Opinion ID: 2330476
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Similar Statute Determination

Text: In support of his argument on appeal, Stewart relies primarily on two decisions of this Court interpreting the Delaware habitual offender statute. [7] Our holdings in Morales and Fletcher, however, do not address the issue of conviction under a similar statute for purposes of section 4177B(e). A plain reading of section 4177B(e)(1)a reflects that a sentencing court in Delaware was only required to determine that Stewart had been convicted in Florida pursuant to a statute that was similar to Delaware's. We hold that a prior offense under a similar statute may be established under Title 21, section 4177B(e) of the Delaware Code without reference to the facts and circumstances of that offense. Accordingly, the Superior Court properly held that Stewart should be sentenced as a repeat offender without reference to the details of the specific conduct resulting in the Florida conviction. A comparative analysis of the Delaware and Florida statutes satisfied that requirement in Delaware's DUI statute, without reference to the facts and circumstances underlying the Florida conviction. In State v. Rogers, [8] the Superior Court conducted such a comparative analysis. In Rogers, the defendant was convicted of driving under the influence under Title 21, section 4177 of the Delaware Code and had been previously convicted in North Carolina of driving while impaired. Based on the language of Title 21, section 4177B(e)(1)(a) of the Delaware Code outlined above, the Superior Court compared the North Carolina statute with the Delaware statute and concluded that they were similar for purposes of Title 21, section 4177 of the Delaware Code. In State v. Rogers, the North Carolina statute required only .08 blood alcohol concentration for a presumptive violation, while the Delaware statute required .10. In Rogers, the Superior Court rejected the argument that the level of intoxication required by either statute made the statutes dissimilar.