Cowan v. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics

2 So. 3d 759, 2009 Miss. App. LEXIS 61, 2009 WL 311247
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedFebruary 10, 2009
DocketNo. 2007-CA-02032-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 2 So. 3d 759 (Cowan v. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics) 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
Cowan v. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, 2 So. 3d 759, 2009 Miss. App. LEXIS 61, 2009 WL 311247 (Mich. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

GRIFFIS, J.,

for the Court.

¶ 1. The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (“MBN”) brought a forfeiture action against Kendrick Terrell Cowan for the sum of $12,974.54 that was taken from Cowan during a traffic stop. On appeal, Cowan argues that: (1) his motion for summary judgment was improperly denied; (2) expert testimony was improperly admitted; (3) the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence; and (4) certain evidence gathered by the police was the product of an illegal search and seizure. We find no error and affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. On March 29, 2006, Cowan was traveling with Roderick Cowan (“Roderick”) and Alvin Wiseman on Highway 78, while en route from Memphis, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia. The three men rented a car and were on their way to Atlanta, a “source city” for narcotics, where Cowan was going to buy a car advertised on the internet. The record is unclear as to whom was driving, but Roderick, who is Cowan’s brother, and Wiseman sat in the front seat. Cowan sat in the backseat.

¶ 3. While passing through New Albany, Mississippi, they were stopped for speeding by State Trooper Calvin Mangum. Trooper Mangum testified that he was suspicious of the car because it was a rental and all three occupants “broke their necks” turning around when they passed his patrol car. According to Trooper Man-gum, drug couriers use rental vehicles so they will not lose their personal vehicle if there is a seizure.

¶ 4. Trooper Mangum approached the car from the passenger side and knocked on the window twice. The passenger ignored Trooper Mangum, so he opened the front passenger side door. Trooper Man-gum testified that he immediately smelled burning marijuana. Trooper Mangum and Trooper Richard Vaughn removed the men from the vehicle, patted them down, and handcuffed them. During the pat down, the troopers found marijuana on Wiseman. Next, the troopers searched the car and found $12,974.541 vacuum packed and wrapped in a sports coat on the backseat and a Carpet Fresh spray can with a false bottom on the backseat floorboard. Trooper Mangum testified that drug dealers commonly vacuum seal money to prevent drug-sniffing dogs from detecting drug residue on the money.

¶ 5. At some point during the stop, Trooper Mangum called Agent Mike Foreman with MBN for assistance. During a search, officers discovered marijuana hidden on Wiseman and Roderick. Drugs were never found on Cowan.

¶ 6. Trooper Mangum turned over all the evidence, consisting of marijuana, money, and the Carpet Fresh spray can with the false bottom, to Agent Foreman. Agent Foreman testified that couriers commonly use items like the can to conceal illegal substances. Agent Foreman attended a Mistral aerosol test kit training seminar and is certified as a trainer. Over Cowan’s objection, Agent Foreman testified that he had performed a field test on the can, and it tested positive for cocaine residue. The can was not sent to the crime lab.

[763]*763¶ 7. Prior to the hearing, Cowan moved for a summary judgment. The circuit judge found there were genuine issues of material fact and denied the motion. After a trial on the merits, the circuit judge found that the money was derived from the sale of illegal drugs and ordered it forfeited to MBN.

ANALYSIS

1. Was Cowan’s motion for summary judgment improperly denied?

¶ 8. Cowan argues that his motion for summary judgment should have been granted because the issues were conceded when the State did not respond. The State contends that Cowan’s motion was not timely and was properly denied.

¶ 9. “This Court employs a de novo standard of review of a lower court’s grant or denial of a summary judgment and examines all the evidentiary matters before it — admissions in pleadings, answers to interrogatories, depositions, affidavits, etc.” McMillan v. Rodriguez, 828 So.2d 1173, 1176-77(¶ 9) (Miss.2002). The evidence is “viewed in the light most favorable to the party against whom the motion has been made.” Id. at 1177(¶ 9). “If, in this view, there is no genuine issue of material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, summary judgment” should be granted. Id.

¶ 10. Cowan argues that because the State did not respond to his summary judgment motion or ask for additional time to respond, the issues were conceded. However, Cowan’s motion was served on August 30, 2007, five days prior to the hearing on September 4, 2007. Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c) requires that a motion for summary judgment “be served at least ten days before the time fixed for the hearing.” The supreme court has recognized that Rule 56(c) represents “a procedural safeguard.” Pope v. Schroeder, 512 So.2d 905, 908 (Miss.1987). A circuit court should “require compliance with Rule 56(c) before entertaining a motion for summary judgment” and failure to do so can require reversal. Id. Because Cowan failed to comply with Rule 56(c), we find his argument lacks merit.

¶ 11. Cowan’s failure to comply with Rule 56(c) is dispositive; however, we will briefly address his claim that there were no genuine issues of material fact. Roderick swears in an affidavit that the “hair spray” can belongs to him, but Agent Foreman’s sworn affidavit states that Co-wan possessed the “air freshener” can. In reality, it was a Carpet Fresh can. Roderick misidentified the evidence while swearing to be its owner. Examining all the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, there was a genuine issue of material fact concerning ownership of the can. This argument lacks merit.

2. Was expert testimony improperly admitted?

¶ 12. Cowan contends that Agent Foreman’s expert testimony was improperly admitted because he was not qualified, tendered, or accepted as an expert.

¶ 13. The standard of review for the trial court’s admission or suppression of evidence is abuse of discretion. Haggerty v. Foster, 838 So.2d 948, 958(¶25) (Miss.2002). “The admission of expert testimony is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial judge.” Roberts v. Grafe Auto Co., 701 So.2d 1093, 1098 (Miss.1997). The supreme court has “held that where, in order to express opinion, a witness must possess some experience or expertise beyond that of an average, randomly selected adult, the opinion is expert opinion rather than lay opinion.” Walker v. State, 740 So.2d 873, 882(¶ 32) (Miss.1999) (citations omitted).

[764]*764¶ 14. Cowan argues that Agent Foreman was not qualified, tendered, or accepted as an expert on the Mistral aerosol test kit, the field test that indicated there was cocaine residue in the spray can. Based on Mississippi Rule of Evidence 702, Agent Foreman’s testimony qualifies as expert testimony because it was based on his “knowledge, skill, experience, [and] training” in using the Mistral aerosol test kit. The supreme court has held: “[i]f the expert witness has not been first tendered as an expert, the expert opinion should not be allowed.” Walker, 740 So.2d at 882(¶ 33) (citing Sample v. State, 643 So.2d 524, 529 (Miss.1994)).

¶ 15. However, this Court has held that a defendant must object to the State’s failure to tender the witness as an expert to preserve the issue for appeal. Cowart v. State, 910 So.2d 726, 732(¶26) (Miss.Ct.App.2005). In Cowart, just as here, the State failed to tender its expert.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

City of Meridian v. $104,960.00 U.S. Currency
231 So. 3d 1055 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2016)
Six Thousand Dollars v. State Ex Rel. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
179 So. 3d 7 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2014)
Buckley v. Singing River Hospital
146 So. 3d 365 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2013)
Robinson v. State
75 So. 3d 1148 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 So. 3d 759, 2009 Miss. App. LEXIS 61, 2009 WL 311247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cowan-v-mississippi-bureau-of-narcotics-missctapp-2009.