Case Name: CHAIREZ v. STATE
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1924-11-12
Citations: 265 S.W. 905
Docket Number: No. 8405
Parties: CHAIREZ v. STATE.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter
Volume: 265
Pages: 905–906

Head Matter:
CHAIREZ v. STATE.
(No. 8405.)
(Court of 'Criminal Appeals of Texas.
Nov. 12, 1924.)
Municipal corporations <g=»707 — Evidence held not to sustain conviction of driving automobile while intoxicated.
Evidence held not to sustain conviction of driving an automobile' while in an intoxicated condition, in violation of Acts 38th Leg. 2d Called Sess. (1923) c. 23.
Appeal from District Court, El Paso County; W. D. Howe, Judge.
Emilio Chairez was convicted of driving an automobile in a city while intoxicated and he appeals.
Reversed and remanded.
E. B. Elfers, of El Paso, for appellant.
Tom Garrard,' State’s Atty., and Grover C. Morris, Asst. State’s Atty., both of Austin, for the State.

Opinion:
HAWKINS, J.
Appellant is under conviction on a charge that, while in an intoxicated condition, he drove an automobile in the city of El Paso, and his punishment was assessed at a fine of $100 and 30 days' confinement in the county Jail.
The prosecution is under Acts of the 38th Legislature, 2d C. S. c. 23, which reads:
"It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or operate an automobile or any. motor vehicle upon any street or alley or any other place, within the limits of any incorporated city, town or village in this state or upon any public road or highway in this state while such person is intoxicated or in any degree under the influence of intoxicating liquor."
While driving a large seven passenger car on the streets of El Paso near the intersection of Ninth and Santa Fé streets, appellant ran it over the curb, across the sidewalk, and through the wall of a vacant adobe house. The house was eight feet from the curb. It was out of this accident the prosecution grew. None of the state's witnesses saw the accident. It is accounted for by ap-, pellant, and one of the parties who was riding with him in the car at the time, and by several apparently disinterested witnesses, in a manner which is entirely compatible' with the act of one not under the influence \ of liquor. We do not quote the testimony of these witnesses in detail, but condensed' it amounts to this: That appellant turned' from Ninth street north on Santa Fé street; that about the time he made the turn he dis-i covered a door of his own car open, and re-1 quested one of the parties in the rear to close it; that looking ahead again he discovered' a large car coming rapidly down Santa Fé street; that there was imminent danger of' a collision between the two cars; that to avoid it appellant' swung his car sharply to the left, making almost a complete circle from the point where he had entered Santa Fé street, and in attempting to avoid the' collision his car crossed the sidewalk and hit the wall of the adobe building, the front' part of his car going through the wall.
Appellant had come from Juarez to El Paso about an hour before the accident, bringing with him two parties who had eaten dinner at appellant's house. The first officer who, reached the scene of the accident had seen-appellant as he was making this trip from Juarez, and himself admits that there was nothing in the manner in which the car was being handled then that indicated appellant was under the influence of liquor. The same officer also testified that the turn made by appellant from Ninth street into Santa Fé street was a correct turn in compliance with the traffic laws. His testimony is to the effect that, when he reached the scene of the accident, appellant was leaning over the steering wheel of the car, and that witness detected on his breath the odor of liquor; that his eyes were red and bulging, and from this the officer concluded appellant was drunk. Another witness, not a peace officer, but the city clerk, said appellant "appeared to be drunk," but gave no reason for this conclusion whatever. The peace officer says when they reached the point of the accident, appellant was sitting in the car. The city clerk says he was out of the car, and got in at the direction of the officer, and backed the ear across the street apparently without difficulty, and placed it in the proper place against - the curb. Another officer who reached the place later also testified that he smelled liquor on appellant's breath, and that, when he got out of the car at the. city hall, he staggered.
Appellant testified that, when he • struck the adobe wall, it threw him forward against the steering wheel, which struck- his breast, and that the top frame of the wind shield was knocked loose and hit him on the head, which temporarily rendered him dizzy. The par ties with appellant gave no indication of being under the influence of liquor. One of them testified, supporting appellant's state.ment relative to the accident, and says, when •appellant struck; the building, he fell forward upon the driving wheel, and that witness thought he had sustained an injury of' some kind. Both appellant and this witness deny positively that appellant had been drinking at all, and one disinterested witness across the street from the scene of the accident immediately went to where appellant was, and he disclaims having detected any odor of liquor about him. The evidence is undisputed that the car was partly covered with mortar and brick, and could not be backed out of the building until some wooden beams were removed from the top of it.
We have not undertaken to set out in detail all the evidence, but have tried to condense it. We cannot see our way clear to permit this conviction to stand upon the record before us. All of appellant's acts appear to have been compatible with those of a man not under the influence of intoxicating liquor, and his appearance and manner after the accident reasonably explainable upon the ground that he had received a lick on the head or an injury of some kind as a result of striking the wall. So explained, the only testimony left to the state is that the smell of liquor was upon appellant's breath. This is denied by appellant and his witnesses, but conceding the the testimony of the state's witnesses to be true in this respect, we are not willing to say that under all the facts of the case it shows appellant to have been driving an automobile at a time when he was drunk, or to any degree intoxicated. The testimony is in conflict relative to the movements of appellant after the accident, and whether he had difficulty in starting his own car, and getting from his own car into the police car.. The whole record leaves our mind in such an unsettled condition relative to the matter that it would not comport with our duty to permit the conviction to stand.
For the reasons given the judgment is reversed, and the cause remanded.
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