Broadnax v. New Mexico, State Of
This text of Broadnax v. New Mexico, State Of (Broadnax v. New Mexico, State Of) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS APR 7 1998 TENTH CIRCUIT PATRICK FISHER Clerk
ARTHUR BROADNAX,
Petitioner-Appellant, Case No. 97-2384 v. (D.C. CIV-97-308 MV/RLP) (District of New Mexico) STATE OF NEW MEXICO,
Respondent-Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before PORFILIO , KELLY , and HENRY , Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument.
On April 4, 1994, Arthur Broadnax was convicted in state court of
trafficking in a controlled substance by possession with intent to distribute,
* This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3. tampering with evidence, and resisting, evading, or eluding an officer. He
exhausted his appeals in state court and subsequently filed a habeas petition in
federal district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Mr. Broadnax was
represented by counsel at trial and on direct appeal, but he is pursuing his habeas
claim pro se . He raises three issues on appeal: 1) insufficient evidence to sustain
a conviction for trafficking; 2) violation of the Fourth Amendment; 1 and 3)
ineffective assistance of counsel.
This case arises from a vehicle chase and a subsequent search and seizure.
On February 24, 1993, Agent Rick Haury, driving an unmarked car and wearing
civilian clothes, pursued Mr. Broadnax's vehicle because he believed there was an
outstanding warrant for Mr. Broadnax's arrest. When Mr. Broadnax failed to
stop, Agent Haury called for backup. Officer Alfred Waldrep took up the chase
and pursued Mr. Broadnax to a residence in Albuquerque.
Mr. Broadnax ran into the house through the front door. Officer Waldrep
followed, but the door was shut and locked by the time he reached it. One of the
occupants of the residence, Melvin Wright, opened the door for Officer Waldrep.
1 In his petition, Mr. Broadnax cites portions of the New Mexico Constitution as grounds for habeas relief. See Rec. doc. 1, at 5. However, "[a] federally issued writ of habeas corpus . . . reaches only convictions obtained in violation of some provision of the United States Constitution." Smith v. Phillips, 455 U.S. 209, 221 (1982). Therefore, we, like the magistrate judge, interpret this portion of Mr. Broadnax's petition as arising only under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
2 When Officer Waldrep went inside, he saw Mr. Broadnax step out of a bathroom
down a hallway, and he heard the sound of a toilet flushing. Officer Waldrep
tackled and handcuffed Mr. Broadnax in the hallway and then went into the
bathroom, where he observed a small plastic bag containing crack cocaine
floating in the toilet.
Mr. Broadnax argues that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of
trafficking by possession with intent to distribute. When a petitioner raises
insufficiency of the evidence on federal habeas review of a state court conviction,
the court is not to ask itself whether it believes the evidence established guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt. Rather, "the relevant question is whether, after
viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational
trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a
reasonable doubt." Scrivner v. Tansy , 68 F.3d 1234, 1239 (10th Cir. 1995)
(emphasis in original) ( quoting Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)).
The court must "accept the jury's resolution of the evidence as long as it is within
the bounds of reason." Grubbs v. Hannigan , 982 F.2d 1483, 1487 (10th Cir.
1993).
In order to convict a defendant of trafficking by possession with intent to
distribute, the state was required to establish the following elements beyond a
reasonable doubt: 1) the defendant had crack cocaine in his possession; 2) the
3 defendant knew it was crack cocaine, or believed it to be crack cocaine, or
believed it to be some drug or other substance the possession of which is
regulated or prohibited by law; and 3) the defendant intended to transfer it to
another. N.M. U.J.I. § 14-3111 (1986). Mr. Broadnax argues that there was
insufficient evidence on the third element--his intent to transfer the crack--
because the amount of crack that Officer Waldrep found in the toilet was
consistent with personal use, not distribution.
The only evidence presented on the issue of Mr. Broadnax's intent to
transfer the crack was the amount, 6.8 grams. The state presented testimony of
two expert witnesses, a detective and a criminologist, that this amount of crack
was consistent with drug dealing and inconsistent with personal use. Mr.
Broadnax, on the other hand, presented testimony of a pharmacologist and a
former crack addict, that this amount of crack was consistent with personal use
for a crack addict. A rational trier of fact faced with this evidence could have
found that Mr. Broadnax possessed the crack with the intent to transfer it to
another person.
Mr. Broadnax further argues that the State violated his Fourth Amendment
right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures. The Supreme Court has
held that "where the State has provided an opportunity for full and fair litigation
of a Fourth Amendment claim, the Constitution does not require that a state
4 prisoner be granted federal habeas corpus relief on the ground that evidence
obtained in an unconstitutional search or seizure was introduced at his trial."
Stone v. Powell , 428 U.S. 465, 482 (1976). There is simply no evidence that the
State failed to provide Mr. Broadnax a full and fair opportunity to litigate his
Fourth Amendment claim. In fact, the record reflects that Mr. Broadnax litigated
the reasonableness of the search and seizure, both at trial and on appeal, under the
New Mexico and the United States Constitutions. We conclude that Mr.
Broadnax was given a full and fair opportunity to litigate his Fourth Amendment
claim in state court; therefore, this claim does not present grounds for federal
habeas relief.
Finally, Mr. Broadnax claims that he received ineffective assistance of
counsel. However, he did not raise this claim in his habeas petition. See Rec.
doc. 1, at 5-6. The district court, therefore, did not address it. We, likewise,
decline to address it since it was raised for the first time on appeal. See Glover v.
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