State v. Turner

628 S.E.2d 464, 177 N.C. App. 423, 2006 N.C. App. LEXIS 979
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedMay 2, 2006
DocketNo. COA05-1046.
StatusPublished

This text of 628 S.E.2d 464 (State v. Turner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Turner, 628 S.E.2d 464, 177 N.C. App. 423, 2006 N.C. App. LEXIS 979 (N.C. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

CALABRIA, Judge.

Robert Turner ("defendant") appeals from a judgment entered upon a jury verdict finding him guilty of driving while impaired. We find no error.

The State presented evidence at trial that Corporal Steven Copley ("Corporal Copley") observed defendant run a red light and nearly collide with Sergeant James Rollins ("Sergeant Rollins") at the intersection of Highway 51 and U.S. 521 between the late evening hours of 25 December and the early morning hours of 26 December 2002. Sergeant Rollins followed defendant and Corporal Copley followed Sergeant Rollins. Sergeant Rollins stopped defendant and approached his automobile. Sergeant Rollins obtained defendant's driver's license and told Corporal Copley he smelled alcohol on defendant's breath.

Corporal Copley took over the investigation, approached defendant's automobile, noticed his eyes were red and glassy, and noted he was redolent of alcohol. Corporal Copley asked defendant if he had consumed any alcohol and defendant replied "[I] did have one beer about an hour and-a-half ago." Corporal Copley then put defendant through a series of sobriety tests including: stating the ABC's from beginning to end "without singing;" placing his finger to his nose with his feet shoulder length apart, head tilted slightly back and eyes closed; and performing the heel to toe walking test. Defendant failed each test (Id.). Corporal Copley administered an Alco-Sensor test on defendant and concluded "defendant . . . had consumed a sufficient amount of an impairing substance as to appreciably impair his mental and physical capabilities or both." Corporal Copley placed defendant under arrest for driving while impaired (DWI).

In transit to the Mecklenburg County Intake Center, defendant developed chest pains and Corporal Copley immediately notified dispatch he needed an ambulance. The ambulance arrived and transported defendant to Presbyterian Hospital ("hospital"). While in the examination room, defendant informed Corporal Copley he wanted to "call a lawyer or look at a phone book." Corporal Copley gave defendant a phone book and advised him he would be asked to submit to a blood test. Defendant signed a form acknowledging his blood test rights. Corporal Copley called the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office and requested a blood test kit be sent *467to the hospital. A registered nurse performed the blood test on defendant. Corporal Copley placed the blood collection tubes ("the tubes") containing defendant's blood into the police property room.

On 14 January 2003, Jennifer Mills ("Ms. Mills"), a forensic chemist with the Charlotte Police Department Crime Laboratory, analyzed defendant's blood which indicated an alcohol concentration of 0.15. Paul Glover ("Mr. Glover"), a research scientist and training specialist for the Forensic Tests for Alcohol Branch of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, rebutted the testimony of defendant's expert, Dr. Roger Russell ("Dr. Russell"), a forensic pathologist. Under cross-examination, Mr. Glover read a letter dated 3 December 2003 which was sent to Dr. Russell by the manufacturer of the tubes ("the manufacturer") used to collect blood samples such as defendant's. The December 2003 letter stated the manufacturer recommended the tubes not be used past the expiration date. However, on re-direct examination, Mr. Glover read a letter from the manufacturer dated 7 May 1999 explaining the reason for the recommendation was "solely because the vacuum loss over time." Further, the May 1999 letter also declared "using the tubes within a reasonable time period after expiration would have negligible impact on the accuracy of the blood alcohol examinations."

At trial, defendant's expert, Dr. Russell, testified when he examined defendant's blood samples in January of 2004, they were black in color and "[were] absolutely the wors[t] I have ever seen." Dr. Russell testified the tubes used to collect defendant's blood expired in October of 2002. Dr. Russell testified as the tubes get old, air seeps in and with it moisture, which can degrade the preservatives in the blood. Dr. Russell testified "once you got to the expiration date there is no period beyond the expiration date which the tube should ever be used." Dr. Russell testified the use of the expired tubes combined with "leaving the tube . . . from December 26th through January 7th at room temperature," produced "results [that] should be disregarded."

On 8 October 2004, defendant was convicted of DWI in Mecklenburg County District Court. Defendant appealed for a trial de novo in Superior Court. On 4 May 2004, the jury found defendant guilty of DWI. Defendant was sentenced to 30 days in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff. Defendant's sentence was suspended and he was placed on unsupervised probation for 12 months. Defendant appeals.

I. Requested Jury Instruction-Test Tubes:

Defendant argues the trial court erred in failing to give a requested instruction on the expiration date of the vials used to collect the blood samples. Defendant contends that because the tubes used were expired, the results indicating a blood alcohol level above the legal limit had no value, and thus, a jury instruction to that effect was required. We disagree.

"On appeal, this Court reviews jury instructions contextually and in their entirety." State v. Crow, ___ N.C.App. ___, ___, 623 S.E.2d 68, 73 (2005). Thus, "[i]f the instructions `present[] the law of the case in such [a] manner as to leave no reasonable cause to believe the jury was misled or misinformed,' then they will be held to be sufficient." Id. (quoting Jones v. Development Co., 16 N.C.App. 80, 86-87, 191 S.E.2d 435, 440 (1972)). Further, "[t]he appealing party must demonstrate that the error in the instructions was likely to mislead the jury." Id. (emphasis added). "`In a criminal trial the judge has the duty to instruct the jury on the law arising from all the evidence presented.'" State v. Smith, 360 N.C. 341, ___, 626 S.E.2d 258, 261 (2006) (quoting State v. Moore, 75 N.C.App. 543, 546, 331 S.E.2d 251, 253 (1985)). "A trial court must give a requested instruction if it is a correct statement of the law and is supported by the evidence." State v.

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Related

State v. Smith
626 S.E.2d 258 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2006)
State v. Moore
331 S.E.2d 251 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1985)
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191 S.E.2d 435 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1972)
State v. Haywood
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Viar v. North Carolina Department of Transportation
610 S.E.2d 360 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2005)
State v. Crow
623 S.E.2d 68 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2005)
State v. Cummings
422 S.E.2d 692 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1992)
State v. Eakins
233 S.E.2d 387 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1977)
State v. Watson
240 S.E.2d 440 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
628 S.E.2d 464, 177 N.C. App. 423, 2006 N.C. App. LEXIS 979, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-turner-ncctapp-2006.