Court Opinion

ID: 9542729
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:37:52.251545+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:08:48.009842
License: Public Domain

STATON, Judge,
concurring.
I concur. The most critical evidentiary bridge that the State must cross is the defendant's intent to operate a motor vehicle in a state of intoxication. What was the defendant's state of mind while in the motor vehicle in a position to operate the vehicle? There are several means of crossing this evidentiary bridge. One is circumstantial evidence, another is inferences from other evidence, and, of course, admissions made by the defendant. But, the bridge must be crossed to reach a finding of guilty. If a defendant leaves an establishment where he has consumed alcoholic beverages to excess and feels that he should not proceed to endanger the life and property of others by operating his motor vehicle, he should be commended for using good judgment. If the only evidence is that he was sitting in a reclining position behind the wheel of his vehicle with the motor running perhaps to keep warm while the effects of alcohol subsided, this would not support a finding of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The rationale in Wells v. Commonwealth (1986), Ky.App., 709 S.W.2d 847 should be used in all cases where the intent to operate is not absolutely clear.