Anton Colburn a/k/a Anton Marcell Colburn v. State of Mississippi

CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJanuary 10, 2023
Docket2021-KA-00865-COA
StatusPublished

This text of Anton Colburn a/k/a Anton Marcell Colburn v. State of Mississippi (Anton Colburn a/k/a Anton Marcell Colburn v. State of Mississippi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anton Colburn a/k/a Anton Marcell Colburn v. State of Mississippi, (Mich. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

NO. 2021-KA-00865-COA

ANTON COLBURN A/K/A ANTON MARCELL APPELLANT COLBURN

v.

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI APPELLEE

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 06/25/2021 TRIAL JUDGE: HON. PAUL S. FUNDERBURK COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: ITAWAMBA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER BY: ZAKIA HELEN ANNYCE BUTLER ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: CASEY BONNER FARMER DISTRICT ATTORNEY: JOHN DAVID WEDDLE NATURE OF THE CASE: CRIMINAL - FELONY DISPOSITION: AFFIRMED - 01/10/2023 MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED:

EN BANC.

BARNES, C.J., FOR THE COURT:

¶1. Anton Colburn was tried and convicted by the Itawamba County Circuit Court for the

sale of methamphetamine within 1,500 feet of a church. The trial court sentenced him to

forty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with five years

suspended and thirty-five years to serve, and five years of post-release supervision.

¶2. On appeal, Colburn raises the sole issue that the trial court improperly admitted into

evidence his prior 2006 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell, unfairly

prejudicing him. We find no error and affirm his conviction and sentence.

STATEMENT OF FACTS ¶3. In March 2019, Britny Brace contacted Narcotics Investigator Joe Hill with the Fulton

Police Department about acting as a confidential informant (CI). Brace wanted to “set up”

Colburn because he had been selling drugs to her mother, and Brace was trying to help her

get “clean.” Brace texted Colburn about buying $300 worth of methamphetamine from him.

Once Colburn confirmed to Brace that he had the requested drugs, Brace contacted

Investigator Hill.

¶4. Brace and Investigator Hill met at his office the same day. He gave her $300 cash and

a car key fob with a hidden camera inside. Investigator Hill searched her vehicle and person

to make sure Brace did not bring anything law enforcement had not deemed necessary to

bring. Brace then drove to the address Colburn had provided, which was approximately 700

feet from the Shiloh Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

¶5. The key fob video, which was entered into evidence at trial, showed Brace’s driving

to the house and entering a room where Colburn and his girlfriend were sitting on the couch.

Brace and Colburn discussed the details of the sale. Although they had agreed on $300 worth

of methamphetamine, Colburn appeared to be “short.” Colburn was seen smoking a pipe and

offering it to Brace. After she denied the pipe, Brace followed Colburn to the kitchen where

he weighed the drugs on a digital scale, confirming that he did not have the full “eight ball”

Brace had requested but only about half that amount. Colburn wrapped the packet of

methamphetamine in toilet paper and black electrical tape as he told Brace of his plans to get

the other half. Colburn handed the packet to Brace, who counted out $140 of the $300 given

to her by Officer Hill. Brace put the money on the coffee table next to Colburn and left the

2 house. The video then shows Brace driving back to Investigator Hill’s office. There, she

returned the $160 to Investigator Hill and gave him the drug package. He opened the

package to weigh it and then sent the package to the crime lab. A representative from the

crime lab testified the package contained 2.86 grams of methamphetamine.

¶6. Several months later, Colburn was indicted for the sale of methamphetamine. Before

trial, Colburn’s prior 2006 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell was

admitted over the defense’s objection (by motion in limine). At trial, Colburn did not call

any witnesses, and he did not testify. Colburn was convicted by a jury as charged. Colburn

was sentenced and subsequently appealed.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶7. This Court reviews the admission or exclusion of evidence for an abuse of discretion.

Robinson v. State, 42 So. 3d 598, 603 (¶14) (Miss. Ct. App. 2010). “[A]bsent an abuse of

that discretion, the trial court’s decision will not be disturbed on appeal.” Clarke v. State,

859 So. 2d 1021, 1024 (¶18) (Miss. Ct. App. 2003) (quoting McCoy v. State, 820 So. 2d 25,

31 (¶15) (Miss. Ct. App. 2002)). “As long as the trial court remains within the confines of

the Mississippi Rules of Evidence, its decision to admit or exclude evidence will be accorded

a high degree of deference.” Id. “[T]he admission or exclusion of evidence must result in

prejudice or harm” if a conviction is to be reversed on that account. Id.

DISCUSSION

¶8. On appeal, Colburn argues that the trial court erred in admitting his 2006 conviction

for possession of cocaine with intent to sell. He claims the prior conviction was improperly

3 admitted under Mississippi Rules of Evidence 404(b) and 403, and unfairly prejudiced him

at trial.

¶9. Before trial, the State moved to introduce Rule 404(b) evidence in order to rebut

possible defenses of mistaken identity, lack of intent, or mistake. In response, Colburn filed

a motion in limine to prohibit the introduction of his prior felony drug conviction. At the

hearing on the motions, the State explained it sought to introduce Colburn’s prior conviction

from 2006 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in order to prove Colburn

intentionally sold controlled substances to a confidential informant. The trial court found the

State identified a relevant, valid, and non-character purpose for admitting the

conviction—Colburn’s intent in possessing the controlled substances, which was an essential

element of the crime. Under the Rule 403 balancing test, the trial court found “the probative

value of the conviction was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.”1

The trial court allowed the prior conviction into evidence with a proper limiting instruction

to the jury.

¶10. The State introduced the 2006 conviction through an exhibit during the State’s case-

in-chief. The exhibit was a certified sentencing order showing Colburn had pleaded guilty

to the charge of possession of cocaine (greater than two grams) with intent to sell in 2006 and

had been sentenced to serve twenty years with fourteen years suspended. An appropriate

1 The trial court cited United States v. Smith, 741 F.3d 1211 (11th Cir. 2013), in support of its ruling. In Smith, evidence of two prior convictions for possession of cocaine was found admissible and highly probative of the defendant’s intent to conspire and distribute cocaine even though the prior convictions occurred six and ten years before the charged offense and were possession offenses. Id. at 1225-26 (citing United States v. Calderon, 127 F.3d 1314, 1332 (11th Cir. 1997)).

4 limiting instruction was given to the jury to consider Colburn’s prior felony conviction “only

for the limited purpose of showing of intent.” The jury was also instructed “not [to] infer that

[Colburn] acted in conformity with his previous acts.”

¶11. Mississippi Rule of Evidence 404(b)(1) prohibits the admission of a “crime, wrong,

or other act . . .

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Anton Colburn a/k/a Anton Marcell Colburn v. State of Mississippi, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anton-colburn-aka-anton-marcell-colburn-v-state-of-mississippi-missctapp-2023.