Commonwealth v. Haines

J-A15010-17
2017 Pa. Super. 252
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
JUSTIN MITCHELL HAINES
Appellant No. 1760 MDA 2016
Appeal from the Order Entered October 17, 2016
In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
Criminal Division at No(s): CP-67-CR-0005514-2015
BEFORE: MOULTON, J., SOLANO, J., and MUSMANNO, J.
OPINION BY MOULTON, J.: FILED AUGUST 02, 2017
The Commonwealth appeals from the October 17, 2016 order entered
in the York County Court of Common Pleas granting the motion to suppress
filed by Justin Mitchell Haines.1 Because the trial court did not make factual
findings regarding whether Haines consented to the blood draw before or
after being improperly warned about the consequences of refusal, we are
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1
In its notice of appeal, the Commonwealth certified that the trial
court’s order granting Haines’ motion to suppress terminates or substantially
handicaps the prosecution. See Pa.R.A.P. 311(d) (permitting interlocutory
appeal where Commonwealth certifies with its notice of appeal that order
terminates or substantially handicaps prosecution). Thus, the appeal is
properly before us. See Commonwealth v. Ivy, 146 A.3d 241, 244 n.2
(Pa.Super. 2016).
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unable to determine whether the court erred in finding Haines’ consent was
involuntary. We therefore reverse and remand with instructions.
The trial court set forth the following factual history:
[Haines] is charged with the following offenses; (1)
Murder of the Third Degree, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2502(c); (2)
Aggravated Assault, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2702(a)(1); (3)
Homicide by Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol
or Controlled Substance, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3735; (4)
Aggravated Assault by Vehicle While Under the Influence
of Alcohol or Controlled Substance, 74 Pa.C.S.A. § 3735.1;
(5) Homicide by Vehicle, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3732; (6)
Aggravated Assault by Vehicle, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3732. 1; (7)
two counts of DUI, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3802(a)(1), (c); (8)
Reckless Driving, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3736; (9) Careless
Driving, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3714(a); (10) Careless Driving-
Unintentional Death, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3714(b); (11)
Careless Driving- Serious Bodily Injury, 75 Pa.C.S.A.
3714(c); and (12) Driving Vehicle at Safe Speed, 75
Pa.C.S.A. § 3361.
The incident that gave rise to these charges occurred in
the early evening hours of February 8, 2015, in New
Cumberland, York County, Pennsylvania at the intersection
of Lewisberry and Poplar Road. According to the
Commonwealth’s testimony, this incident occurred as
[Haines] was traveling west on Lewisberry Road in his
black Honda Pilot. The victims, Kyle Richard Quigley and
his wife, Amy L. Marburger, were entering Lewisberry Road
from Poplar Road in Mr. Quigley’s White Honda Civic, when
they were hit by [Haines’] vehicle. Mr. Quigley, who was
driving at the time of the incident, was ejected from his
vehicle and later pronounced dead. Ms. Marburger
sustained severe injuries, including, but not limited to, a
brain injury, a shoulder injury, and internal injuries.
Immediately following the incident, she was transported to
Hershey Medical Center for treatment.
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When [Sergeant] Timothy Dehoff and Sergeant
Holland[2] arrived on scene, they began the investigation of
their reports. It was concluded that there were no adverse
weather conditions and the roadway was dry at the time of
the crash. Further, [Haines] did not have any visual
obstructions as he was traveling west on Lewisberry Road
approaching Poplar Road.
[Sergeant] Dehoff spoke with [Haines] on the scene
after he was placed in the ambulance. [Haines] advised
[Sergeant] Dehoff he was heading home at the time of the
incident after picking up food for his family. At that time,
the officer smelled a strong o[]der of alcohol coming from
[Haines’] breath and when asked [Haines] stated he had
consumed one beer earlier that day.
