Cleveland v. State

493 S.W.2d 145, 1973 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 2436
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 11, 1973
Docket45754
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 493 S.W.2d 145 (Cleveland v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cleveland v. State, 493 S.W.2d 145, 1973 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 2436 (Tex. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

GREEN, Commissioner.

This is an appeal from a conviction of the offense of sale of a dangerous drug, to-wit: barbiturate. Two prior convictions of felonies less than capital were used for enhancement, and punishment was assessed at life.

The appellant, in his seventh ground of error, challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to establish that appellant did in fact make a sale of a dangerous drug. Hence, a brief summary of the evidence concerning the alleged sale is pertinent.

W. G. Bradford testified that on October 5, 1970, while working as an undercover agent with the Department of Public Safety, Narcotics Division, he went to the home of appellant in Lubbock, knocked on the door, and entered the house on the invitation of appellant’s wife, Ann. Seconds later, appellant arrived. Shortly thereafter, in the presence of appellant, Ann asked Bradford if he had come for some “stuff.” Upon being asked what she had, she answered the only thing left was “some reds.” The price of the “reds” was discussed, and was fixed at seventy five cents each. He asked for twenty dollars worth. Ann then told appellant to go get some “reds,” and he left the room and within a minute returned and handed Bradford 27 “reds.” Bradford started to pay him the twenty dollars, appellant told him to pay Ann; so the money was handed to her. The three then had a brief conversation and Bradford left.

Proper chain of custody was established. A chemist from the laboratory of the Department of Public Safety identified the substance purchased by Bradford as a barbiturate, a dangerous drug.

Neither the defendant nor his wife testified, and there was no evidence disputing the testimony of the above named witness.

*147 The above is sufficient to show a sale of barbiturate to the witness Bradford, as charged in the indictment, in which sale the appellant actively participated as a principal offender. His seventh ground of error is overruled.

By his sixth ground of error, appellant complains of the court refusing to submit to the jury his requested definition of the term “sale.” The definition requested was “a transfer of personal property from one person to another for a consideration in money or property of an agreed value.”

The term “sale” is a common word frequently used in the English language with a well-known meaning. Under the fact situation as reflected by the evidence set forth above, the term needed no definition in the court’s charge, and it was not error to omit same. Fleming v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 423 S.W.2d 309; Wilson v. State, 103 Tex.Cr.R. 171, 280 S.W. 213; Cothren v. State, 139 Tex.Cr.R. 644, 141 S.W.2d 594; Ridinger v. State, 146 Tex.Cr.R. 286, 174 S.W.2d 319.

All of the other grounds of error concern the punishment phase of the trial.

The indictment, after charging the commission of the primary offense of sale of a barbiturate, alleged, for enhancement of the punishment, in accordance with Article 63, Vernon’s Ann.P.C., two prior final convictions of felonies less than capital. It was alleged that appellant was, on February 26, 1962, in Cause No. 8146 in the 72nd District Court of Lubbock County, convicted of unlawful possession of marihuana, said conviction becoming final prior to the commission of the primary offense; and that prior thereto, on January 29, 1960, in Cause No. 7175 in the 140th District Court of Lubbock County, appellant was convicted of burglary of a motor vehicle, which conviction became final prior to the commission of the offense for which appellant was convicted in Cause No. 8146.

In his first, second and fourth grounds of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred in submitting the case to the jury under Article 63, V.A.P.C., because there was no evidence that the offense of which appellant was convicted in Cause No. 8146 occurred subsequently to the date of final conviction in No. 7175 and the court erred in admitting, over appellant’s objection, hearsay evidence of the date of the commission of the offense in No. 8146.

The State placed in evidence the authenticated copies of the records of the Texas Department of Corrections relating to the two prior convictions, which included certified copies of the judgments and sentences, photographs and two sets of fingerprints. A fingerprint expert testified that such fingerprints were identical with prints taken from appellant. The indictment in the second conviction (No. 8146) charging the commission of the non-capital offense of unlawful possession of marihuana on or about November 3, 1961, was admitted in evidence. This is the approved method of proving prior convictions alleged for enhancement purposes. Allen v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 451 S.W.2d 484. It then became necessary that the State prove that the offense of which Cleveland was convicted in Cause No. 8146 was committed after the judgment in the first conviction, No. 7175, became final.

Lieutenant David G. White, of the Lubbock Police Department, testified that he was active in the investigation of the offense charged in Cause No. 8146 at the time of its commission. He stated that he did ascertain through said investigation the date of such offense. He testified further that he was in the courtroom during the trial of said Cause No. 8146 wherein this appellant was defendant. White confirmed that the date proved on the trial of No. 8146 as the date of the commission of the offense was the same as the date alleged in *148 the indictment, to-wit, November 3, 1961. He testified, in part, as follows:

“Q. (By Mr. Jackson 1 ) I will show you what has been marked as State’s Exhibit Number Four 2 and ask you if the date thereon, being November 3rd, 1961, 3 is the date that was shown on the trial of that case to be the date upon which the offense charged was committed?
“A. It was the same.
“Q. Was L. V. Cleveland present in the courtroom on the date of the trial of Cause No. 8146?
“A. He was.
“Q. And were you also ?
“A. Yes, sir, I was.”

The State may not supply proof of date of the commission of the offense resulting in the second prior conviction alleged for enhancement by offering only the indictment therein, for the indictment is not evidence of the date of the prior offense other than where a presumption of limitation may arise. Villareal v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 468 S.W.2d 837; Rogers v. State, 168 Tex.Cr.R. 306, 325 S.W.2d 697.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
493 S.W.2d 145, 1973 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 2436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cleveland-v-state-texcrimapp-1973.