Court Opinion

ID: 9847112
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:54:12.421311+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:01.210033
License: Public Domain

TYSON, Judge
dissenting.
The majority’s opinion awards defendant a new trial on three alternative grounds: (1) the trial court’s denial of defendant’s motion to suppress; (2) the trial court’s admittance of defendant’s prior convictions and its jury instruction, stating this evidence could be used to prove malice or intent in all the charges against defendant; and (3) the trial court’s admittance of defendant’s entire driving record containing prior convictions dating beyond sixteen years. I find no prejudicial error and respectfully dissent.
I. Motion to Suppress
Defendant argues the trial court erred by denying defendant’s motion to suppress. I disagree.
A. Standard of Review
Review of a trial court’s denial of a motion to suppress is limited to a determination whether the trial court’s findings of fact are supported by competent evidence and whether those findings support the trial court’s ultimate conclusions of law. The trial court’s findings are conclusive if supported by competent evidence, even if the evidence is conflicting.
State v. Sutton, 167 N.C. App. 242, 244, 605 S.E.2d 483, 484-85 (2004) (internal citations omitted), disc. rev. denied, 359 N.C. 326, 611 S.E.2d 847 (2005).
B. Analysis
Defendant only assigns error to findings of fact numbered five and eight contained in the trial court’s order denying defendant’s motion to suppress. Defendant failed to present any argument pertaining to finding of fact numbered five. This portion of defendant’s assignment of error is abandoned pursuant to N.C.R. App. P. 28(b)(6) (2008).
*187The majority’s opinion correctly holds that the portion of finding of fact numbered eight that states, “may be drunk” is not supported by competent evidence. Despite this error, defendant has failed to show any prejudice. The remaining portion of finding of fact numbered eight is clearly supported by competent evidence, is conclusive and binding upon this Court.
Defendant argues the trial court’s findings of fact do not support its only conclusion of law: “[based] on the foregoing findings of fact, the Court concludes as a matter of law that considering the totality of the circumstances these deputies had a reasonable suspicion to stop the [defendant's vehicle for investigative purposes.” (Emphasis supplied). I disagree.
Our Supreme Court has held:
Only unreasonable investigatory stops are unconstitutional. An investigatory stop must be justified by a reasonable suspicion, based on objective facts, that the individual is involved in criminal activity. A court must consider the totality of the circumstances — the whole picture in determining whether a reasonable suspicion to make an investigatory stop exists.'The stop must be based on specific and articulable facts, as well as the rational inferences from those facts, as viewed through the eyes of a reasonable, cautious officer, guided by his experience and training. The only requirement is a minimal level of objective justification, something more than an unparticularized suspicion or hunch.
State v. Campbell, 359 N.C. 644, 664, 617 S.E.2d 1, 14 (2005) (emphasis supplied) (internal citations and quotations omitted). Defendant and the majority’s opinion assert that the sole source for any claimed reasonable suspicion resulted from information provided by an anonymous driver, who without being identified lacked reliability and credibility. I disagree.
Here, the investigatory stop was not based solely on the anonymous driver’s information, but also on Deputies Whitaker and Perry’s personal observations. The State presented evidence that tended to show Deputies Whitaker and Perry had observed: (1) an intoxicated subject walking along the side of Sherron Road; (2) a tan minivan with its “flashers” activated traveling at a very slow speed; (3) a silver Honda following the minivan “almost bumper to bumper;” (4) the minivan and Honda both completely stop in the middle of the road; *188(5) the intoxicated subject run from across the road and enter the passenger side of the Honda; (6) the Honda drive around the minivan; (7) the minivan pull over to the side of the road; and (8) a “distraught” female in the.driver’s seat of the minivan motioning for the deputies to stop.
Further, Deputy Whitaker testified that while he was watching the intoxicated subject walk along Sherron Road, he made “a phone call to a deputy who had a prior call and asked him what was the description of the subjects that he had dealt with earlier.” Deputy Whitaker testified “we had the suspicion that it was possibly one of the two subjects that they had dealt with earlier,” due to the temporal and geographical proximity of the two incidents.
Deputy Whitaker’s testimony referred to an incident which had occurred less than one hour earlier. At approximately 2:05 p.m., Deputies Brian O’Briant and John Hammond received a call to check on two subjects located at Highway 98 and Sherron Road. The deputies responded to the call and found defendant and another man walking along the shoulder of Holder Road intoxicated. The deputies asked the men for identification and checked for outstanding warrants. The deputies determined the men appeared to be at their final destination and cleared the call at 2:32 p.m., approximately thirty minutes prior to when Deputies Whitaker and Perry observed an intoxicated subject walking along Sherron Road.
