Christopher v. State

819 S.W.2d 173, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1990, 1991 WL 150182
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 31, 1991
DocketNo. 12-89-00131-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 819 S.W.2d 173 (Christopher v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christopher v. State, 819 S.W.2d 173, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1990, 1991 WL 150182 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

RAMEY, Chief Justice.

Appellant was convicted by a jury of unlawfully carrying a handgun on premises licensed to sell and serve alcoholic beverages, in violation of Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 46.02 (Vernon 1989). Punishment was assessed at five years in prison, imposition of sentence was suspended and appellant was placed on probation for a period of five years. We will affirm.

Appellant presents eight points of error. By his first point, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in not granting his motion to discharge his court-appointed attorney which ruling deprived appellant of his right to effective assistance of counsel guaranteed by the U.S. Const. amends. VI and XIV and Tex. Const. art. I, § 10.

Both appellant and his counsel filed motions seeking the counsel’s removal from the case. Each was denied. These motions claimed that the appointed lawyer was repugnant to appellant and that their relationship was one of disharmony and conflict, thereby inhibiting communication between them; appellant contends that the disadvantages of pro se representation should have been explained to him by the court, and that he should have been permitted to represent himself, if he then chose to do so. He did, however, make no request at trial to represent himself.

A claim of ineffective assistance of counsel has two components. First, appellant must show that the counsel’s performance in representing him was deficient. Second, the appellant must affirmatively show that “there is a reasonable probability that but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); Hernandez v. State, 726 S.W.2d 53, 56-57 (Tex.Cr.App.1986). The Court of Criminal Appeals has explained the second prong as follows: Is there “a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different absent the deficient conduct.” Washington v. State, 771 S.W.2d 537, 545 (Tex.Cr.App.1989), cert. denied, 492 U.S. 912, 109 S.Ct. 3229, 106 L.Ed.2d 578 (1989).

Appellant’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel has no support in the record. Appellant’s first point of error is overruled.

Christopher, by his second point of error, contends that the evidence was insufficient to prove that the premises identified in the indictment were licensed to sell and serve alcoholic beverages. In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence in a criminal case, the proper standard to be exercised by the court is whether, after examining the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational [176]*176trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); Sharp v. State, 707 S.W.2d 611, 614 (Tex.Cr.App.1986), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 872, 109 S.Ct. 190, 102 L.Ed.2d 159 (1988).

The Private Club Registration Permit, N-194204 (State’s exhibit # 1), herein was issued to “Connection 225 Club”. The indictment recites however, that “The Connection Club” was the licensed premises. Don Beck, the club’s owner, testified that his establishment was known by both names. Where there are two different names for the same establishment, there is no fatal variance if there is no evidence that the variance misled or otherwise prejudiced the defendant in the preparation of his defense. Huffman v. State, 726 S.W.2d 155, 158 (Tex.Cr.App.1987). Here, there was no evidence that the appellant was prejudiced or misled by the claimed variance.

Appellant’s primary argument on this point is predicated upon inconsistent testimony as to the address of the club. The club is situated approximately one-half mile outside the city limits of Nacogdoches in Nacogdoches County. The address on the beverage permit is “3926 Durst Nacog-doches”. According to Beck, "some people” believe that Durst Street has been renamed beyond the Nacogdoches city limits; it then is referred to as “Farm Road 225” by these individuals. Beck testified that “Farm Road 225, Nacogdoches” is the address that he uses for the club. The post office has designated the club’s mailbox address to be “Route 14, Box 3380, Nacog-doches”.

The indictment in this case, however, recites only that the club is located in Nacog-doches County, about which there is no dispute. Thus, any rational trier of fact could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that there was no variance between the club’s Nacogdoches County address in the indictment and the various testimony as to other addresses of the club. Appellant’s second point of error is overruled.

Appellant’s third point of error asserts that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction of unlawfully carrying a firearm, because the State failed to prove that the gun was functional inasmuch as it was unloaded at the time charged in the indictment.

The fact that the gun was unloaded is not a defense. The violation charged is that of carrying a handgun. See Davis v. State, 77 Tex.Crim. 598, 179 S.W. 702, 703 (1915); Steele v. State, 73 Tex.Crim. 352, 166 S.W. 511 (1914); Caldwell v. State, 106 S.W. 343, 344 (Tex.Crim.1907). A rational trier of fact could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant was carrying a firearm on the occasion in question. The third point of error is overruled.

Appellant, by his fourth point of error, claims that the trial court abused its discretion in not trying this case as a misdemean- or rather than a felony as authorized by Texas Penal Code Ann. § 12.44(b) (Vernon 1974), for the reason that the prosecuting attorney had offered to do so.

Twice, prior to trial, the prosecutor offered to dispose of this offense as a misdemeanor, if the appellant would agree to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge. On both occasions appellant refused to accept the State’s offer. Thereafter, the appellant was tried on the felony indictment and convicted.

Neither the State nor the court were bound by the terms of an offer that was never accepted. There was no abuse of discretion by the court. His fourth point of error is overruled.

Appellant’s fifth point of error asserts that the guilty verdict was in irreconcilable conflict with a jury finding in the punishment verdict that appellant neither “used or exhibited” a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense for which he was convicted. We disagree.

Appellant was convicted of “carrying on or about his person a firearm....” Appellant could have carried the handgun on or about his person without vising or exhibiting it. There is no conflict in the [177]*177portions of the verdicts about which appellant complains. The two cases cited by appellant are inapposite.

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Bluebook (online)
819 S.W.2d 173, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1990, 1991 WL 150182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christopher-v-state-texapp-1991.