Opinion ID: 1810115
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Speed Issues.

Text: Defendant argues that the testimony offered by the State to show the speed at which he was driving was of absolutely no probative value because the yaw marks on which it was based were laid down while his vehicle was operating under power. He contends that no other credible evidence of his speed was presented except that of his own expert witness. He urges that, absent credible evidence of dangerously excessive speed, there was no evidence that would allow the jury to reasonably conclude that he was driving in a reckless manner. In the alternative, defendant argues that, if there was a jury issue concerning whether the yaw marks were laid down while the vehicle was under power, he is entitled to a new trial because sergeant Bulver's testimony negating the consequences of an adverse finding on this issue was false and misleading. The issues thus framed do not pertain to the admission of expert testimony. They pertain to the sufficiency of the evidence to establish recklessness, the weight of the evidence for purposes of defendant's motion for new trial, and the allegations of bad faith in presenting sergeant Bulver's testimony. In considering the sufficiency of the evidence to support a verdict, we must base our decision on all of the evidence in the record, not merely that which favors the State. State v. Conroy, 604 N.W.2d 636, 638 (Iowa 2000); State v. Kostman, 585 N.W.2d 209, 211 (Iowa 1998); State v. Robinson, 288 N.W.2d 337, 340 (Iowa 1980). That type of review poses problems for the State because it is undisputed that the engine on defendant's auto was roaring when it came to rest in the ditch and remained so until the battery cable was disconnected. Two witnesses testified without contradiction that the engine cavity had been damaged in a manner causing the cruise control mechanism to be locked in position thus holding the engine under power. The obvious explanation for this damage to the cruise control mechanism was the collision with the buggy. When all of this evidence is considered, the State's evidence of speed rests on a very speculative foundation. In ruling on defendant's motion for a new trial, the district court characterized the conflicting evidence as to the speed of defendant's vehicle as a matter for the jury to resolve. Although an allegation that Bulver's testimony was either perjurious or made with a reckless disregard for the truth was part of defendant's motion for new trial, the court did not address that claim directly. In lieu of discussing the challenge to Bulver's testimony, the court concluded: There was additional evidence before the jury of defendant's recklessness in the operation of the vehicle, so as to sustain the jury's verdict. The court concludes defendant has not shown that any use of false testimony would, within a reasonable probability, have influenced the jury verdict. Other evidence in the record sustains the jury's verdict. Unlike the stricter standard of materiality applied to new-trial motions based on newly discovered evidence, a knowing use of false testimony requires that a conviction be reversed if there is any reasonable likelihood that the false testimony could have affected the judgment of the jury. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 103, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 2397, 49 L.Ed.2d 342, 349-50 (1976); accord Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 154, 92 S.Ct. 763, 766, 31 L.Ed.2d 104, 108 (1972). This standard may be applied even if the prosecutor did not actually know the testimony was false but should have known. Agurs, 427 U.S. at 103, 96 S.Ct. at 2397, 49 L.Ed.2d at 349. In United States v. Tierney, 947 F.2d 854 (8th Cir.1991), the federal court extended this principle to the reckless or negligent use of false testimony. Tierney, 947 F.2d at 860-61. In applying these principles to the present case, we are convinced that the State's use of Bulver's rebuttal testimony constituted a reckless disregard for the truth. Although the formulas that were used by trooper Gerdom to estimate speed are highly technical and complex, it is elementary that, if the speed of a vehicle prior to collision is to be estimated from the tire marks laid down as the vehicle slides to a stop after the collision, the forces propelling the vehicle when the tire markings are being laid down must be the same forces that existed prior to the collision. To suggest that the results would be the same irrespective of whether the vehicle was under power or was freewheeling is absurd because the spacing and duration of the markings laid down by the tires would almost certainly be different in each situation. Any lingering doubt as to the reckless use of Bulver's testimony is dispelled when we consider his testimony that his conclusions were supported by materials published by the Northwestern University Traffic Research Institute. The State has made no effort to bolster the credibility of that statement in the face of evidence that it was not correct and has offered no explanation as to why this manifestly false claim was made. We are convinced that there was a strong likelihood that Bulver's false testimony could have affected the verdict. As we concluded in our prior discussion, the evidence that the vehicle remained under power following the collision was extremely convincing. The jury could very likely have so found. Such a finding would have completely eliminated the State's claim that defendant was driving between seventy-one and eighty-two miles per hour prior to the collision. We disagree with the district court's conclusion that there was other evidence of recklessness that would likely have caused the jury to conclude that defendant was operating his vehicle in a reckless manner. Section 707.6A(2)(a) requires that the reckless driving be done with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others. The evidence relied upon by the district court to conclude that this could be shown in the absence of Gerdom's speed testimony was that (1) defendant had been observed driving over the speed limit two miles back down the road, (2) defendant would have observed a slow moving vehicle sign on the rear of the buggy, (3) defendant did not have his vehicle under control, (4) he failed to reduce his speed when approaching the buggy, and (5) he had stated to others that he believed that he may have fallen asleep. Also, the district court believed that defendant's blood alcohol concentration could be considered on the issue of recklessness. Considering the district court's conclusion concerning defendant's blood-alcohol content, we do not believe that, in deciding what the jury would have done without Gerdom's speed evidence, we can rely on the evidence of intoxication, which that same jury rejected in acquitting defendant of the charges under Iowa Code section 707.6A(1). As to the possibility that defendant fell asleep, we believe that, under the circumstances of this case, this would militate against a finding of willful and wanton disregard, rather than in support of such a finding. We are unable to conclude that the other factors relied on by the district court or any other evidence presented to the jury would permit it to find reckless operation in the absence of evidence of dangerously excessive speed. See State v. Sutton, 636 N.W.2d 107, 112-13 (Iowa 2001). Consequently, we believe there is a sufficient likelihood that Bulver's testimony affected the verdict of the jury that the judgment of conviction should be reversed and a new trial granted.