State v. Pieper

432 N.W.2d 701, 1988 Iowa App. LEXIS 278, 1988 WL 129606
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 28, 1988
DocketNo. 87-1488
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 432 N.W.2d 701 (State v. Pieper) 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. Pieper, 432 N.W.2d 701, 1988 Iowa App. LEXIS 278, 1988 WL 129606 (iowactapp 1988).

Opinion

SACKETT, Judge.

Defendant-Appellant Mark Stephen Pieper appeals his conviction following a jury trial of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in violation of Iowa Code section 321.281 (1985). Defendant contends (1) the State withheld exculpatory evidence, (2) he was denied his right to a disposition by the trial court’s delay in ruling on his motion for new trial, (3) he should have been granted a new trial because of newly discovered evidence, (4) the prosecutor was guilty of misconduct, and (5) there is insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction.

Defendant was charged after he collided with a parked car belonging to Alan Love. At the time of the collision defendant was traveling south and the Love car was parked on the west shoulder facing north. The Love vehicle had stopped to assist another vehicle in the west ditch. Defendant approaching from the south swerved onto the west shoulder and collided head-on with the vehicle. The accident happened about 10:00 p.m. Defendant was rendered unconscious. Defendant was taken to the hospital by ambulance, treated and released. Defendant was taken to the Law Enforcement Center. From 11:08 to 11:12 p.m., defendant was instructed to walk a line, count and perform other balance tests. These tests were not conducted to the satisfaction of the officer in charge. At 11:20 the officer made a request for a specimen to determine defendant’s drug or alcohol content under Iowa Code chapter 321B (1985). Defendant made attempts to contact an attorney or family member. Defendant was unable to contact either. Defendant verbally refused to supply a specimen. Defendant was then charged with OWI.

I. Exculpatory Evidence

Defendant claims the State withheld exculpatory evidence. Several days before trial defendant filed a motion making a broad request of the State for the production of certain material. Prior to that time an informal request had been made. Defendant claims three items of evidence were withheld that should have been produced; namely, (1) information on charges of operating a motor vehicle left of center in violation of Iowa Code section 321.297 filed against Love at the time of the accident. These charges were dismissed by the county attorney in the interest of justice prior to defendant’s trial, (2) handwritten notes made by the officer who witnessed defendant’s behavior and subsequently arrested defendant, and (3) field sobriety test results on another person; that person’s name appeared on the test but defendant’s name had been written and then crossed out on the top.

The United States Supreme Court held in Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 1196, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963) that “the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or punishment, irrespective of the good faith or the bad faith of the prosecution.” The court extended the Brady principles in United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 49 L.Ed. 2d 342 (1976), outlining these situations in which the exculpatory evidence rule would apply. The first is one in which the prosecution uses perjured testimony. In these cases, the court noted that it has applied a Strict standard of materiality, “not just because they involved prosecutorial misconduct, but more importantly because they involve a corruption of the truth-seeking function of the trial process.” Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 104, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 2397.

The threshold for invoking Brady is high. State v. Todden, 364 N.W.2d 195, [703]*703198 (Iowa 1985). Not only must defendant show that the evidence was exculpatory, he must also show that it was material. The evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A “reasonable probability” is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3383, 87 L.Ed. 2d 481 (1985). If the “Brady evidence” would have been used by the defendant to impeach governmental witnesses to show bias or interest, he must show that, “... if disclosed and used effectively, it may make the difference between conviction and acquittal.” Id. at 676, 105 S.Ct. at 3380. Not everything need be disclosed. Unless the omission deprived the defendant of a fair trial, there is no constitutional violation requiring that the verdict be set aside; and absent a constitutional violation there is no breach of the prosecutor’s constitutional duty to disclose. Agurs, 427 U.S. at 108, 96 S.Ct. at 2399.

Defendant has the burden of proof to establish materiality. State v. Anderson, 410 N.W.2d 231, 234 (Iowa 1987). A showing of materiality is not satisfied by mere conclusory allegations, including allegations that the government used perjured testimony. Id. at 234-35; United States v. Cadet, 727 F.2d 1453, 1466 (9th Cir.1984); United States v. Auten, 632 F.2d 478, 480 (5th Cir.1980).

We find the information defendant claims was withheld was in fact available to him at trial and/or was immaterial. Information of the fact Love was charged for driving left of center and the charges were dismissed was not made available to defendant in response to his request for copies of all charges filed by law enforcement officials in regard to the accident. But the defendant had knowledge of the facts surrounding the filing and dismissal of the charges against Love. A motion to dismiss on these grounds was filed before trial and made reference to these charges. Handwritten notes of the officer who observed defendant and invoked implied consent were presented to defendant when the jury was being picked. Also, the information in the notes of the officer who observed defendant was included nearly verbatim in the minutes of testimony.

We need not determine whether the evidence was exculpatory. It was all available or known to defendant by the time of trial. Defendant did not seek a continuance to develop any of the information. We do not find the third person’s test results with defendant’s name crossed out on top to be material to any issue. A copy of the results was in the file of defendant’s attorney because defendant’s attorney also represented the other defendant. We find no error on these issues.

II. Speedy Disposition

On December 8, 1986, defendant filed a motion asking the court to “direct a verdict of acquittal notwithstanding the judgment entered herein” or, in the alternative, grant a new trial. The motion was denied the following day, at which time defendant filed a motion to reconsider and to enlarge the findings. The court then set defendant’s motion for hearing on December 22, 1986. This time was changed at defense counsel’s request to December 19, 1986.

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

Related

State of Iowa v. Jose Julian Sanchez
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2023
State of Iowa v. Curtis Lee Walter
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2022
State of Iowa v. Deng G. Majouk
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Tony E. Doolin
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2019

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
432 N.W.2d 701, 1988 Iowa App. LEXIS 278, 1988 WL 129606, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-pieper-iowactapp-1988.