[Haines] was transported to Harrisburg Hospital for
medical observation. [Sergeant] Dehoff drove to the
hospital to determine if personnel were going to perform a
medical blood draw on [Haines]. Medical personnel
informed [Sergeant] Dehoff that the hospital was not going
to draw blood due to the lack of [Haines’] significant
injury. At that time, [Sergeant] Dehoff requested [Haines]
to submit to a blood chemical test to determine his blood
alcohol concentration (“BAC”) based on the smell of
intoxicants emanating from [Haines’] breath. After being
verbally advised of the warnings set forth on Penn-DOT’s
“DL-26” form [Haines] submitted to the test. The blood
sample was sent to Quest Diagnostics for testing. [Haines]
BAC was measured at 0.250%. As a result of these facts,
the aforementioned charges were filed.
Opinion in Support of Order Granting Defendant’s Motion to Suppress
Evidence of Blood Results, 10/17/16, at 1-4 (“Suppression Op.”).
Haines filed a motion to suppress the blood test results. On August
24, 2016, the trial court held a hearing on the motion. On October 17,
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2
Sergeant Holland’s first name is not in the certified record on appeal.
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2016, the trial court granted Haines’ motion and suppressed the evidence.
The Commonwealth filed a timely notice of appeal.
The Commonwealth raises the following issues on appeal:
1. The trial court erred in granting [Haines’] motion to
suppress his blood alcohol results as [Haines] voluntarily
consented to having his blood drawn for purposes of blood
alcohol toxicological testing.
a. The trial court failed to consider the uncontested
facts of record and controlling case law regarding the
voluntary consent exception to the search warrant
requirement, which allows for a warrantless blood
draw where a defendant voluntarily consents to a
blood draw.
b. The trial court misapplied Birchfield v. North
Dakota, [136 S. Ct. 2160] (2016) by performing an
inapplicable exigent circumstances analysis rather
than considering the voluntary consent exception to
the search warrant requirement.
2. The trial court erred in granting [Haines’] motion to
suppress his blood alcohol results, as [Haines’] blood draw
is admissible pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. § 3755.
a. The trial court erred in determining that 75
Pa.C.S. § 3755 was inapplicable despite [Haines]
being transported by EMS to Harrisburg Hospital
emergency room for medical treatment following a
fatal vehicle crash, and where police officers
possessed probable cause to believe that [Haines]
committed a violation of 75 Pa.C.S. §3802 and
communicated said probable cause to hospital
personnel.
b. The trial court erred in determining that 75
Pa.C.S. § 3755 was inapplicable based upon medical
personnel’s failure to comply with the mandates of
§3755, which required medical personnel to
promptly take a blood sample from [Haines] based
upon probable cause for violating 75 Pa.C.S. §3802,
as medical personnel’s failure to comply with the
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mandatory dictates of §3755 did not negate the
admissibility of [Haines’] blood draw and blood
alcohol results.
Cmwlth’s Br. at 4-5.
When reviewing the grant of a suppression motion, we must determine
whether the record supports the trial court’s factual findings and “whether
the legal conclusions drawn from those facts are correct.” Commonwealth
v. Brown, 64 A.3d 1101, 1104 (Pa.Super. 2013) (quoting Commonwealth
v. Cauley, 10 A.3d 321, 325 (Pa.Super. 2010)). We may only consider
evidence presented at the suppression hearing. In re L.J., 79 A.3d 1073,
1085-87 (Pa. 2013). In addition, because the defendant prevailed on this
issue before the suppression court, we consider only the defendant’s
evidence and so much of the Commonwealth’s evidence “as remains
uncontradicted when read in the context of the record as a whole.” Brown,
64 A.3d at 1104 (quoting Cauley, 10 A.3d at 325). We may reverse only if
the legal conclusions drawn from the facts are in error. Id.
The United States Supreme Court has held that because “the taking of
a blood sample” is a search within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment to
the United States Constitution, police officers may not compel the taking of a
blood sample without a search warrant, absent an applicable exception.
Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2173, 2185.3 After concluding that “the search
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3
In contrast, the Supreme Court also held that police officers may
administer a breath test without a warrant as a search incident to arrest.
Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2185.
