Com. v. Tittel, E. ( 2015 )

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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
ERIC PRESTON TITTEL,
Appellant No. 336 MDA 2015
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence January 21, 2015
In the Court of Common Pleas of Lebanon County
Criminal Division at No(s): CP-38-CR-0000443-2014
BEFORE: BOWES, PANELLA, AND PLATT,* JJ.
MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: FILED DECEMBER 14, 2015
Eric P. Tittel appeals from the judgment of sentence of five to fifteen
years incarceration entered after a jury found him guilty of two counts each
of aggravated assault and simple assault, as well as one count of recklessly
endangering another person. We affirm.
The facts underlying this appeal were recounted by the trial court as
follows:
On February 11, 2014, Eric P. Tittel (herein "Defendant")
was working as a truck driver. Defendant stopped to fill his gas
tank and purchase food at the Love's Truck Stop at 22 Old Forge
Road, Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
Defendant's truck was parked at a diesel pump while he was
inside the store. Thomas Basham (herein "Victim") was also
working as a truck driver and stopped at Love's Truck stop to fill
his gas tank. The Victim's friend, John Ross (herein "Ross") was
also driving a truck and pulled into the truck stop at the same
time as the Victim. The Victim pulled his truck in behind
*
Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
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Defendant's truck. The Victim testified that he had waited forty-
five (45) minutes for Defendant to come out of the store and
called the store to have the driver return to his vehicle. When
Defendant came out to his truck, he began pumping fuel, which
would take another twenty to twenty-five (20-25) minutes. The
Victim thought that the truck had already been fueled.
When Defendant returned to his truck, the Victim yelled
obscenities out the window of his truck at Defendant. Defendant
came towards the Victim's truck. The Victim continued yelling at
Defendant and exited his truck. Defendant shoved the Victim
with both hands. The Victim stumbled backwards, then punched
Defendant. Defendant punched the Victim. The Victim punched
Defendant in the head three (3) to four (4) times. The Victim
testified that he was able to block several punches from the
Defendant. Defendant hit the Victim in the stomach at some
point during the altercation. The Victim testified that the whole
encounter lasted two (2) to three (3) minutes. Defendant went
back to his truck, got in, and left the scene.
When Defendant headed back to his truck, the Victim
wrote the license plate of Defendant's truck on his hand. At this
point, the Victim noticed blood and a gash below his rib on his
right side. The Victim went inside the truck stop to get help.
Ross saw the Victim enter the truck stop with the cut on his
belly. Jody Kohler (herein "Kohler"), the Administrative
Assistant of Love's Truck Stop, saw the Victim come in from the
fuel pumps. Another employee of Love's, identified by Kohler as
"Chuck," called 911. Troopers Hoffstettler and Lynn responded
to the report of a stabbing. Tpr. Hoffstettler testified that he
provided immediate medical assistance while Tpr. Lynn
interviewed the Victim. The Victim was transported by
ambulance to Hershey Medical Center. The Victim required
surgery and has scars from the stab and the surgery.
Meanwhile, Defendant had driven down the road and called
his dispatcher to report what had happened. Defendant testified
that he left the scene because he was scared. The dispatcher,
Anna Lyons (herein "Lyons"), testified that Defendant sounded
panicked and distraught. Defendant relayed to her what had
happened and Lyons told Defendant to pull over and wait for the
police. Defendant pulled over approximately eighteen (18) miles
from the scene. Lyons contacted the [Pennsylvania State Police]
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and provided them with Defendant's location. Lyons testified
that Defendant did not mention a knife. Defendant was taken
into custody by Trooper Chavez. Defendant was transported to
the Jonestown Barracks where he was interviewed by Trps. Lynn
and Hoffstettler. Defendant initially told the Troopers that the
Victim had the knife and Defendant got the knife away from
Victim and stabbed him in self-defense. Eventually, Defendant
admitted that the knife was his and that he threw the knife out
the window along the road because he was scared. Defendant
stated that he was afraid and in fear of serious bodily injury from
the Victim. Defendant testified that he told the Troopers that the
Victim had used racial slurs. Tpr. Lynn testified that Defendant
did not mention anything about racial slurs when he interviewed
Defendant. The Victim testified that he did not use racial slurs
towards Defendant prior to or during the altercation.
At the scene, pictures were taken of the area where the
fight occurred. The Troopers interviewed Ross and Kohler.
Kohler allowed the Troopers to review the security camera
footage. The area where the fight occurred could not be [seen]
from any angle of any camera.
Trial court opinion, 3/25/15, at 1-3 (punctuation corrected).
Appellant complied with the trial court’s order to file a Pa.R.A.P.
1925(b) concise statement of errors complained of on appeal, and the court
filed a 1925(a) opinion shortly thereafter. This matter is now ready for our
review. On appeal, Appellant presents one issue for our consideration:
“Whether the jury’s verdict was against the weight of the evidence presented
at trial.” Appellant’s brief at 3.
Appellant cursorily argues that the “jury’s rejection of [Appellant’s]
self-defense claim was so contrary to the evidence as to shock the
[conscience].” Appellant’s brief at 7. Since Appellant contends that he
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feared for his safety during the altercation with Basham, he was justified in
using force against him.
The Commonwealth argues first that Appellant’s sole issue is waived,
as he did not properly preserve the challenge with the trial court. As to the
merits, the Commonwealth avers the jury appropriately afforded little weight
to Appellant’s claim of self-defense in light of significant contrary evidence.
We agree with the Commonwealth that Appellant’s issue is waived and
decline to address it.
In order to preserve a weight of the evidence claim, an appellant must
raise the issue with the trial judge in a motion for a new trial orally before
sentencing, by written motion before sentencing, or in a post-sentence
motion. Pa.R.Crim.P. 607. Review of a properly preserved claim is limited
to the “exercise of the trial court’s discretion” and not “whether the verdict is
against the weight of the evidence.” Commonwealth v. Karns, 50 A.3d
158, 165 (Pa.Super. 2012).
Appellant failed to file a written motion raising his weight of the
evidence claim either before or after sentencing, our review of the certified
record reveals no reference to the challenge, and Appellant identifies no
point where he preserved his challenge. He therefore did not comply with
Pa.R.Crim.P. 607, and we find this issue waived. See Commonwealth v.
Priest, 18 A.3d 1235 (Pa.Super. 2011).
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Importantly, we recognize that “[f]ailure to properly preserve the
claim will result in waiver, even if the trial court addresses the issue in its
opinion.” Commonwealth v. Thompson, 93 A.3d 478 (Pa.Super. 2014)
(citing Commonwealth v. Sherwood, 982 A.2d 483, 494 (Pa. 2009)). The
trial court “never ‘ruled’ on the issue and, therefore, it could not grant nor
deny the claim at the time it was first raised by Appellant in his concise
statement.” Id. at 490-491. At the time it issued its Rule 1925(a) opinion,
the trial court had no jurisdiction to take further action in the case;
therefore, it was “never given the opportunity to provide Appellant with relief
and, consequently, there is no discretionary act that this Court could
review.” Id. Even though the trial court thoroughly addressed Appellant’s
weight of the evidence claim in its 1925(a) opinion, we find that his claim is
waived due to his noncompliance with Pa.R.Crim.P. 607.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 12/14/2015
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