STATE v LONGACRE

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No. 13001 I N THE SUPREME C U T O THE STATE O M N A A OR F F OTN 1975 THE STATE OF MONTANA, P l a i n t i f f and Respondent, -vs - MARTHA ELLEN LONGACRE, Defendant and Appellant. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of t h e Fourth J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Honorable J a c k Lo Green, Judge p r e s i d i n g . Counsel of Record: For Appellant : G i l l e V.Wooten argued, Missoula, Montana For Respondent: Hon. Robert Lo Woodahl, Attorney General, Helena, Montana Thomas A. Budewitz, A s s i s t a n t Attorney General, argued, Helena, Montana Robert L. Deschamps, County Attorney, Missoula, Montana Submitted: Decided : F i l e d : h ? n I~ -412 , .y.,.- November 12, 1975 NOV 19 1975 M r . J u s t i c e Frank I. Haswell d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. T h i s i s an a p p e a l by defendant from a c o n v i c t i o n o f two misdemeanors (1) d r i v i n g w h i l e under t h e i n f l u e n c e o f i n t o x i c a t i n g l i q u o r , and (2) d r i v i n g without a v a l i d d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e . Defendant Martha Cooper Longacre was charged and c o n v i c t e d o f t h o s e o f f e n s e s i n t h e j u s t i c e c o u r t of H e l l g a t e Township b e f o r e J. G. Lamoreaux, j u s t i c e of t h e peace. She appealed and a t r i a l de novo was had i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t of Missoula County b e f o r e t h e Hon. Jack L. Green, s i t t i n g without a j u r y . convicted. Defendant was a g a i n She a p p e a l s from t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t c o n v i c t i o n . The i s s u e on a p p e a l i s t h e s u f f i c i e n c y of t h e evidence t o support t h e c o n v i c t i o n . T h i s i s s u e f o c u s e s on whether defendant o r h e r 14 y e a r o l d daughter was d r i v i n g . During t h e evening o f September 12, 1973, defendant and h e r daughter were involved i n a one c a r c o l l i s i o n w i t h an abutment on t h e b r i d g e a c r o s s t h e Blackfoot River on I n t e r s t a t e 90 about two m i l e s e a s t of Plissoula, Montana. When Highway Patrolman D a l l a s Atkins a r r i v e d a t t h e a c c i d e n t scene, defendant was s e a t e d behind t h e wheel i n t h e d r i v e r ' s s e a t w i t h h e r daughter i n t h e passenger s e a t alongside. attendant Both were i n j u r e d . T e r r y P e t e r s o n , an ambulance t e s t i f i e d t h a t i t was hard t o g e t defendant o u t o f t h e v e h i c l e a s she was wedged i n . He t e s t i f i e d defendant made some r e f e r e n c e t h a t t h i s would do something t o h e r d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e . Defendant and h e r daughter were t r a n s p o r t e d by ambulance t o t h e emergency room i n S t . P a t r i c k ' s h o s p i t a l i n Missoula. According t o Highway Patrolman A t k i n s , defendant t o l d him a t t h e h o s p i t a l t h a t s h e was t h e d r i v e r . He a l s o t e s t i f i e d , and t h e daughter a d m i t s , t h a t t h e daughter a l s o t o l l h i m defendant was t h e d r i v e r . L a t e r defendant and h e r daughter changed t h e i r s t a t e m e n t s and claimed t h e daughter was d r i v i n g ; t h a t defendant was i n no c o n d i t i o n t o d r i v e ; t h a t they switched s e a t s following t h e a c c i d e n t t o p r o t e c t t h e daughter from t h e expected wrath of h e r s t e p f a t h e r ; and, t o enable t h e daughter t o g e t a d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e on completion of her d r i v e r ' s training. Blood a l c o h o l t e s t s were taken of defendant which showed .37 a l c o h o l by weight volume i n h e r blood. Defendant admitted she was h i g h l y i n t o x i c a t e d by reason o f d r i n k i n g l i q u o r and t a k i n g a p r e s c r i p t i o n drug c l a s s i f i e d a s a d e p r e s s a n t and t r a n q u i l i z e r . Defendant a l s o admitted s h e had no d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e . The testimony of defendant and h e r daughter a t t h e t r i a l t h a t t h e daughter was d r i v i n g simply c r e a t e d a c o n f l i c t i n t h e e v i dence t h a t t h e t r i a l c o u r t r e s o l v e d a g a i n s t t h e defendant. It i s t h e f u n c t i o n of t h e t r i e r of t h e f a c t s , i n t h i s c a s e t h e t r i a l judge, t o determine t h e c r e d i b i l i t y of t h e w i t n e s s e s and t h e weight t o be given t h e i r testimony and he may p i c k and choose which o f t h e w i t n e s s e s a r e t o b e b e l i e v e d from a c o n s i d e r a t i o n of a l l t h e evidence. S t a t e v. Medicine B u l l , Jr., 152 Mont. 34, 445 P.2d 916. O appeal n we simply determine i f t h e r e i s s u b s t a n t i a l evidence t o support t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s g u i l t beyond a r e a s o n a b l e doubt. S t a t e v. Stoddard, 147 Mont. 402, 412, P.2d 827; S t a t e v. White, 146 Mont. 226, 405 P.2d 761. Here t h e p h y s i c a l f a c t s a t t h e a c c i d e n t scene, t h e testimony of the highway patrolman and t h e ambulance a t t e n d a n t , t h e admissions of defendant and h e r daughter, and t h e blood a l c o h o l t e s t c o n s t i t u t e s u b s t a n t i a l and s u f f i c i e n t evidence t o s u p p o r t t h e c o n v i c t i o n of defendant on both charges. The judgment of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i s a f f i r m e d . ............................ Justices.

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