State v. Leis

Decision Date16 September 1982
Docket NumberNo. C,C
Citation648 P.2d 1345,58 Or.App. 403
PartiesSTATE of Oregon, Respondent, v. Phillip LEIS, Appellant. 8012-34585; CA A21881.
CourtOregon Court of Appeals

Daniel Hoarfrost, Portland, argued the cause and filed the brief for appellant.

Robert E. Barton, Asst. Atty. Gen., Salem, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief were Dave Frohnmayer, Atty. Gen., and William F. Gary, Sol. Gen., Salem.

Before RICHARDSON, P. J., and THORNTON and VAN HOOMISSEN, JJ.

RICHARDSON, Presiding Judge.

Defendant appeals his convictions for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII), ORS 487.540, 1 and felony driving while suspended (DWS). ORS 487.560. Because of prior DUII convictions in Oregon and Washington, the DUII charge was treated as a Class A misdemeanor under former ORS 484.365 and the DWS charge was treated as a Class C felony. Defendant was convicted of felony DWS after trial to the court and of DUII after a jury trial. He makes several assignments of error in connection with both charges. We affirm. The facts will be presented as relevant to each assignment.

Defendant's first assignment is the denial of his motion to suppress evidence on both charges stemming from the initial traffic stop. He argues that the police officer did not have probable cause to stop his car and that the stop was thus unlawful. The trial court denied the motion on the ground that the officer was required only to have a reasonable suspicion, not probable cause, to justify the stop. The court erred in denying the motion on that ground. State v. Brister, 34 Or.App. 575, 579 P.2d 863, rev. den. 284 Or. 521 (1978). However, the uncontroverted testimony of the officer establishes that he had probable cause to believe defendant was driving under the influence of intoxicants. He testified that his attention was drawn to defendant's vehicle by the slow weaving pattern of the car on a winding road at 2 a. m. He explained that defendant's vehicle was cutting the corners of the roadway by two or three feet. There was a probable cause basis to stop the vehicle. State v. Bailey, 51 Or.App. 173, 624 P.2d 663, rev. den. 291 Or. 1 (1981).

Defendant's second assignment concerns the admission of the prior Oregon DUII conviction, which was used to elevate the present DUII conviction to a Class A misdemeanor. ORS 484.365. He argues that the prior conviction "was entered while defendant was without benefit of counsel and without a knowing and voluntary waiver of defendant's constitutional rights." If defendant did not validly waive these rights, the conviction cannot be used to enhance punishment. State v. Grenvik, 291 Or. 99, 628 P.2d 1195 (1981); Boag v. State, 44 Or.App. 99, 605 P.2d 304 (1980). The waiver must affirmatively be shown in the record and will not be presumed from a silent record. State v. Grenvik, supra; Burgett v. Texas, 389 U.S. 109, 88 S.Ct. 258, 19 L.Ed.2d 319 (1967).

The trial court denied defendant's motion to suppress the prior conviction, because defendant failed to produce the full transcript of the prior proceedings. Defendant raised the motion prior to trial, and the court reserved ruling in order to give defendant and his counsel additional time to produce the complete transcript. At the sentencing hearing, five weeks following trial, he still had not produced the full transcript.

This is a "silent record" only in that the full record was not brought before the trial court. Defendant failed to satisfy his initial burden of providing a basis from which to establish a violation of his constitutional rights in the prior proceeding. State v. Annino, 46 Or.App. 743, 613 P.2d 84, rev. den. 289 Or. 588 (1980). The trial court did not err in denying defendant's motion to suppress the prior DUII conviction.

Defendant's third assignment is the trial court's overruling of his objection during trial and the denial of his motion in arrest of judgment concerning the sufficiency of the complaint charging him with felony DWS. In essence, he argues that facts alleged in the complaint do not state a crime because there is no allegation of a culpable mental state. He recognizes that we rejected a similar argument in State v. Taylor, 28 Or.App. 815, 561 P.2d 662, rev. den. 279 Or. 191 (1977), but argues that Taylor is no longer viable authority in light of the concurring opinion of Linde, J., in State v. Stroup, 290 Or. 185, 620 P.2d 1359 (1980):

"(T)he context (of ORS 487.560) indicates that a culpable mental state is an element of driving while suspended." 290 Or. at 207, 620 P.2d 1359.