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incident to arrest doctrine does not justify the warrantless taking of a blood
sample,” id. at 2185, the Birchfield Court considered whether implied-
consent laws, which require cooperation with blood-alcohol testing as “a
condition of the privilege of driving on state roads,” could provide an
exception to the warrant requirement consistent with the federal
constitution. Id. at 2169, 2185-86. The Court held that, although implied-
consent laws that impose civil penalties and evidentiary consequences for
refusing to consent are constitutional,4 implied-consent laws that “impose
criminal penalties” for refusing to consent to a blood test are
unconstitutional because “motorists cannot be deemed to have consented to
submit to a blood test on pain of committing a criminal offense.” Id. at
2185-86.
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4
The Court in Birchfield stated:
Our prior opinions have referred approvingly to the general
concept of implied-consent laws that impose civil penalties
and evidentiary consequences on motorists who refuse to
comply. See, e.g., [Missouri v.] McNeely, []133 S.Ct.
[1552,] 1565–1566 [(2013)] (plurality opinion); [South
Dakota v. Neville, 459 U.S. 553, 560, (1983)].
Petitioners do not question the constitutionality of those
laws, and nothing we say here should be read to cast
doubt on them.
136 S. Ct. at 2185.
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In Commonwealth v. Evans, this Court reviewed Pennsylvania’s
implied-consent law5 and found that “the law undoubtedly ‘impose[s]
criminal penalties on the refusal to submit to’” a blood test. 153 A.3d 323,
331 (Pa.Super. 2016) (quoting Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2185-86). In
Evans, a police officer told the defendant that:
It is my duty as a police officer to inform you that if you
refuse to submit to a chemical test, your operating
privilege will be suspended for at least 12 months and up
to 18 months. If you have prior refusals or have been
previously sentenced to driving under the influence, in
addition, if you refuse to submit to chemical test and
you are convicted or plead to violating §
3802(a)(1)[,] related to impaired driving under the
vehicle code, because of your refusal, you will be
subject to more severe penalties set forth in §
3804(c)[,] relating to penalties, the same as if you
were—if you would be convicted at the highest rate of
alcohol, which can include a minimum of 72 consecutive
hours in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000, to a maximum
of [five] years in jail and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Id. at 325 (emphasis added).6 This Court vacated the judgment of sentence
and remanded to the trial court to “reevaluate [Appellant’s] consent . . . [,
based on] the totality of all the circumstances.” Id. at 331 (quoting
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5
Pennsylvania’s implied-consent law states that a person’s license
may be suspended if a person refuses a requested blood test, 75 Pa.C.S §
1547(b), and that a person faces increased criminal penalties if he or she
refuses a blood test and is later convicted of DUI (general impairment), see
id. § 1547(b)(2)(ii); id. § 3804(c) (providing sentencing ranges for “[a]n
individual who violates section 3802(a)(1) and refused testing of blood or
breath or an individual who violates section 3802(c) or (d)”).
6
This is the same warning contained on the DL-26 form read to and
signed by Haines.
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Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2185-86) (alterations in original). We reasoned
that the implied-consent warnings given to the defendant were “partially
inaccurate” because they referenced enhanced criminal penalties that could
not be constitutionally imposed, arguably vitiating the defendant’s consent.
Id.
Our Supreme Court has applied the following standard to determine
whether an individual has validly consented to a chemical test:
In determining the validity of a given consent, the
Commonwealth bears the burden of establishing that a
consent is the product of an essentially free and
unconstrained choice — not the result of duress or
coercion, express or implied, or a will overborne — under
the totality of the circumstances. The standard for
measuring the scope of a person’s consent is based on an
objective evaluation of what a reasonable person would
have understood by the exchange between the officer and
the person who gave the consent. Such evaluation
includes an objective examination of the maturity,
sophistication and mental or emotional state of the
defendant. Gauging the scope of a defendant’s consent is
an inherent and necessary part of the process of
determining, on the totality of the circumstances
presented, whether the consent is objectively valid, or
instead the product of coercion, deceit, or
misrepresentation.
Commonwealth v. Smith, 77 A.3d 562, 573 (Pa. 2013) (internal citations
and quotation marks omitted).