I agree with the trial court and would hold these “specific and articulable facts, as well as the rational inferences from those facts, as viewed through the eyes of . . . reasonable, cautious officer[s], guided by [their] experience and training” are sufficient to establish a reasonable suspicion that defendant was involved in criminal activity based on the totality of the circumstances. Id. It is unnecessary for this Court to determine whether the unidentified driver of the tan minivan was an “anonymous informant” or a “citizen informant.” The trial court’s findings of fact support its ultimate conclusion of law that under the totality of the circumstances, Deputies Whitaker and Perry had reasonable suspicion to initiate an investigatory stop of defendant’s vehicle. Id. The trial court properly denied defendant’s motion to suppress.
II. Prior Convictions
Defendant argues the trial court committed plain error by admitting into evidence the “bare fact” of defendant’s prior convictions *189and instructing the jury that this evidence could be used to prove malice or intent in all of the charges against defendant. Defendant also argues the trial court committed plain error by admitting some of defendant’s prior convictions that were too remote in time. I disagree.
A. Standard of Review
In the absence of any objection, we review defendant’s assignments of error under plain error analysis:
[T]he plain error rule ... is always to be applied cautiously and only in the exceptional case where, after reviewing the entire record, it can be said the claimed error is a ‘ fundamental error, something so basic, so prejudicial, so lacking in its elements that justice cannot have been done,” or “where [the error] is grave error which amounts to a denial of a fundamental right of the accused,” or the error has “resulted in a miscarriage of justice or in the denial to appellant of a fair trial” or where the error is such as to “seriously affect the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings” or where it can be fairly said “the instructional mistake had a probable impact on the jury’s finding that the defendant was guilty.”
State v. Odom, 307 N.C. 655, 660, 300 S.E.2d 375, 378 (1983) (emphasis original) (quoting United States v. McCaskill, 676 F.2d 995, 1002 (4th Cir. 1982)). Our Supreme Court has stated that “plain error analysis applies only to instructions to the jury and evidentiary matters.” State v. Greene, 351 N.C. 562, 566, 528 S.E.2d 575, 578, cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1041, 148 L. Ed. 2d 543 (2002).
B. Jury Instruction
In its charge to the jury, the trial court stated:
Now, evidence has been received tending to show that the defendant previously, prior to this case, had been convicted of Driving While Impaired.
This evidence was received solely for the purpose of showing that the defendant had the requisite malice or intent which is a necessary element of crimes charged in this case. If you believe this evidence, you may consider it but only for the limited purpose for which it has been received.
(Emphasis supplied). The majority’s opinion correctly states, “that the trial court did not err by admitting the bare fact of [d]efend*190ant’s prior convictions as to the charge of second-degree murder because this evidence is admissible to show malice.” See State v. Wilkerson, 148 N.C. App. 310, 327-28, 559 S.E.2d 5, 16 (Wynn, J., dissenting) (acknowledging multiple precedents allowing the bare fact of defendant’s prior traffic-related convictions as admissible to prove malice in second-degree murder cases), rev’d, 356 N.C. 418, 571 S.E.2d 583 (2002) (reversing per curiam for reasons stated in the dissenting opinion); see also State v. Rich, 351 N.C. 386, 527 S.E.2d 299 (2000).
However, the majority’s opinion ultimately holds the trial court committed both plain and prejudicial error and awards defendant a new trial on the charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, felony fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and misdemeanor larceny. The majority’s opinion bases its holding on the trial court’s instruction allowing the jury to use the “bare fact” of defendant’s prior convictions to establish the intent element in the crimes with which defendant was charged. Id. I disagree.
“In deciding whether a defect in the jury instruction constitutes plain error, the appellate court must examine the entire record and determine if the instructional error had a probable impact on the jury’s finding of guilt.” Odom, 307 N.C. at 661, 300 S.E.2d 378-79 (citation and quotation omitted). Our Supreme Court has stated, “when the plain error rule is applied, it is the rare c'ase in which an improper instruction will justify reversal of a criminal conviction when no objection has been made in the trial court.” Id. at 660-61, 300 S.E.2d 378 (citation and quotation omitted) (emphasis supplied).
After a thorough review of the record, the State presented other overwhelming evidence sufficient to establish each element of intent for the charges of: (1) assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury; (2) felony fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle; (3) two counts of assault with a deadly weapon; and (4) misdemeanor larceny. Defendant has failed to demonstrate how the trial court’s instructional error had “a probable impact on the jury’s finding that the defendant was guilty” of the crimes charged such that defendant should be awarded a new trial under plain error review. Id. at 660, 300 S.E.2d 378. Without a showing of prejudice, these facts do not elevate defendant’s convictions to the “rare case” to award defendant a new trial. Id.