The court in Stroup, however, specifically did not reach the issue discussed in the concurring opinion. The holding of Taylor, regarding a culpable mental state, has not been altered, and we follow it. The court did not err in overruling defendant's motions.

Defendant's fourth assignment is the court's denial of his motion to treat his DWS conviction as a misdemeanor. The statute defining the crime of DWS, ORS 487.560, provides:

" * * *

"(5) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, driving while suspended or revoked is a Class A misdemeanor.

"(6) Driving while suspended or revoked is a Class C felony if the suspension or revocation was the result * * * of a conviction for any of the following offenses:

" * * *

"(f) Driving while under the influence of intoxicants."

Defendant's license had been suspended pursuant to former ORS 482.430(3), which required suspension after the second DUII conviction within five years. However, defendant's second conviction was in Washington, not Oregon. Defendant argues that felony treatment is improper, because the legislative policy of ORS 487.560 is to exclude the use of foreign convictions to enhance the crime of DWS to a felony. He relies on State v. Thomas, 34 Or.App. 187, 578 P.2d 452 (1978), where we held that the use of foreign driving-under-the-influence convictions could not be used to enhance the crime of DUII from a violation to a misdemeanor under former ORS 484.365(1).

Defendant's reliance on Thomas is misplaced. In that case we examined only the specific DUII enhancement statute and discerned a legislative policy precluding the direct use of prior foreign convictions. In the present case a different statute and crime are...

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6 cases
  • State v. Wilson
    • United States
    • Missouri Court of Appeals
    • December 13, 1984
    ...in that contention is the position that the evidence of his prior convictions must show an express waiver of counsel. State v. Leis, 58 Or.App. 403, 648 P.2d 1345 (1982). Section 577.023.2, 1982 Mo.Laws 687, in part provided: "Evidence of prior convictions shall be heard...." Section 490.13......
  • State v. Crain
    • United States
    • Oregon Court of Appeals
    • February 25, 2004
    ...Where, as here, the record of proceedings in the prior case is unavailable, it is not silent in the relevant sense. Cf. State v. Leis, 58 Or.App. 403, 406, 648 P.2d 1345, rev. den., 293 Or. 653, 653 P.2d 998 (1982) ("This is a `silent record' only in that the full record was not brought bef......
  • State v. Fritz
    • United States
    • Oregon Court of Appeals
    • June 12, 1987
    ...produce a record reasonably sufficient to support an assertion that she was denied counsel in the prior proceedings. See State v. Leis, 58 Or.App. 403, 648 P.2d 1345, rev. den. 293 Or. 653, 653 P.2d 998 (1982). One purpose of making an official record of judicial proceedings is so that a co......
  • Oregon v. Niles
    • United States
    • Oregon Court of Appeals
    • July 17, 1985
    ...suspicion, but he also had probable cause to arrest defendant for driving under the influence of intoxicants. See State v. Leis, 58 Or.App. 403, 648 P.2d 1345, rev. den. 293 Or. 653, 653 P.2d 998 (1982); State v. Bailey, 51 Or.App. 173, 624 P.2d 663, rev. den. 291 Or. 1, 631 P.2d 340 (1981)......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
1 books & journal articles
  • Search and seizure
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books Attacking and Defending Drunk Driving Tests
    • May 5, 2021
    ...two lanes of tra൶c. The court held the erratic driving gave the o൶cer reasonable suspicion to detain the driver. • State v. Leis (1982) 58 Or.App. 403, 648 P.2d 1345. A vehicle was seen slowly weaving and cutting corners by two or three feet. The court found that the o൶cer’s suspicion that ......

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