Title: STATE v LONGACRE

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 13001 I N THE SUPREME C O U R T O F THE STATE O F M O N T A N A 1975 T H E STATE O F M O N T A N A , P l a i n t i f f and Respondent, -vs - MARTHA ELLEN L O N G A C R E , Defendant and Appellant. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of the Fourth J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Honorable Jack Lo Green, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant : G i l l e V.Wooten argued, Missoula, Montana For Respondent: Hon. Robert Lo Woodahl, Attorney General, Helena, Montana Thomas A. Budewitz, Assistant Attorney General, argued, Helena, Montana Robert L. Deschamps, County Attorney, Missoula, Montana Submitted: November 12, 1975 Decided : NOV 1 9 1975 Filed : h ? n ~ I , .y.,.- -412 M r . J u s t i c e Frank I. Haswell delivered t h e Opinion of the Court. This i s an appeal by defendant from a conviction of two misdemeanors (1) driving while under t h e influence of intoxicating liquor, and (2) driving without a v a l i d d r i v e r ' s license. Defendant Martha Cooper Longacre was charged and convicted of those offenses i n the j u s t i c e court of Hellgate Township before J. G. Lamoreaux, j u s t i c e of the peace. She appealed and a t r i a l de novo was had i n the d i s t r i c t court of Missoula County before the Hon. Jack L. Green, s i t t i n g without a jury. Defendant was again convicted. She appeals from the d i s t r i c t court conviction. The i s s u e on appeal i s the sufficiency of the evidence t o support t h e conviction. This issue focuses on whether defendant o r her 14 year old daughter was driving. During the evening of September 12, 1973, defendant and her daughter were involved i n a one c a r c o l l i s i o n with an abutment on the bridge across the Blackfoot River on I n t e r s t a t e 90 about two miles e a s t of Plissoula, Montana. When Highway Patrolman Dallas Atkins arrived a t the accident scene, defendant was seated behind the wheel i n the d r i v e r ' s s e a t with her daughter i n the passenger s e a t alongside. Both were injured. Terry Peterson, an ambulance attendant t e s t i f i e d t h a t it was hard t o get defendant out of t h e vehicle a s she was wedged in. He t e s t i f i e d defendant made some reference t h a t t h i s would do something t o her d r i v e r ' s license. Defendant and her daughter were transported by ambulance t o the emergency room i n St. Patrick's h o s p i t a l i n Missoula. According t o Highway Patrolman Atkins, defendant t o l d him a t the hospital t h a t she was the driver. He a l s o t e s t i f i e d , and t h e daughter admits, t h a t the daughter a l s o tollhim defendant was the driver. Later defendant and her daughter changed t h e i r statements and claimed the daughter was driving; t h a t defendant was i n no condition t o drive; t h a t they switched seats following the accident t o protect the daughter from the expected wrath of her stepfather; and, t o enable the daughter t o get a d r i v e r ' s license on completion of her d r i v e r ' s training. Blood alcohol t e s t s were taken of defendant which showed .37 alcohol by weight volume i n her blood. Defendant admitted she was highly intoxicated by reason of drinking liquor and taking a prescription drug c l a s s i f i e d a s a depressant and tranquilizer. Defendant a l s o admitted she had no d r i v e r ' s license. The testimony of defendant and her daughter a t the t r i a l t h a t t h e daughter was driving simply created a c o n f l i c t i n the evi- dence t h a t the t r i a l court resolved against the defendant. It i s the function of the t r i e r of the f a c t s , i n t h i s case the t r i a l judge, t o determine the c r e d i b i l i t y of t h e witnesses and the weight t o be given t h e i r testimony and he may pick and choose which of t h e witnesses a r e t o be believed from a consideration of a l l t h e evidence. State v. Medicine Bull, Jr., 152 Mont. 34, 445 P.2d 916. O n appeal we simply determine i f there i s substantial evidence t o support the defendant's g u i l t beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Stoddard, 147 Mont. 402, 412, P.2d 827; State v. White, 146 Mont. 226, 405 P.2d 761. Here the physical f a c t s a t the accident scene, the testimony of the highway patrolman and the ambulance attendant, the admissions of defendant and her daughter, and the blood alcohol t e s t c o n s t i t u t e substantial and s u f f i c i e n t evidence t o support the conviction of defendant on both charges. The judgment of the d i s t r i c t court is affirmed. ............................ Justices.