Court Opinion

ID: 9648188
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:08:10.642912+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:30:02.362187
License: Public Domain

HOOD, Chief Judge
(dissenting).
This case has one feature which disturbs me. As shown by the majority opinion, appellant was found not guilty on charges of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and reckless driving. After that acquittal the trial court found appellant guilty of charges of unreasonable speed and changing lanes without caution, and ordered a probation report before sentencing.
The probation report submitted to the court included a rather lengthy record of prior traffic convictions and a personal history of appellant, showing that he is forty-one years of age, is married, and is living with his wife and three children, who are attending school. Other matter contained in the report was, in my opinion, highly improper and prejudicial to appellant.
The report, under the heading of statement of facts, contained a report made by a police officer on the date appellant was arrested. This report stated the following:
The defendant was asked to get out of the car. When doing so, he was unsteady on his feet and had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The defendant was then transported to the 10th. Precinct and was charged with Unreasonable Speed, Changing Lanes Without Caution, Reckless Driving, Driving While Drunk. The defendant was asked if he wanted to give urine specimen and he said yes. While in the men’s room, he tried to put fresh water into the bottle instead of his urine. So after that, he would not give any specimen.
The probation report concluded with the following:
This defendant was brought in today for personal interview. As a result of interview and review of the entire situation, this man having been under the influence of liquor when this offense took place (however, he was found not *104guilty of Driving While Drunk), it would appear that this man has forfeited all right to further consideration with respect to probation in this case.
It further appears that he has reached the point where he must realize the hard way that his rights stop precisely where others’ begin.. He is a menace on the highway.
Probation is not recommended.
It appears very plain to me that the probation. report in effect stated that although the jury had acquitted appellant of the charge of driving while under the influence of liquor, he was in fact guilty of that offense and should be so considered. This was highly improper. The charge of driving under the influence had been disposed of by the jury, and it was then not the subject of consideration by either the court or the Probation Officer.
The probation report brought to the attention of the court that appellant had refused to submit to a urine test, but our statute, D.C.Code 1961, § 40-609a, authorizing such tests, specifically provides that no one is required to submit to such test. We have held that refusal to submit cannot be used against the defendant, Stuart v. District of Columbia, D.C.Mun.App., 157 A.2d 294 (1960); but it was used here by the Probation. Officer to bolster his conclusion that appellant was a “menace on the highway,” and must learn “the hard way” where his rights stop and the rights of others begin.
The majority opinion says it would be speculation to assume that the probation report improperly influenced the court in imposing sentence, but - two facts stand out very plain. First, the court imposed a sentence of sixty days in jail on the charge of unreasonable speed, and it seems to me that this is an unusually severe sentence for such offense when it is remembered that the jury had acquitted appellant of the charge of reckless driving. Second, the trial court on its own motion designated as a part of the record in this case the in-formations charging driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and reckless driving, and the probation report. If the charges of which appellant was acquitted and the contents of the probation report did not influence the court in imposing sentence, why did the court include them in the record?
I would reverse the convictions and order a new trial before another Judge..