State v. Phyllis Jean Whittington

401 S.W.3d 263, 2013 WL 820413, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 6, 2013
Docket04-12-00365-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 401 S.W.3d 263 (State v. Phyllis Jean Whittington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Phyllis Jean Whittington, 401 S.W.3d 263, 2013 WL 820413, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by:

Catherine STONE, Chief Justice.

Phyllis Whittington was charged with driving while intoxicated. After a hearing, the trial court granted Whittington’s mo *267 tion to suppress evidence of the arrest and the patrol-car videotape. On appeal, the State challenges the trial court’s rulings regarding: (1) the point at which Whitting-ton was arrested; (2) the identification and corroboration of the informant; and (3) the existence of probable cause to arrest Whit-tington. Because we reverse the trial court’s determination on the timing of Whittington’s arrest, we will remand to the trial court to address the State’s third issue of whether probable cause existed after the field sobriety tests were administered.

Background

This appeal stems from a collision involving Whittington and Michael Huddle-ston. Around 9:00 p.m. one evening, Huddleston’s vehicle approached behind Whittington’s black Lexus sports utility vehicle (SUV), which was stopped in the roadway for no apparent reason. Huddle-ston stopped several yards behind Whit-tington’s SUV. Whittington then began to reverse and, despite his honking, hit Hud-dleston’s car. Whittington seemed unaware of the collision and drove away. Huddleston followed and called the pólice. The police dispatcher told Huddleston to continue following the SUV, so he did.

During this time, Officer Dutchover was dispatched to the 1300 block of Park Street regarding a two-vehicle accident. Officer Dutchover’s incident report 1 stated dispatch related that a caller driving a 2009 Mercedes with license plate CV5X222 had been hit by a black SUV with license plate CV5252, and that the SUV was attempting to flee the accident scene. Officer Dutchover’s report also stated dispatch advised him that the SUV pulled into the driveway of a house at 1312 Park Street. Officers Dutchover and Haas soon arrived at the residence and found Whittington in the driver’s seat of a black Lexus SUV parked in the driveway. Huddleston was parked across the street from the residence when the officers arrived, but the officers had not yet identified him as the caller.

Upon his arrival, 2 Officer Dutchover immediately approached Whittington’s vehicle, identified himself, and asked, “Were you in a wreck?” Whittington responded that she was not. Nonetheless, Officer Dutchover informed Whittington that she was involved in a collision and that she did not stop afterward. Whittington continued to deny any involvement in an accident. After repeated attempts to obtain her proof of insurance, Officer Dutchover asked Whittington how many alcoholic beverages she had to drink that night. Whittington replied that she had two drinks around 4:00, but denied having consumed any alcohol within the hour. He advised Whittington that there was a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, and she laughed and said “yeah.” Still trying to produce her proof of insurance, she handed him a map instead of her insurance *268 card. After he told her he needed her proof of insurance, not a map, she asked, “What are we looking for?” Officer Dutchover again stated that he needed her proof of insurance. Whittington then laughed and said her boyfriend was going to be mad at her “because ... you know how boyfriends are, they don’t think you should go out ... work related.” Shortly thereafter, Whittington found her insurance card.

After obtaining her proof of insurance, Officer Dutchover told Whittington to “just sit tight” because he needed to talk to Officer Haas for a minute. Whittington inquired, “But who is that guy?” (She was likely referring to Huddleston, who was still parked across from her driveway.) The officers can vaguely be heard talking to each other and, after some chat that cannot be deciphered, Officer Dutchover asked Officer Haas, “Was there a wreck? Are you sure this is the right house?” To help resolve the matter, Officer Dutchover contacted the dispatcher and asked where the other party was. The dispatcher said the caller was in a black SUV, and she communicated that the caller was stating the female who hit him was walking into the house at the address of 1312 Park Street and was driving a 1999 black Lexus. Officer Dutchover responded that he was with the female but still needed to know where the other party was. After again asking the dispatcher about the caller’s location, it sounds as though Huddleston, who was sitting in his car near the curb, honked his horn. As a result, Officer Haas walked over to Huddleston’s car and began a discussion with him, while also inspecting the car for damage.

Meanwhile, Officer Dutchover instructed Whittington to step out and come to the back of her vehicle, advising her that she could lean on the rear of the car for support. Officer Dutchover inquired about some damage to the rear of her vehicle, and she stated it was already there. Officer Dutchover asked for WTiittington’s keys and requested that she have a seat in her vehicle because she was unsteady on her feet. She denied being unsteady. A few seconds later, Officer Haas communicated something to Officer. Dutchover, but we cannot decipher what was said. However, immediately after this communication, Officer Dutchover told WTiittington the person she hit was “right there.” 3 WTiittington inquired about where she hit Huddleston, and Officer Dutchover answered that he was getting the information.

Before moving his car in a position to record WTiittington perform field sobriety tests, Officer Dutchover stated: “Do not go inside, stay right there where you’re at, ... do not move, okay?” WTiittington replied, “I’m not going to move.” This exchange is the key moment in dispute on appeal. Officer Dutchover then moved his car and, while doing so, stated on the video that WTiittington “appears to be under the influence of alcohol, is staggering, has a staggered walk, leaning on the vehicle for support, almost stumbled, slurred speech, is fumbling, when I asked for her information, ... she handed me a map.... ” After moving his vehicle, Officer Dutchover had WTiittington exit her vehicle, and he administered three field sobriety tests — the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test, the walk and turn test, and the one leg stand test. WTiittington was giggling during these tests and did not appear nervous, worried, or otherwise bothered. After showing signs of intoxication during the tests, WTiittington was formally arrested and transported to the police station.

*269 Prior to trial, Whittington filed a motion to suppress the videotape and evidence of the arrest. Huddleston and Officer Dutch-over testified at the hearing. After hearing the testimony and considering the evidence, including the videotape, the trial court granted Whittington’s motion to suppress. Upon the State’s request, the trial court made the following findings of fact:

A. The Kerrville Police Department received a call from an unidentified caller regarding an automobile accident.
B. The caller was not identified until after the arrest of the Defendant.
C.

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Bluebook (online)
401 S.W.3d 263, 2013 WL 820413, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-phyllis-jean-whittington-texapp-2013.