Ward v. State

881 So. 2d 316, 2004 WL 1879242
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedAugust 24, 2004
Docket2003-KA-00286-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 881 So. 2d 316 (Ward v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ward v. State, 881 So. 2d 316, 2004 WL 1879242 (Mich. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

881 So.2d 316 (2004)

John L. WARD, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2003-KA-00286-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

August 24, 2004.

*318 Gary Goodwin, Columbus, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Jean Smith Vaughan, attorney for appellee.

EN BANC.

MYERS, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. This case comes from the Circuit Court of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, Honorable Lee J. Howard presiding. John L. Ward was tried and convicted of felony driving under the influence and was sentenced to five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections as a habitual offender. After denial of his post-trial motions, Ward appeals raising the following issues:

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR BY INFORMING THE JURY DURING VOIR DIRE OF WARD'S PRIOR DUI OFFENSES, BY ALLOWING THE PRIOR OFFENSES TO BE A PART OF THE CASE-IN-CHIEF, AND BY FINDING THAT THEY CONSTITUTED MATERIAL ELEMENTS OF THE INDICTMENT, NOTWITHSTANDING RIGBY V. STATE
II. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED ERROR BY OVERRULING WARD'S MOTION IN LIMINE
III. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR BY ALLOWING THE ARRESTING OFFICER TO TESTIFY AS TO THE RESULTS OF THE HORIZONTAL GAZE-NYSTAGMUS FIELD SOBRIETY TEST AND THE RESULTS OF THE PORTABLE INTOXILIZER BREATH TEST AS EVIDENCE OF WARD'S INTOXICATION
IV. WHETHER THE JURY VERDICT WAS AGAINST THE OVERWHELMING WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE OR WHETHER THE CUMULATIVE ERRORS SHOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A NEW TRIAL

STATEMENT OF FACTS

¶ 2. Late at night on November 5, 2001, the Starkville Police Department and the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department joined forces to conduct a roadblock at the intersection of Highway 82 and Highway 12 in Starkville, Mississippi. Officer Shawn Word and Deputy Archer Sallis stood behind the vehicles as they went through the checkpoint in order to check tags.

¶ 3. Officer Word noticed that a vehicle stopped abruptly in the middle of the highway about twenty-five yards before the roadblock. The vehicle was a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee Laredo. Once the Jeep stopped, Officer Word saw the driver's door open and a man with a pressed shirt and khakis run towards the back of the vehicle. Officer Word then saw the right rear passenger door open and a man with a purple hat run towards the front of the Jeep, enter the driver's seat, and shut the door. Officer Word was using his flashlight and testified that the area was fairly well lit.

¶ 4. Officer Word ordered the Jeep to pull over onto the shoulder of the road. As he did, a man driving a truck told Officer Word that he witnessed two males in the Jeep switch drivers. Apparently, the driver of the truck was traveling in the same direction as Ward and had to stop his vehicle since the Jeep was sitting in the middle of the highway.

¶ 5. By that time, Deputy Sallis had arrived and approached the driver's side of the Jeep. Officer Word approached the right rear passenger door where he asked *319 John Ward to step out of the vehicle. Officer Word asked Ward why they had switched drivers. Ward stated that he did not need to get a ticket for driving with a suspended license.

¶ 6. Officer Word testified that Ward's eyes were bloodshot and that he could smell alcohol on Ward's breath. Officer Word administered a horizontal gaze-nystagmus test and testified that Ward showed signs of intoxication. Officer Word also gave Ward a portable breath intoxilizer test and Ward registered above the legal limit.

¶ 7. Deputy Sallis administered a portable breath intoxilizer test on Ward's brother, James, because he was in the driver's seat and had pulled the Jeep onto the shoulder of the highway. The test revealed that James had also been drinking but he was under the legal limit.

¶ 8. Officer Word handcuffed Ward and placed him in the rear seat of the police car. Ward was then taken to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department for an Intoxilizer test.

¶ 9. After arriving at the Sheriff's Department, Officer Word administered the "one leg stand" test and the "walk and turn" test and testified that Ward failed them both. Officer Word then administered the Intoxilizer test and Ward registered.12, which is over the legal limit.

¶ 10. Since this was Ward's third DUI offense within five years, he was indicted pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated Section 63-11-30(2)(c) (Rev.1996). A trial was held in the Circuit Court of Oktibbeha County and the State offered Officer Word and Deputy Sallis as witnesses. After the State rested, Ward moved for a directed verdict but the trial judge denied this motion.

¶ 11. Ward then offered Mary Cook as his first witness. Cook testified that the Jeep in question belonged to her. Cook testified that Ward called her on the day in question and asked if he could borrow the Jeep. Ward indicated that his brother would be driving so she agreed. Later that evening, Ward and his brother came by and picked up the Jeep, and Cook testified that she saw Ward's brother drive it away. Cook testified that she did not know what happened after that.

¶ 12. The next witness called by the defense was Lewis Taylor. Taylor testified that he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Jeep when Ward was arrested.

¶ 13. Ward then took the stand on his own behalf. Ward testified that his brother James was driving the Jeep on the night in question. Ward testified that he and his brother picked up the Jeep from Cook and drove to a bar. Ward testified that they stayed at the bar for about four hours where he consumed liquor and beer. Ward denied driving the vehicle. Ward stated that he was in the back seat, his brother was driving, and Taylor was sitting in the front passenger seat as they left the bar. Ward denied having any drinking problem. He stated that his two prior convictions were close together in time.

¶ 14. Finally, Ward's brother, James, was called to testify. He testified that he was driving the Jeep on the night in question. He testified that he had two beers that night at the bar. James stated that when they left the bar Taylor was in the front passenger seat and his brother was in the back seat. On cross-examination, James was asked about switching drivers and stated that he tried to drive home but his brother would not let him. On redirect, however, James restated that he was driving when they left the bar and that the vehicle never stopped so that the drivers could be changed. When asked for a reason *320 why he stopped in the middle of the highway, James stated that he was trying to avoid a DUI so he was looking for gum or candy to put in his mouth. James also stated that he was trying to light a cigarette, but it fell between his legs and he was trying to look for it.

¶ 15. After being instructed, the jury deliberated and ultimately returned a verdict of guilty. The State then moved to amend the indictment to show habitual offender status. The trial court granted the State's motion and two prior felony convictions were offered into evidence.

¶ 16. The trial court sentenced Ward to a term of five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections as a habitual offender pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated Section 99-19-81 (Rev.2000), without any possibility of an early release. Ward also received a fine of $5,000. After denial of his post-trial motion, Ward perfected this appeal.

LEGAL ANALYSIS

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR BY INFORMING THE JURY DURING VOIR DIRE

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
881 So. 2d 316, 2004 WL 1879242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ward-v-state-missctapp-2004.