I. The Timing of Haines’ Consent
The Commonwealth first argues that Haines’ consent was voluntary
and unaffected by the decision in Birchfield. Specifically, it makes the
factual claim that Haines consented to the blood draw prior to being read the
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DL-26 form, which contained the warning that he would face enhanced
penalties if he refused consent and later was convicted of DUI general
impairment. As a result, the argument continues, Haines’ consent could not
have been tainted by the later-delivered, “partially inaccurate” DL-26
warning, thus rendering his consent valid and the results of the blood draw
admissible.
We agree that if Haines validly consented before being informed that
he faced enhanced criminal penalties for failure to do so, then his consent
would not be tainted by the warning and the blood test results would be
admissible. See Birchfield, 136 S. Ct. at 2185-86. If, however, he did not
consent until after Sergeant Dehoff informed him that he would face
enhanced criminal penalties if he refused to consent, then the trial court did
not necessarily err in granting his motion to suppress the test results. Id.
Here, the trial court’s opinion does not address this important temporal
distinction, instead simply stating that “[a]fter being verbally advised of the
warnings set forth on Penn-DOT’s ‘DL-26’ form [Haines] submitted to the
test.” Suppression Op. at 3-4 (emphasis added). The trial court concluded
that “the Commonwealth failed to present evidence that the impermissible
enhanced criminal penalty that would have applied if [Haines] failed to
submit to the blood test, was in fact not the factor that caused [Haines] to
consent to the blood test.” Id. at 8. This conclusion, however, did not
account for Sergeant Dehoff’s testimony at the suppression hearing, relied
on by the Commonwealth. Sergeant Dehoff testified as follows:
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A. . . . I explained to him that I was going to ask him to
submit to a blood test to determine his blood alcohol level.
He said he understood.
I then read to him the DL-26 (3-12) version, chemical
test warnings. I read that to him aloud and requested that
he sign it that he had in fact been read those, and he did
do that.
Q. Now, before we go into the DL-26 form at that time,
when you were speaking to [Haines] about that you were
going to request a blood alcohol test and request a blood
draw to perform such test, had you placed [Haines] under
arrest at that point?
A. No.
Q. When you mentioned to him that you were going to
make such a request, what was the -- did [Haines] agree
to have his blood drawn at that point?
A. He did.
Q. And was that prior to you reading the DL-26 form?
A. That’s correct.
Q. Now, you said then, after he had agreed, you then read
the DL-26 form ; is that correct?
A. Correct.
[Assistant District Attorney (“ADA”)]: May I approach, Your
Honor?
THE COURT: You may.
BY [ADA]:
Q. Officer, I want to show you the DL-26 form.
This is Commonwealth’s Exhibit 3. I ask if you would
review that and if you recognize what this exhibit is.
A. This would be the DL - this is a copy of the DL-26 that I
would have read to Mr. Haines indicating that I was
requesting a chemical test of blood, my signature that I
read it to him, and his signature that it had been read to
him.
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Q. And did you actually see Mr. Haines sign this form?
A. I did. He used my pen and my clipboard.
Q. And you saw him date this form; is that correct?
A. Correct.
Q. Now concerning this particular DL-26 form as part of
this form, do you see a Number 3 listed under, “It is my
duty as a police officer to inform you of the following”? Do
you see that?
A. Number 3?
Q. Yes.
A. Yes.
Q. Concerning Point Number 3, do you see any discussion
there regarding enhanced criminal penalties if [Haines]
were to refuse?
A. Yes.
Q. And did you in fact also read that paragraph as it was
on the form to [Haines]?
A. Verbatim.
Q. Now, in reading this particular form verbatim to
[Haines], following that, he did sign it, correct?
A. Correct.
Q. And following the signature and execution of the DL-26
form, was any blood drawn from [Haines]?
A. It was.
...
Q. And at that point, did [Haines] agree, prior to the
reading of the DL-26 form, to having his blood drawn?
A. He did.
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N.T., 8/24/16, at 19-23. Sergeant Dehoff further testified on cross
examination that:
A. I basically told Mr. Haines, “Because the nature of the
crash, there were severe injuries,” he asked me if Mr.
