Opinion ID: 1817240
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: willful reckless driving

Text: Hill assigns as error that the trial court found him guilty of willful reckless driving despite the facts that no persons or property were around for him to endanger and that a guilty verdict based upon speed alone cannot stand. Hill is correct that evidence of speed alone is not sufficient to sustain [a] conviction [for the offense of willful reckless driving]. See State v. DiLorenzo, 181 Neb. 59, 63, 146 N.W.2d 791, 794 (1966). However, where evidence of speed is adduced not to establish a driver's rate of travel so as to prove a charge that he exceeded a particular speed limit, but, rather, as one piece of evidence tending to establish that the driver operated a vehicle in such a manner as to indicate an indifferent or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property, the speed is not at issue, as contemplated by Neb.Rev.Stat. § 60-6,192 (Reissue 1993), and therefore need not be corroborated by a microwave, mechanical, or electronic speed measurement device. State v. Howard, 253 Neb. 523, 571 N.W.2d 308 (1997). By his own admission, Hill drove at speeds exceeding the posted limit. Furthermore, Cornett testified that Hill was traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour in a residential area. We question whether Cornett's estimate of Hill's speed at 80 miles per hour is accurate due to the fact that Cornett later testified that she caught up with Hill in a 15-block span without going over 50 to 60 miles per hour. Most important for our discussion here, however, is that Cornett testified the streets were narrow, with cars parked on both sides, such that Hill's speed would put property at risk. Furthermore, Hill's speed was merely one piece of evidence tending to prove his disregard for the safety of other people and property on the night in question. As pointed out in Hill's brief, Hill was not even charged with a speed violation in this case. The fact that he was not, and was instead charged with willful reckless driving, conforms directly with our holding in State v. Howard, supra . The fact that Hill drove through both a stop sign and a flashing red light without coming to a complete stop is sufficient evidence of his disregard for other persons and property to sustain a conviction under § 60-6,214. Evidence of his speed while doing so is merely corroborative of Hill's disregard. Regardless of the sufficiency of the evidence, we are mindful that in reviewing a criminal conviction, an appellate court does not resolve conflicts in the evidence, pass on the credibility of witnesses, or reweigh the evidence. Such matters are for the finder of fact, and a conviction will be affirmed, in the absence of prejudicial error, if the properly admitted evidence, viewed and construed most favorably to the State, is sufficient to support the conviction. State v. Howard, 253 Neb. at 532, 571 N.W.2d at 315. Finding no prejudicial error and viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the State, we affirm Hill's conviction for willful reckless driving. The State has raised the issue that the county court's sentence for this violation did not conform to the dictates of the statute; however, such claim was not assigned as error in the district court and will not be addressed by this court.