State v. Sadowski

79 A.3d 136, 146 Conn. App. 693, 2013 WL 5989815, 2013 Conn. App. LEXIS 539
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedNovember 19, 2013
DocketAC 34385
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 79 A.3d 136 (State v. Sadowski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Sadowski, 79 A.3d 136, 146 Conn. App. 693, 2013 WL 5989815, 2013 Conn. App. LEXIS 539 (Colo. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Opinion

GRUENDEL, J.

The defendant, David Sadowski, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs in violation of General Statutes § 14-227a (a) (1).1 On appeal, the defendant claims that the evidence was insufficient to [695]*695sustain Ms conviction. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

After a motor veMcle stop on January 27, 2010, the defendant was charged with operatmg a motor veMcle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor in violation of § 14-227a (a) (1).2 The defendant pleaded not guilty and elected a jury trial. The jury found the defendant guilty of the aforementioned crime. The court rendered judgment m accordance with the verdict and the defendant was sentenced to three years incarceration, execution suspended after two years, with two years probation, and a $2000 fine. TMs appeal followed.

The defendant claims that the evidence was insufficient to sustain Ms conviction of operatmg a motor veMcle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The defendant further argues that the state had not mtroduced any evidence to demonstrate that he was impaired as a result of alcohol consumption, rather than the symptoms of Ms diabetes. We disagree.

“The standard of review employed m a sufficiency of the evidence claim is well settled. [W]e apply a two part test. First, we construe the evidence in the light most favorable to sustairdng the verdict. Second, we determine whether upon the facts so construed and the inferences reasonably drawn therefrom the [finder of fact] reasonably could have concluded that the cumulative force of the evidence established gMlt beyond a reasonable doubt. . . . The trier may draw whatever inferences from the evidence or facts established by the evidence it deems to be reasonable and logical.” (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Howell, 98 Conn. App. 369, 373-74, 908 A.2d 1145 (2006).

[696]*696“Our review is a fact based inquiry limited to determining whether the inferences drawn by the jury are so unreasonable as to be unjustifiable.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id., 374. “This court cannot substitute its own judgment for that of the jury if there is sufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id. “On appeal, we do not ask whether there is a reasonable view of the evidence that would support a reasonable hypothesis of innocence. We ask, instead, whether there is a reasonable view of the evidence that supports the [finder of fact’s] verdict of guilty.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Fontaine, 134 Conn. App. 224, 227, 40 A.3d 331, cert. denied, 304 Conn. 926, 41 A.3d 1051 (2012).

The elements of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, each of which the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt, are: (1) that the defendant operated a motor vehicle at the place and time alleged; and (2) that the defendant was under the influence of intoxicating liquor. See General Statutes § 14-227a (a); see also State v. Morelli, 293 Conn. 147, 154, 976 A.2d 678 (2009). “[T]he jury must find every element proven beyond a reasonable doubt in order to find the defendant guilty of the charged offense, [but] each of the basic and inferred facts underlying those conclusions need not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. ... If it is reasonable and logical for the jury to conclude that a basic fact or an inferred fact is true, the jury is permitted to consider the fact proven and may consider it in combination with other proven facts in determining whether the cumulative effect of all the evidence proves the defendant guilty of all the elements of the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Gary, 273 Conn. 393, 405, 869 A.2d 1236 (2005).

[697]*697The defendant stipulated that “he was driving a motor vehicle on a public highway in the Town of Newington on January 27, 2010.” He challenges only the last element of the statute, which requires proof that he did so “while under the influence of intoxicating liquor . . . .” General Statutes § 14-227a (a). “Driving while under the influence of liquor means, under the law of Connecticut, that a driver had become so affected in his mental, physical or nervous processes that he lacked to an appreciable degree the ability to function properly in relation to the operation of his vehicle.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Howell, supra, 98 Conn. App. 375.

The jury heard the testimony of Officer Derek J. Aivano of the Newington Police Department and David Buono, a physician specializing in emergency medicine, of the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain (hospital). Aivano testified that on January 27, 2010, he stopped the defendant on Cedar Street in Newington for driving too slowly3 and for crossing the dashed line into the right lane. After stopping the vehicle and walking alongside the car to speak to the defendant, Aivano testified that he noticed the defendant put something into his mouth. He later discovered a pack of Listerine breath strips inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle within the defendant’s reach.

Upon confronting the defendant in his car, Aivano noticed that the defendant’s eyes were watery, which indicated to him a possible presence of alcohol. He also detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage inside the car, and later found an unsealed bottle of vodka in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Aivano further testified that when asked for his operator’s license, registration, and insurance, the defendant had difficulty [698]*698locating his registration paperwork, and improperly identified his insurance information as his Connecticut identification card. Although the defendant notified Aivano of his diabetes, Aivano testified that the defendant never stated he was having a medical emergency or that he needed his insulin.

After observing and interacting with the defendant, Aivano testified that he felt it was necessary to determine whether the defendant was under the influence of intoxicating liquor. Therefore, after gathering the defendant’s documentation, Aivano administered a pre-standardized field sobriety test to determine whether the defendant should exit the vehicle for further testing. Aivano asked the defendant to recite the alphabet, starting with the letter C and stopping at the letter T. The defendant recited some of the letters out of order and was thus unable to perform the test to standard. In addition, while the defendant was attempting to perform the prestandardized test, Aivano detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, and noted that the defendant’s speech was slurred. It was at this time that the officer requested the defendant to exit his vehicle in order to administer the field sobriety tests, which are used to determine a person’s impairment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
79 A.3d 136, 146 Conn. App. 693, 2013 WL 5989815, 2013 Conn. App. LEXIS 539, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sadowski-connappct-2013.