NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the
internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-4011-17T4
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
MARTI WOODWARD, a/k/a
MARTHA E. WOODWARD,
Defendant-Appellant.
_____________________________
Submitted June 4, 2019 – Decided June 20, 2019
Before Judges Fasciale and Gooden Brown.
On appeal from Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
Division, Burlington County, Indictment No. 16-11-
1138.
Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for
appellant (Elizabeth Cheryl Jarit, Assistant Deputy
Public Defender, of counsel and on the brief).
Scott A. Coffina, Burlington County Prosecutor,
attorney for respondent (Alexis R. Agre, Assistant
Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).
PER CURIAM
Defendant appeals from her conviction for fourth-degree operating a
motor vehicle during a second or subsequent license suspension, N.J.S.A.
2C:40-26(b). The judge found aggravating factors three and nine, imposed a
two-year probationary sentence, which the judge conditioned upon serving 270
days in jail, with a 180-day period of parole ineligibility. On appeal, defendant
argues:
POINT I
FAILURE TO PROVIDE AN INSTRUCTION TO
THE JURY LIMITING THE JURY'S USE OF THE
MANY ADMITTED, OUT-OF-COURT
STATEMENTS BY NON-TESTIFYING WITNESSES
DENIED [DEFENDANT] DUE PROCESS AND A
FAIR TRIAL. (Partially Raised Below).
POINT II
RESENTENCING IS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE
COURT DOUBLE-COUNTED AND FAILED TO
PROVIDE A STATEMENT OF REASONS IN
FINDING THE TWO AGGRAVATING FACTORS,
AND BECAUSE OF ERRORS CONTAINED WITHIN
THE JUDGMENT OF CONVICTION.
A. The trial court's finding of aggravating factor three
double-counted . . . defendant's "use of alcohol," which
is an element of the offense, and is otherwise
unsupported by the record.
B. The trial court failed to provide a statement of
reasons for aggravating factor nine.
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C. A remand is required to correct the Judgment of
Conviction, which states that the conviction and
sentence were the result of a negotiated plea.
We affirm, but remand to correct a typographical error on the judgment of
conviction.
An officer was behind a Mazda and decided to do a random license plate
inquiry. He used his on-board computer system, entered the plate number, and
learned that the license of the registered owner had been suspended. He pulled
over the vehicle and, while still in his patrol car, he viewed the driver's license
photograph of the person with the suspended license. He approached the Mazda,
identified himself, and noticed that the driver of the Mazda – defendant –
matched the photo of the person whose license was suspended.
Defendant gave the officer her credentials, but was unable to locate her
license. After defendant confirmed she owned the Mazda, the officer checked
if defendant had any outstanding warrants. He learned that her license had been
suspended as part of a conviction for driving while intoxicated (DWI). At that
time, the officer issued motor vehicle citations to defendant but did not arrest
her, until after he reviewed her driving abstract. Upon reviewing the abstract,
he learned that defendant's license had been suspended a second time – for ten
years – as part of a conviction for refusing to submit to a breath test.
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The State charged defendant with operating a motor vehicle during a
period of license suspension for a second or subsequent DWI conviction, in
violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:40-26(b), which provides:
It shall be a crime of the fourth degree to operate a
motor vehicle during the period of license suspension
in violation of [N.J.S.A.] 39:3-40, if the actor's license
was suspended or revoked for a second or subsequent
violation of [N.J.S.A.] 39:4-50 or section 2 of
[N.J.S.A.] 39:4-50.4a. A person convicted of an
offense under this subsection shall be sentenced by the
court to a term of imprisonment.
To be convicted under the statute, the State must prove beyond a reasonable
doubt:
1. That the defendant knowingly operated a motor
vehicle;
2. That the defendant's license was suspended or
revoked for . . . her
....
(b) second or subsequent violation of [driving
while intoxicated] or [refusal to submit to a
chemical breath test]; and
3. That the defendant knew that . . . her license was
suspended or revoked.
[Model Jury Charges (Criminal), "Driving While
License is Suspended or Revoked for DWI or Refusal
to Submit to a Chemical Breath Test (N.J.S.A. 2C:40-
26)" (rev. Apr. 11, 2016).]
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Defendant contends that the judge erred by overruling objections to
purported hearsay statements that she maintains the State used to prove the
second and third elements of the offense. She argues further that the judge failed
to give a related limited jury instruction (which defense counsel never
requested). We conclude these contentions lack sufficient merit to warrant
discussion in this written opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(2). We make the following brief
remarks.
