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedSeptember 6, 1983
DocketNo. 10651-1-I
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 668 P.2d 1319 (State v. Parker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Parker, 668 P.2d 1319, 35 Wash. App. 650, 1983 Wash. App. LEXIS 2823 (Wash. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

Scholfield, J.

Patrick Olin Parker appeals his jury conviction for attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle pursuant to RCW 46.61.0241 (the "felony flight" statute). Ten assignments of error present four issues for decision. We affirm the trial court.

The State presented evidence from which the jury could find that on May 28, 1980, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a uniformed Seattle police officer driving a marked police car attempted to stop Parker for a traffic violation by pursuing him northbound on Aurora Avenue with emergency lights and siren in operation. Another uniformed police officer, driving a similarly marked police car and proceeding southbound on Aurora Avenue, also attempted to stop Parker by pulling his police vehicle partially into the northbound traffic lanes. Parker evaded the blocking car by driving around it and continued north on Aurora Avenue with the two police vehicles in pursuit.

Over the next approximately 4V& miles, Parker drove his automobile in a manner strongly indicating he was attempting to elude the police vehicles. Two police officers and one civilian witness provided substantial evidence Parker drove through several red lights without stopping, narrowly avoided head-on collisions with other vehicles, drove dangerously close to pedestrians, and was weaving in and out of traffic at speeds as high as 80 m.p.h.

Parker was finally stopped when his car struck an embankment and stalled. He exited his vehicle, but had to be forced down off the embankment by a police officer. Parker had an odor of alcohol on his breath and exhibited signs of being under the influence. He struggled with police [652]*652officers at the time of his arrest. Parker was taken to the Wallingford police station, informed of his Miranda rights and asked to submit to a Breathalyzer examination. He asked to make a telephone call to his attorney but was told the paper work should be completed first. He refused to sign the form agreeing to the Breathalyzer, and was then allowed to place two telephone calls in an attempt to reach an attorney.

In his testimony, Parker did not deny the State's evidence, but testified that he had no memory of the erratic and dangerous driving described by the witnesses. He testified that he drank two drinks of Scotch whiskey with business acquaintances early in the evening and then drove to the home of a friend where he consumed one bourbon and Coke. He described his reaction to the bourbon and Coke as being like a reaction to a drug, and that when he felt the effects of this third drink, his only thought was to get to his home. His next recollection was rolling down the embankment with a police officer. He also testified the defroster on his car was not functioning and he had difficulty seeing out the windows.

Parker first contends he was denied equal protection of the law as guaranteed by U.S. Const, amend. 14, § 1 and Const, art. 1, § 12 because he was punished for a felony when the State could have charged him with several misdemeanor offenses. Parker argues that RCW 46.61.020, which proscribes a motorist's failure to stop his vehicle when signaled by a police officer to do so, and RCW 46.61.500, which proscribes driving a car with "wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property", contain the same elements that make up the "felony flight" statute, and that equal protection is denied when the prosecutor has discretion to charge the same conduct as either a misdemeanor or a felony.

State v. Sherman, 98 Wn.2d 53, 61-62, 653 P.2d 612 (1982) rejected the same contention, involving the same three statutes:

[653]*653Sherman attempts to compare the felony flight offense with two separate misdemeanor offenses. While it is unreasonable and unconstitutional to provide different punishment for the same acts, it is reasonable and constitutional to provide greater punishment for two acts occurring in sequence than would be given if each act occurred in isolation. The Legislature might logically conclude greater punishment is deserved when a person willfully fails to stop upon police command and drives with willful and wanton disregard for others while eluding the police than when a person on separate occasions drives recklessly and fails to stop when signaled by police. Willful and wanton disregard while eluding the police has a cumulative effect, which heightens public interest and warrants more severe punishment.
. . . [A]n analysis of the elements leads to the conclusion the felony flight statute has more elements than each misdemeanor statute.

We reach the same conclusion here. Charging Parker under the felony flight statute did not deny him equal protection of the law.

Parker next contends the trial judge erred in refusing to instruct the jury on reckless driving as a lesser included offense. Two conditions must be satisfied for a defendant to obtain a lesser included offense instruction. As stated in State v. Bower, 28 Wn. App. 704, 709, 626 P.2d 39 (1981):

First, each element of the lesser offense must be a necessary element of the greater offense so that it is impossible to commit the greater offense without also committing the lesser offense. Second, the evidence in the case must support an inference that only the lesser offense was committed.

It is impossible to drive with the "wanton and wilful disregard" prohibited by the felony flight statute without driving with the "wilful or wanton disregard" which is the gravamen of reckless driving. Reckless driving is, therefore, an element in felony flight and is a lesser included offense in a prosecution for felony flight.

While it would have been proper for the trial judge to instruct on reckless driving as a lesser included offense, [654]*654it does not necessarily follow that failure to so instruct constitutes reversible error. In this case, the trial judge correctly instructed the jury on the elements of felony flight, and Parker does not claim that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction on that charge.

Where the issues on the greater offense are fairly tried and the jury finds the defendant guilty of the greater offense, the failure to instruct on a lesser included offense can be harmless error. This is particularly true where it is clear that the defendant's theory of defense had to be considered and rejected by the jury in order to reach its verdict of guilty on the greater offense. State v. Calhoun, 60 Wn.2d 488, 374 P.2d 555 (1962); State v. Baker, 69 Wash. 589, 125 P. 1016 (1912).

In State v. Kroll, 87 Wn.2d 829, 558 P.2d 173 (1976), the defendant was convicted of first degree murder. The court's instructions on second degree murder as a lesser included offense were erroneous. In finding the error harmless, the court said:

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Related

State v. Parker
683 P.2d 189 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
668 P.2d 1319, 35 Wash. App. 650, 1983 Wash. App. LEXIS 2823, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-parker-washctapp-1983.