Commonwealth v. OyewoleCommonwealth v. Oyewole
Lead Opinion
After a jury-waived trial in the District Court, the defendant was convicted of operating a motor vehicle while his driver’s license was suspended for operating while under the influence of liquor (OUI). See
Sergeant Christopher Ahem of the Wilmington police department testified that he was the shift supervisor on the night in question, and that he arrived at the scene while the motor vehicle stop was in progress. Sergeant Ahem, who booked the defendant at the police station, recited the information that had been provided by the defendant: his name, address, date of birth, driver’s license number, and Social Security number. On cross-examination Ahem testified that the defendant also stated that he was employed as a “caregiver.”
At the conclusion of the officers’ testimony, the Commonwealth introduced two exhibits before resting its case. The first exhibit (exhibit 1) was a two-page document obtained from the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) and bearing the attestation that the information contained therein was a tme representation of information contained in RMV records. The document, which
The second exhibit (exhibit 2) was a certified copy of the criminal docket in a District Court case arising from a complaint, dated August 4, 2009, charging the defendant with OUI, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and a marked lanes violation.
The Commonwealth’s position at trial was that exhibit 2 sufficed to establish (1) that the defendant’s license was suspended when he was operating his vehicle on November 26, 2009, because that date was within the sixty-day suspension period ordered as part of the October 21, 2009, disposition of his OUI charge, and (2) the defendant was on notice that his license was suspended as a component of his sentence. In arguing for a required finding of not guilty, the defendant contended that the
Discussion. In reviewing the denial of a motion for a required finding of not guilty, we examine the evidence presented by the Commonwealth and consider whether “any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Commonwealth v. Latimore,
It is well established that “[t]o prove the crime of operating a motor vehicle after revocation or suspension of license for operating while under the influence of alcohol,
The defendant posits that this statement of the law is incomplete because, in his view, the Commonwealth also is required to negate the possibility that the suspended operator’s license has been restored. He reaches this conclusion on the basis of the language of § 23, which reads in relevant part: “Any person convicted of operating a motor vehicle after his license to operate has been suspended or revoked . . . and prior to the restoration of such license . . . shall be punished . . .” (emphasis supplied).
Here, exhibit 2 established that the defendant’s license was suspended at the time of the alleged offense. See Commonwealth v. Beaulieu,
In addition, the judge reasonably could infer from the docket sheets, when considered together with the provisions of
In the present case, the judge reasonably could find that the defendant’s sixty-day suspension began immediately upon the disposition of his OUI case. There is nothing on the docket sheets to suggest that the commencement of the suspension was delayed; and even though there was evidence that the defendant produced “a license” of some sort when stopped by Officer Patterson, there was no evidence as to its character or authenticity, or how it came to be (or remain) in the defendant’s possession. On the state of the evidence, the judge reasonably could find that the suspension went into effect as of October 21, 2009.
The judge also reasonably could find that the sixty-day suspension remained in effect thirty-six days later, on November 26, 2009. Even if the defendant might have been eligible to obtain a hardship license while participating in the
Finally, the judge was entitled to find that the defendant was on notice of the suspension. The judge reasonably could infer from exhibit 2 that the defendant, whose presence in court on October 21, 2009, is undeniable, was placed on notice that, as a
Even if we were to assume, arguendo, that the bare evidence that the defendant possessed “a license” permitted a contrary inference that the defendant left the court house on October 21, 2009, not knowing that his license was suspended, the Commonwealth’s proof was sufficient. The Commonwealth was required to prove notice, not that the defendant had actual knowledge of the suspension. See Commonwealth v. Crosscup,
The defendant was, of course, entitled to introduce relevant evidence tending to show nonreceipt of notice. Commonwealth v. Crosscup, supra at 240. However, the Commonwealth was
Judgment affirmed.
Notes
Prior to trial, the judge agreed with the defendant that there should be no reference to any “license check,” on the theory that such evidence would be inadmissible hearsay. The prosecutor adhered to this ruling in examining the witnesses.
