Broyles v. State, CR
| Decision Date | 29 April 1985 |
| Docket Number | No. CR,CR |
| Citation | 285 Ark. 457,688 S.W.2d 290 |
| Parties | Jerry BROYLES, Appellant, v. STATE of Arkansas, Appellee. 85-36. |
| Court | Arkansas Supreme Court |
Jeff Duty, Rogers, for appellant.
Steve Clark, Atty. Gen. by Connie Griffin, Asst. Atty. Gen., Little Rock, for appellee.
Tried without a jury, Broyles was convicted of DWI and other offenses. Aside from the punishment imposed, the court assessed costs of $302.25, which apparently included the "additional" costs of $250 mandated by Act 918 of 1983. Ark.Stat.Ann. § 75-2531 (Supp.1983). The appeal comes to this court under Rule 29(1)(c).
The first of two arguments for reversal is that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Broyles was intoxicated within the statutory definition. § 75-2502(a) (Supp.1983). In a criminal case the standard for review is not whether the evidence eliminates a reasonable doubt but simply whether the finding of fact is supported by substantial evidence. Gardner v. State, 263 Ark. 739, 746, 569 S.W.2d 74 (1978), cert. denied 440 U.S. 911, 99 S.Ct. 1224, 59 L.Ed.2d 460 (1979).
Officer McCain, who first stopped Broyles, testified that Broyles had weaved into the oncoming traffic lane several times and smelled of liquor when stopped. Broyles successfully fled in his car for a few minutes, but the officer who quickly found and arrested Broyles testified that he was stumbling and staggering, he smelled strongly of intoxicants, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had trouble walking. Broyles refused to take a breathalyzer test, though he did remark at the time: "Drunker than hell." He testified that he is an alcoholic but had not had even beer that day. He said that for a severe migraine headache he had taken medicine that was labeled 43% alcohol and also contained codeine. Even though he admitted having drunk the whole bottle instead of taking it by the tablespoonful, he said that would have nothing to do with his driving. Upon the conflicting proof there was obviously substantial evidence to support the trial court's finding that Broyles was driving while intoxicated.
Second, it is argued that the statutory imposition of $250 in additional costs, especially the $75 of that amount that goes to the city or county, is not directly related to the cost of prosecution and must be regarded as a mandatory imposition of punishment rather than as an assessment of costs.
The statute provides that a person convicted of DWI shall pay, "as an additional cost," the sum of $250. § 75-2531. Of that amount $75 goes to the city or county of the court levying the additional cost. Half the remainder goes to support the Highway Safety Program. That program was established by the Omnibus DWI Act and has five enumerated objectives, every one of which relates to drunken driving. § 75-2514 (Supp.1983). The other half of the remainder goes to the Alcohol and Drug Safety Fund and is to be used to support detoxification services and alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation and treatment services. § 75-2531.
The decisions elsewhere are not unanimous in deciding to what extent the costs in a criminal case must be directly related to that particular prosecution. An Oklahoma court required a direct relationship between the expense of prosecution and the fixing of costs. Ex Parte Coffelt, 93 Okl.Cr. 343, 228 P.2d 199 (1951). Other courts take a less restrictive approach. In Virginia the court sustained the levy of a fixed amount after every conviction for a traffic offense, to help support the Division of Motor Vehicles in its central record-keeping and reporting. Carter v. City of Norfolk, 206 Va. 872, 147 S.E.2d 139 (1966). It was said: "The costs collected under Code § 14.1-200.1 therefore reimburse the State for expenses incurred by it as a result of prosecutions for traffic offenses." Quite similar to the case at bar was a Florida decision upholding a statute levying a fixed amount as costs in every case not of a civil nature, to be used for the support of the bureau of law enforcement. State v. Young, 238 So.2d 589 (Fla.1970). The court reasoned:
It is not unreasonable that one who stands convicted of such an offense should be made to share in the improvement of the agencies that society has had to employ in defense against the very acts for which he has been convicted. We perceive here a direct relationship ....
Our own cases uphold the imposition of costs imposed without a precise relationship to the actual cost of the particular prosecution. In sustaining the assessment of a uniform fee for the prosecuting attorney in all cases we said: Wellington v. State, 52 Ark. 447, 13 S.W. 134...
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Peraza v. State
...related to the costs of administering the criminal justice system” in order to not be considered a tax); Broyles v. State, 285 Ark. 457, 688 S.W.2d 290, 292 (1985) (holding that court costs of $302.25 for DWI defendant, which included an additional $250 that was allocated in part to program......
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...to the costs of administering the criminal justice system and are not simply an executive branch tax"). See also Broyles v. State, 285 Ark. 457, 688 S.W.2d 290, 292 (1985) (holding that a charge on a criminal defendant convicted of driving while intoxicated to support the Highway Safety Pro......
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Salinas v. State
...provision of the constitution by placing the label “costs” on items that were clearly not costs of court), with Broyles v. State, 285 Ark. 457, 688 S.W.2d 290, 292 (1985) (holdingthat a cost charged to a criminal defendant convicted of driving while intoxicated to support programs relating ......
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...be a reasonable assessment and not a tax if the funds are used for broad judicial and law enforcement purposes. See Broyles v. State, 285 Ark. 457, 688 S.W.2d 290 (1985); State v. Champe, 373 So.2d 874 (Fla.1978); State v. Young, 238 So.2d 589 (Fla.1970); Davis v. State, 495 So.2d 928 (Fla.......