*191C. Temporal Proximity
Defendant also argues the trial court committed plain error by admitting defendant’s entire driving record into evidence because some of his prior convictions were “too remote in time.” I disagree.
In State v. Miller, this Court unanimously held that driving convictions occurring sixteen years prior to the current charges were admissible to prove malice in second-degree murder cases. 142 N.C. App. 435, 440, 543 S.E.2d 201, 205 (2001). See also Rich, 351 N.C. at 400, 527 S.E.2d at 307 (upholding admission of a nine-year-old speeding conviction to show malice). In State v. Goodman, a majority of this Court held that it was not plain error to admit a driving record that contained convictions dating back thirty-seven years. 149 N.C. App. 57, 70, 560 S.E.2d 196, 205 (2002). Judge Greene dissented and asserted the admission of defendant’s entire thirty-seven year driving record violated the temporal proximity requirement of Rule 404(b) and constituted error. Id. at 73, 560 S.E.2d at 206. As the basis of his holding, Judge Greene stated:
Although defendant has six prior driving while impaired convictions dating back to 1962, only one of those occurred in the sixteen years prior to the crime at issue and none within the eight years prior to the crime at issue. Furthermore, defendant’s driving record contained convictions older than sixteen years of reckless driving, driving while license suspended, hit and run with property damage, unsafe moving violations, speeding, driving too fast for conditions, and driving on the wrong side of the road. This error is of a fundamental nature and, in my opinion, had a “probable impact on the jury’s finding of guilt” and thus constitutes plain error. State v. Odom, 307 N.C. 655, 661, 300 S.E.2d 375, 379 (1983). From the record, it appears the jury had difficulty in determining whether defendant had acted with malice because during its deliberations, the jury requested to have the definition of malice read twice. The jury later requested the trial court permit it to have a written definition of malice along with defendant’s driving record to consider during its deliberations. Accordingly, I would grant defendant a new trial.
Id. (emphasis supplied). On appeal, our Supreme Court per curiam reversed the majority for the reasons stated in Judge Greene’s dissenting opinion. State v. Goodman, 357 N.C. 43, 577 S.E.2d 619 (2003).
*192Here, the facts before us are clearly distinguishable from the facts presented in Goodman. 149 N.C. App. at 59-61, 560 S.E.2d at 198-99. Defendant’s record showed six prior driving while impaired convictions. Four of the six prior driving while impaired convictions occurred well within the sixteen year time-frame this Court articulated in Miller. 142 N.C. App. at 440, 543 S.E.2d at 205. Defendant’s most recent driving while impaired conviction occurred on 27 August 2004, only six months prior to the occurrence of the crimes charged in this case. Also, unlike Goodman, nothing in the record shows “the jury had difficulty in determining whether defendant had acted with malice.” Goodman, 149 N.C. App. at 73, 560 S.E.2d at 206.
Defendant states in his brief, “[t]he driving record showed the bare fact defendant had 36 prior criminal convictions, 44 prior DMV administrative driver license suspensions, 3 prior civil license revocations, and 6 prior accidents.”
Without articulating any prejudice to defendant and under plain error review, the majority awards defendant a new trial because the trial court admitted evidence of eight prior convictions that were dated'beyond the sixteen year time-frame: (1) driving with no operator’s license on 4 November 1988, 20 October 1986, and 12 February 1986; (2) failing to reduce , speed on 26 June 1985; (3) larceny of a motor vehicle and driving while licensed revoked on 29 October 1981; and (4) driving while impaired on 29 October 1981 and 11 August 1980. Defendant has wholly failed to show any prejudice or demonstrate how this unobjected to plain error was “of a fundamental nature and . . . had a ‘probable impact on the jury’s finding of guilt.’ ” Goodman, 149 N.C. App. at 73, 560 S.E.2d at 206 (quoting Odom, 307 N.C. at 661, 300 S.E.2d at 379).
III. Conclusion
Under the totality of the circumstances, the trial court’s findings of fact support its conclusion that Deputies Whitaker and Perry had a reasonable suspicion to initiate an investigatory stop of defendant’s vehicle. The trial court properly denied defendant’s motion to suppress.
Defendant failed to object and has failed to show any prejudice from the trial court’s admittance of defendant’s prior convictions under plain error review. Defendant is not entitled to a new trial on any grounds articulated in the majority’s opinion. I vote that defendant has made no showing of prejudicial error occurred and respectfully dissent.