The defendant contended below that the admission of exhibit 1 violated his confrontation rights under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution; however, the judge ruled that unlike the RMV certificate at issue in Commonwealth v. Parenteau,
In accordance with Commonwealth v. Parenteau, supra at 9-10, and Commonwealth v. Weeks,
Since the decision in Commonwealth v. Deramo,
The acronym ASAP stands for Alcohol Safety Action Program, a program “designed to decrease the incidence of drunk driving.” Massachusetts Auto. Rating & Acc. Prevention Bureau v. Commissioner of Ins.,
There is no merit to the defendant’s suggestion that, in deciding the notice issue, the judge erroneously may have relied upon the RMV documents introduced as exhibit 1. As acknowledged in the defendant’s brief, that exhibit “did not even include any mention of notice to the defendant.” Furthermore, it was offered and admitted only for the nontestimonial purpose of corroborating the defendant’s biographical information. There being no contrary indication, we presume that the judge considered that exhibit only for the limited purpose for which he admitted it. See Commonwealth v. Batista,
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). I agree with the majority that the judge was warranted in finding that the Commonwealth proved at trial beyond a reasonable doubt three of the four required elements of the charged offense, namely, that the defendant operated a motor vehicle on a public way after his license to operate had been suspended or revoked due to having previously admitted to sufficient facts for a finding of guilty of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of liquor (OUI). See
a. Inference of notice. There is a fundamental and constitutionally significant distinction between the possibility or probability that an event occurred (e.g., notice to the defendant of a license suspension), and proof beyond a reasonable doubt that it occurred. It commonly is said that “proof may be made by inference, and inferences drawn from the evidence ‘need only be reasonable and possible and need not be necessary or inescapable.’ ” Newman v. Commonwealth,
In Housby, supra,
“A permissive inference may always be rejected by the fact finder if it chooses to ignore it, and where there is corroborating evidence, the permissive inference is not the sole and sufficient basis for a finding of guilt. It is unnecessary therefore to establish that the inference follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the proved fact, for while it is necessary to prove the elements of an offense beyond a reasonable doubt, that may be done by resort to all the evidence, including the permissive inference. But, where the permissive inference stands unsupported by corroborating circumstances, the leap from the proved fact to the presumed element must satisfy the higher standard — proof beyond a reasonable doubt — for there is nothing else on which to rest the fact finder’s verdict of guilt.”
The Ulster County Ct. analysis of the validity of a permissible inference instruction is independent from an analysis of the sufficiency of the evidence pursuant to Jackson v. Virginia,
In this case, an inference that the defendant was on notice that his license was suspended for sixty days effective on October 21, 2009, may be natural and possible in keeping with the law of evidence, see Mass. G. Evid. § 302(b) (2013), but such an inference, standing alone, will not bear the weight required to permit the judge to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was on notice on October 21, 2009, that his license was suspended, effective immediately, for sixty days.
b. Proof beyond reasonable doubt. Even conceding for the sake of argument that an inference of notice of a license suspension based on a docket entry such as that in exhibit 2 is sufficient to support a finding of notice beyond a reasonable doubt, there is additional evidence in this case that undermines the evidentiary weight of such an inference. The docket entry in its entirety reads as follows: “10-21-2010,” “ASAP 24-D,” “60 day license loss,” and “24Q evaluation.”
c. Due process. The position I take will not hinder the Commonwealth’s ability to prove notice in prosecutions under
In all criminal cases, the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires the Commonwealth to shoulder the burden at trial to prove each fact necessary to constitute the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt. See Francis v. Franklin,
Although I do not agree with the reasoning of the judge below, I acknowledge that he gave painstaking consideration to his decision. He correctly identified the legal issues, was admirably patient in listening to the arguments by the prosecutor and defense counsel, and carefully deliberated before making a decision.
In Crosscup, supra at 229, the license suspension that was the predicate for the criminal charge of operating after suspension in violation of
In Crosscup, supra at 239-240, which was decided prior to Ulster County Ct., supra; Sandstrom v. Montana,
The Commonwealth relies on Commonwealth v. Beaulieu, 79 Mass. App. Ct. 100, 103 (2011). However, Beaulieu merely stands for the proposition that a certified copy of a prior conviction of OUI is admissible in a prosecution under