Commonwealth v. Dirosa

249 A.3d 586

COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania

v.Joseph DIROSA, Appellant

No. 1337 MDA 2020

Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Submitted March 8, 2021

Filed April 6, 2021

Jay M. Nigrini, Reading, for appellant.

Paemela L. VanFossen, Assistant District Attorney, Reading, for Commonwealth, appellee.

BEFORE: STABILE, J., KUNSELMAN, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.^*

OPINION BY STEVENS, P.J.E.:

Appellant Joseph Dirosa appeals the judgment of sentence entered by the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County after Appellant was convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI: Highest Rate of Alcohol), 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3802(c). Appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction. We affirm.

On December 9, 2018, Reading Police Department Captain Brian Rodgers was working as the midnight shift commander in a marked patrol unit. Notes of Testimony (N.T.), 7/14/20, at 21. At approximately 2:30 a.m., Captain Rodgers, who was partnered with Sergeant Lillis, decided to drive to the Wawa convenience store on North 11^th Street in Reading, as he noted that the "bar volume was heavy and that was a time when a lot of patrons would visit the Wawa." N.T. at 21. When the officers arrived at the Wawa, they parked the patrol vehicle and approached the store on foot. N.T. at 22.

Thereafter, the officers noticed a green Honda Civic that had failed to park between the clearly-marked lines of the handicapped parking spaces. N.T. at 22. Upon closer inspection, the officers observed Appellant slumped over in the driver's seat with his head on his chest. N.T. at 22-23. Appellant was alone in the vehicle and the engine was running. N.T. at 22-23.

Captain Rodgers rapped on the window to attract Appellant's attention, but Appellant did not stir. N.T. at 23. When Captain Rodgers opened the driver's door, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle and noticed that a flask in the driver's door pocket. N.T. at 24.

Captain Rodgers shook Appellant "pretty hard" and asked Appellant if he was ok. N.T. at 24. Appellant woke up, but took several seconds to respond, and appeared confused. N.T. at 24. Captain Rodgers testified that Appellant's "confusion continued for a little longer than I would expect if someone was just sleeping and got abruptly awoken." N.T. at 24. Captain Rodgers also noticed that Appellant's speech was slurred. N.T. at 25.

Based on these observations, Captain Rodgers suspected Appellant was intoxicated. N.T. at 25. Captain Rodgers then coaxed Appellant out of the vehicle and reached in and removed the keys from the ignition as he was concerned that Appellant might try to drive away from the officers while intoxicated. N.T. at 25.

When Captain Rodgers asked Appellant if he had been drinking, Appellant admitted that he "had three shots before leaving home." N.T. at 26. Appellant fumbled in attempting to get his license out of his wallet, which Captain Rodgers noted was consistent with his experience of observing intoxicated individuals that had impaired motor skills. N.T. at 26. When Captain Rodgers asked Appellant for his address, Appellant had such difficulty saying his address that he needed four attempts to do so due to his inability to control his slurred speech. N.T. at 26-27. Appellant told the officers that several unnamed erotic dancers were responsible for why he was in this place at this time in his condition. N.T. at 46.

Appellant submitted to field sobriety testing, during which he demonstrated multiple indicators of intoxication. N.T. at 27-39. Officer James Gresh transported Appellant to Central Processing, where Appellant was administered a breath test, which measured Appellant's blood alcohol content (BAC) to be .211. N.T. at 53, 60-61; Commonwealth's Exhibit 5.

After Appellant was charged in this case, he proceeded to a bench trial on July 17, 2020, in which the trial court convicted Appellant of DUI (Highest Rate of Alcohol). On August 18, 2020, the trial court sentenced Appellant to seventy-two hours to six months’ incarceration. On August 26, 2020, Appellant filed a pro se post-sentence motion.¹ On August 28, 2020, trial counsel filed a counseled post-sentence motion on Appellant's behalf, which the trial court denied on October 5, 2020.

On October 13, 2020, Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal. On October 19, 2020, the trial court directed Appellant to file a Concise Statement of Errors Complained of on Appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b), indicating that "[a]ny issue not included in a timely filed and served statement ... shall be deemed waived." 1925(b) order, 10/29/20, at 1. On November 5, 2020, Appellant filed a timely Concise Statement.

