Schooler v. Commonwealth

Opinion

BRAY, J.

Johnny Paul Schooler (defendant) was convicted in a bench trial of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years imprisonment, all of which was suspended. On appeal, he contends that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence the opinion of an accident reconstruction expert. We agree and reverse the conviction.

The record discloses that Henrico County Police Officer Brian Cook (Cook), while on routine patrol, noticed an automobile “drifting over the center line” of the roadway and decided to “stop the vehicle ... for a possible D.U.I.” Cook activated his blue…