On appellate review of a trial court's evidentiary ruling, the decision will
be upheld "absent a showing of an abuse of discretion, i.e., there has been a clear
error of judgment." State v. J.A.C., 210 N.J. 281, 295 (2012) (quoting State v.
Brown, 170 N.J. 138, 147 (2001)). Thus, to overturn such a decision, the prior
ruling must have been "so wide of the mark that a manifest denial of justice
resulted." Ibid. (quoting State v. Marrero, 148 N.J. 469, 484 (1997)). We see
no such abuse here.
The officer referenced three out-of-court statements during his
testimony. First, that his motor vehicle computer system advised him defendant
had a DMV violation and her license was suspended. Second, that central
dispatch advised him they confirmed defendant's license was suspended for a
DWI conviction. And third, that his on-call sergeant advised him not to arrest
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defendant until they verified the number of DWI convictions she had. The
statements are not hearsay because the State did not offer them for their truth.
Rather, the State used them to explain what steps the officer took before
charging defendant with the offense.
On appeal, defense counsel argues that the judge should have instructed
the jury not to consider the statements for their truth. But no such request was
made to the judge. The officer's reference to what these individuals said is not
"clearly capable of producing an unjust result." R. 2:10-2. That is especially so
because there existed overwhelming evidence of guilt, as evidenced by the
State's documentary evidence consisting of three items to which the judge took
judicial notice.
As to the first suspension, the judge admitted into evidence S-1, which is
defendant's municipal court DWI conviction. S-1 verified defendant's DWI
conviction, a two-year license suspension, and a disposition date of August
2013. As to the second suspension, the judge admitted into evidence two
documents. S-2, which is the municipal court refusal conviction; and S-2A,
which is a related court order and certification. S-2 verified defendant's refusal
conviction, a ten-year license suspension, and a disposition date of June 2014.
S-2A, which defendant signed, reflects that defendant received written and oral
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6
notice as to the penalties for subsequent convictions for driving on the revoked
list.
For these documents, the judge charged the jury that "you may but are not
required to accept as established any fact which has been judicially noticed." As
part of the full model jury charge, which the judge gave, on the subject of how
to consider defendant's prior motor vehicle violations, the judge charged the
jury:
Normally, evidence of a defendant's prior motor vehicle
violations is not permitted under our Rules of Evidence.
This is because our rules specifically exclude evidence
that a defendant has committed prior motor vehicle
violations when it is offered only to show that she has
a disposition or tendency to do wrong and, therefore,
must be guilty of the present offense. However, our
rules do permit such evidence when the evidence is
used for some other purpose. In this case, the evidence
has been introduced for the specific purpose of
establishing an element of the present offense. You
may not use this evidence to decide that defendant has
a tendency to commit crimes or that she is a bad person;
that is, you may not decide that[,] just because the
defendant has committed prior motor vehicle
violations[,] she must be guilty of the present crime.
The evidence produced by the State concerning the
prior motor vehicle convictions for driving while
intoxicated or refusal to submit to a chemical breath test
is to be considered only in determining whether the
State has established its burden of proof beyond a
reasonable doubt of the present offense.
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Defendant does not focus on this documentary proof. Instead, she focuses on
the non-hearsay statements.
"Appellate review of sentencing decisions is relatively narrow and is
governed by an abuse of discretion standard." State v. Blackmon, 202 N.J. 283,
297 (2010) (citing State v. Jarbath, 114 N.J. 394, 401 (1989)). We consider
whether the trial court has "appl[ied] correct legal principles in exercising its
discretion." Ibid. (alteration in original) (quoting State v. Roth, 95 N.J. 334, 363
(1984)). As part of our review, we must determine whether "the aggravating
and mitigating factors found by the sentencing court were not based upon
competent and credible evidence in the record[.]" State v. Fuentes, 217 N.J. 57,
70 (2014). We will affirm the sentence if: "(1) the trial court followed the
sentencing guidelines; (2) its findings of fact and application of aggravating and
mitigating factors were 'based upon competent credible evidence in the record;'
and (3) 'the application of the guidelines to the facts' of the case does not 'shock[]
the judicial conscience.'" State v. A.T.C., 454 N.J. Super. 235, 254 (App. Div.
2018) (alteration in original) (quoting State v. Bolvito, 217 N.J. 221, 228
(2014)).
We are convinced that the judge adhered to the sentencing guidelines,
there was no double counting, and that the record supports the judge's findings.
A-4011-17T4
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The sentence imposed is well within the judge's sentencing discretion and does
not shock our judicial conscience.
We affirm the conviction, but remand to correct the judgment of
conviction to reflect that this was a jury trial, not a guilty plea. We do not retain
jurisdiction.
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