Appellant raises one issue for our review on appeal:

Whether there was sufficient evidence to support the court's verdict as to driving under the influence as the Commonwealth failed to prove that the Appellant drove, operated or was in actual physical control of the movement of a motor vehicle as the evidence did not establish that the Appellant drove his vehicle to the Wawa or that he was in actual physical control of the vehicle while sitting in a parked vehicle at the parking lot of the Wawa?

Concise Statement, 11/5/20, at 1.

Our standard of review is as follows:

[i]n reviewing a sufficiency of the evidence claim, we must determine whether the evidence admitted at trial, as well as all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom, when viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict winner, [is] sufficient to support all elements of the offense.

Commonwealth v. Moreno , 14 A.3d 133 (Pa. Super. 2011). Additionally, we may not reweigh the evidence or substitute our own judgment for that of the fact finder. Commonwealth v. Hartzell , 988 A.2d 141 (Pa. Super. 2009). The evidence may be entirely circumstantial as long as it links the accused to the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Moreno, supra at 136.

Commonwealth v. Ballard , 244 A.3d 815, 2020 PA Super 295 (Pa.Super. 2020) (quoting Commonwealth v. Koch , 39 A.3d 996, 1001 (Pa. Super. 2011) ).

Appellant was charged with DUI (Highest Rate of Alcohol) under Section 3802(c) of the Vehicle Code which provides as follows:

(c) Highest rate of alcohol .--An individual may not drive, operate or be in actual physical control of the movement of a vehicle after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that the alcohol concentration in the individual's blood or breath is 0.16% or higher within two hours after the individual has driven, operated or been in actual physical control of the movement of the vehicle.

75 Pa.C.S.A. § 3802(c). This Court has held that "[u]nder section 3802(c), the elements of DUI—highest rate are: "(1) that a person drove, operated or was in actual physical control of a motor vehicle; and (2) that such action was conducted after imbibing enough alcohol that the actor's BAC reached 0.16% within two hours after driving." Commonwealth v. Starry , 196 A.3d 649, 657 (Pa.Super. 2018) (quoting Commonwealth v. Thur , 906 A.2d 552, 564 (Pa.Super. 2006) (citation omitted)).

Appellant limits his sufficiency challenge to the issue of whether the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence that he "drove, operated, or was in actual physical control of a vehicle" while he was intoxicated. Appellant alleges that he was merely sitting in a vehicle in the Wawa parking lot and faults the Commonwealth for not presenting testimony or video surveillance to show that Appellant drove the vehicle to the Wawa. Moreover, Appellant reiterates his assertion that any number of individuals, including "erotic dancers," may have driven Appellant's vehicle and parked it at the Wawa. Appellant's Brief, at 14.

However, while the Commonwealth was required to show that the Appellant was operating or in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, the prosecution did not need to present evidence that the vehicle was in motion. This Court has held that:

"The term ‘operate’ requires evidence of actual physical control of either the machinery of the motor vehicle or the management of the vehicle's movement, but not evidence that the vehicle was in motion." Commonwealth v. Johnson , 833 A.2d 260, 263 (Pa.Super. 2003)."Our precedent indicates that a combination of the following factors is required in determining whether a person had ‘actual physical control’ of an automobile: the motor running, the location of the vehicle, and additional evidence showing that the defendant had driven the vehicle." Commonwealth v. Woodruff , , 668 A.2d 1158, 1161 ([Pa.Super.] 1995). A determination of actual physical control of a vehicle is based upon the totality of the circumstances. [Commonwealth v.] Williams , supra [871 A.2d 254] at 259 [(Pa.Super.2005)]. "The Commonwealth can establish through wholly circumstantial evidence that a defendant was driving, operating or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle." Johnson , supra at 263.

Commonwealth v. Toland , 995 A.2d 1242, 1246 (Pa.Super. 2010) (quoting Commonwealth v. Brotherson , 888 A.2d 901, 904-905 (Pa.Super. 2005) ). In Toland , this Court found there was sufficient evidence for the trial court to conclude that the appellant was in actual physical control of the...