Quigley was deceased. I said, “I can’t tell you that. I
don’t know.” I said, “But because of what has occurred
here today, you admitted to drinking, I can smell it on you,
I’m going to ask you to take a blood test to determine how
much alcohol is in your blood.” He said, “Okay.”
Q. You then read him the DL-26 form?
A. Yes.
Q. After you read him the DL-26 form, you requested him
to submit to a blood test?
A. That’s correct.
Q. He then agreed after hearing that form, correct?
A. That’s correct.
Q. You never informed him prior to the first consent that
he would go to jail, correct?
A. No.
Q. You never told him he had the right to refuse before
that?
A. Refuse the test?
Q. To submit to a test before that?
A. No, I didn’t tell him that.
Q. You never told him he was under arrest before that?
A. That’s correct.
Q. So to cover your bases, you read him the form, and
then you asked him to submit to a blood test?
A. That is correct.
Q. And at that point he agreed to submit to a blood test?
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A. He did again.
Id. at 27-28
This testimony would support a finding that Haines consented before
the DL-26 warnings or a finding that he consented after the warnings.
Because the trial court did not make a factual finding addressing that issue,
we must remand for a determination as to whether, under the totality of the
circumstances, including the issue of timing, Haines’ consent to the blood
draw was valid. See Evans, 153 A.3d at 331.
II. Authorization under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3755
In the alternative, the Commonwealth contends that “the trial court
erred in granting [Haines’] suppression motion because [Haines] did not
have a right to refuse a blood draw pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. § 3755.”
Cmwlth’s Br. at 20.
The Vehicle Code provides:
General rule.--If, as a result of a motor vehicle accident,
the person who drove, operated or was in actual physical
control of the movement of any involved motor vehicle
requires medical treatment in an emergency room of a
hospital and if probable cause exists to believe a violation
of section 3802 (relating to driving under influence of
alcohol or controlled substance) was involved, the
emergency room physician or his designee shall promptly
take blood samples from those persons and transmit them
within 24 hours for testing to the Department of Health or
a clinical laboratory licensed and approved by the
Department of Health and specifically designated for this
purpose. This section shall be applicable to all injured
occupants who were capable of motor vehicle operation if
the operator or person in actual physical control of the
movement of the motor vehicle cannot be determined.
Test results shall be released upon request of the person
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tested, his attorney, his physician or governmental officials
or agencies.
75 Pa.C.S. § 3755(a).
The Commonwealth argues that the requirements of section 3755
were all met – Haines, as a result of a motor vehicle accident, required
emergency room treatment and Sergeant Dehoff had probable cause to
believe Haines had been driving under the influence of alcohol. Accordingly,
relying in part on our recent decision in Commonwealth v. March, 154
A.3d 803 (Pa.Super. 2016), it contends that medical personnel at the
hospital should not have refused Sergeant Dehoff’s request that they take a
blood sample from Haines and submit the sample for testing.
While we do not necessarily disagree with the Commonwealth’s
reading of section 3755, the fact remains that hospital personnel, for
whatever reason, declined to draw Haines’ blood pursuant to that provision.7
That they might or even should have done so does not provide an
independent basis for denying Haines’ motion to suppress. Accordingly, the
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7
The question whether they could or should have done so, as a matter
of statutory or constitutional law, is not properly before us. Accordingly, we
need not address the question whether, in light of Birchfield, the implied
consent envisioned by the combination of sections 1547 and 3755 provides
an independent, constitutionally valid exception to the warrant requirement.
Cf. Commonwealth v. Myers, ---A.3d.---, 2017 WL 3045867, at *8-*13
(Pa. July 19, 2017).(opinion for three justices concluding that implied
consent scheme, without more, is insufficient to establish the voluntariness
of consent necessary to serve as exception to the warrant requirement).
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admissibility of the test results turns wholly on the validity of Haines’
consent.
Order vacated. Case remanded, with instructions. Jurisdiction
relinquished.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 8/2/2017
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