State v. Biggs

THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE. IT SHOULD NOT BE
CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 268(d)(2), SCACR.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
In The Court of Appeals

The State, Respondent,

v.

John Andrew Biggs, Appellant.

Appellate Case No. 2017-000199

Appeal From Charleston County
J. C. Nicholson, Jr., Circuit Court Judge

Unpublished Opinion No. 2019-UP-268
Submitted June 1, 2019 – Filed July 24, 2019

AFFIRMED

Chief Appellate Defender Robert Michael Dudek, of
Columbia, for Appellant.

Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson and Senior
Assistant Deputy Attorney General William M. Blitch,
Jr., both of Columbia; and Solicitor Scarlett Anne
Wilson, of Charleston, all for Respondent.

PER CURIAM: Affirmed pursuant to Rule 220(b), SCACR, and the following
authorities: State v. Marin, 415 S.C. 475, 482, 783 S.E.2d 808, 812 (2016) ("An
appellate court will not reverse the trial [court's] decision regarding a jury charge
absent an abuse of discretion." (quoting State v. Mattison, 388 S.C. 469, 479, 697
S.E.2d 578, 584 (2010))); State v. Brandt, 393 S.C. 526, 549, 713 S.E.2d 591, 603
(2011) ("A jury charge is correct if, when the charge is read as a whole, it contains
the correct definition and adequately covers the law." (quoting State v. Adkins, 353
S.C. 312, 318, 577 S.E.2d 460, 464 (Ct. App. 2003))); id. at 549, 713 S.E.2d at 603
("It is error for the trial court to refuse to give a requested instruction [that] states a
sound principle of law when that principle applies to the case at hand, and the
principle is not otherwise included in the charge." (quoting State v. Williams, 367
S.C. 192, 195, 624 S.E.2d 443, 445 (Ct. App. 2005))); S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-6170
(2018) ("No police officer in investigating a traffic accident shall necessarily deem
the fact that an accident has occurred as giving rise to the presumption that a
violation of a law has occurred." (emphasis added)).

AFFIRMED.1

HUFF, THOMAS, and KONDUROS, JJ., concur.

1
We decide this case without oral argument pursuant to Rule 215, SCACR.