State v. Pettyjohn

436 N.W.2d 65, 1988 WL 147408
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 10, 1989
Docket87-953
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 436 N.W.2d 65 (State v. Pettyjohn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Pettyjohn, 436 N.W.2d 65, 1988 WL 147408 (iowactapp 1989).

Opinions

HABHAB, Judge.

The defendant was the driver of one of the cars in a two-car crash that resulted in the death of the other driver. The defendant was charged with both OWI and homicide by vehicle. A jury found him guilty of both offenses, and the trial court sentenced him to one year incarceration for OWI and five years for homicide by vehicle, the sentences to run concurrently.

On appeal, the defendant assigns error to the trial court on three grounds. Our review is, therefore, on assigned errors of law. The decisions by the trial court will be upheld if supported by substantial evidence. Iowa R.App.P. 14(f)(1).

I. The defendant’s first contention is that the trial court erred when it overruled his motion for a mistrial after two of State’s witnesses used the word “reckless” in their testimony. Prior to trial, the district court had granted the defendant’s motion to prevent witnesses from using the word “reckless” because recklessness is one of the elements of homicide by vehicle. Despite the prosecutor’s apparent compliance with this ruling, two witnesses referred to the defendant's driving as reckless. The defendant made no objection the first time, but moved for a mistrial after the second occurrence.

The district court overruled that motion but ordered the testimony in question stricken from the record and instructed the jury to disregard it. The defendant now argues that these corrective measures did not suffice, that the testimony about “reckless driving” created indelible prejudice in the jurors’ minds, and that the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to grant a mistrial.

We find that the witnesses’ unsolicited reference to the defendant’s “reckless” driving was cured by the trial court’s prompt admonition to the jury to disregard the witnesses’ opinion. The trial court carefully considered the effect of the statement on the jury and concluded that the defendant was not denied a fair trial. The ruling was reasonable in light of the record and did not constitute an abuse of the trial court’s discretion.

II. The defendant next urges that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence of his refusal, under section 321J.6, to take a blood or urine test after the accident. Subsequent to that refusal, blood was taken from him pursuant to an oral search warrant under section 321J.10 of the Code.

The trial court, after ruling that a procedural error under section 321J.10 invalidated the search warrant, granted the defendant’s motion to suppress the results of the blood test. The court, however, denied defendant’s motion to suppress evidence of his refusal to be tested. He now contends that suppression of the one necessarily triggers suppression of the other. We disagree.

The State argues that a procedural error in the issuing of a warrant under Iowa Code section 321J.10 has no effect on the admissibility of evidence previously acquired under the provisions of the implied consent law. Iowa Code § 321J.6 (1987). In this regard, the defendant admits that the “present issue arose out of the warrant procedure ..., rather than out of the implied consent law_” Moreover, the de[67]*67fendant does not claim there was a flaw in the administration of the section 321J.6 implied consent procedure.

It is agreed that the trial court acted properly when it suppressed the results of the blood tests for there was a failure to comply with section 321J.10. That section in part provides: “1. Refusal to consent to a test under 321J.6 does not prohibit the withdrawal of a specimen for chemical testing pursuant to a search warrant issued in the investigation of a suspected violation of section 707.5 if all of the following grounds exist....” There then follows the various grounds that must exist before the section can be employed; and the procedure that must be followed if a telephonic request is made.

In claiming that the trial court acted properly in suppressing the blood test, the defendant points to the Constitution of the United States and that of the State of Iowa which prohibit unreasonable searches and seizures. U.S. Const. Amend. IV; Iowa Const. Art. 1, Sec. 8. He then argues that where the requesting party and the issuing magistrate fair to comply with the procedures outlined in section 321J.10 and nonetheless take a blood specimen, that the specimen must be suppressed, for unreasonable searches and seizures “mandate a broad application of the exclusionary rule.”

The defendant follows through by contending, we presume under the exclusionary rule, that the evidence of his refusal to take the test under section 321J.6 should be excluded because it was tainted by the improperly acquired search warrant. We disagree.

We- agree the exclusionary rule excludes evidence obtained by an unreasonable search and seizure. Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961). But the evidence of defendant’s refusal to submit to the blood test was not acquired as a result of an unreasonable search and seizure. That evidence was obtained prior to the taking of the blood. Thus, the exclusionary rule does not apply.

The defendant correctly cites us to two cases where our supreme court held that the evidence of a defendant’s refusal to consent is not admissible if the results of the tests are inadmissible. State v. Jensen, 216 N.W.2d 369, 372 (Iowa 1974); State v. Hall, 203 N.W.2d 375 (Iowa 1973). These cases, however, involve flaws in the procedure for invoking implied consent. Id.

The cases cited by the defendant are not applicable here because the defendant’s refusal to submit to a blood test was properly acquired pursuant to the procedures outlined in Iowa Code section 321J.6 (1987). The Jensen and Hall cases hold that where implied consent procedures are properly followed, the refusal to submit to a chemical test is admissible in any criminal action arising out of acts alleged to have been committed while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. State v. Jensen, 216 N.W.2d at 372; State v. Hall, 203 N.W.2d at 375-76. We find no error here.

III. Defendant’s last argument is that the trial court committed reversible error by sentencing the defendant on both the conviction for homicide by vehicle and the conviction for the lesser-included offense of operating while intoxicated. The defendant was charged under Count I of the trial information with operating while intoxicated and under Count II with homicide by vehicle. Both charges arose from a single incident. The defendant made timely contentions that he could not be convicted on both charges, as operating while intoxicated is a lesser-included offense of homicide by vehicle. He made these contentions through a motion to dismiss one count of the trial information and through motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment. These motions were overruled by the trial court.

A person commits the offense of operating while intoxicated if he operates a motor vehicle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or drug, or while having an alcohol concentration of .1 or more. Iowa § 321J.2(1) (1987).

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Bluebook (online)
436 N.W.2d 65, 1988 WL 147408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-pettyjohn-iowactapp-1989.