Donerson v. State

812 So. 2d 1081, 2001 WL 291139
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMarch 27, 2001
Docket1999-KA-01356-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 812 So. 2d 1081 (Donerson v. State) 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
Donerson v. State, 812 So. 2d 1081, 2001 WL 291139 (Mich. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

812 So.2d 1081 (2001)

Larry DONERSON, Jr., Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 1999-KA-01356-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

March 27, 2001.

*1083 R. Louis Field, Vicksburg, Attorney for Appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Deirdre McCrory, Attorneys for Appellee.

Before KING, P.J., BRIDGES, and THOMAS, JJ.

BRIDGES, J., for the Court:

¶ 1. This case comes from the Circuit Court of Warren County, Honorable Isadore W. Patrick Jr. presiding. Larry Donerson was indicted on the charge of felonious possession of a controlled substance with intent to sale or otherwise distribute. Donerson was found guilty by a jury of his peers and was sentenced to twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Donerson was also fined five thousand dollars. Donerson now appeals his case to this Court on the basis of three issues:

1. WHETHER THE APPELLANT WAS DENIED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT AGAINST UNREASONABLE SEARCH AND SEIZURE AS GUARANTEED BY THE FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND SECTION 23 OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION?

2. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT'S RULING WHICH PERMITTED TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE SALE OF COCAINE RESULTED IN AN INFRINGEMENT OF APPELLANT'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO CONFRONT WITNESSES AS GUARANTEED BY THE SIXTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION?

3. WHETHER THE APPELLANT WAS DENIED HIS RIGHT TO COUNSEL AS GUARANTEED BY THE SIXTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION?

Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. On July 18, 1996, the Vicksburg police department narcotics unit conducted *1084 an undercover operation in which a confidential informant working for the department made a purchase of crack cocaine at the Goodies store men's room. After the operation, the police arrested Larry Donerson as the man who had sold the cocaine to the confidential informant. Tom Wilson, a narcotics officer for the Vicksburg police, was present at the operation. Wilson testified the confidential informant was wearing a wire, and Wilson could tell it was Donerson selling the cocaine by the sound of his voice.

¶ 3. After the arrest at the store was made, Wilson then got a warrant to search Donerson's home for other drug related paraphernalia. Wilson cited the arrest and the information received from the confidential informant as a basis for probable cause for the warrant. Wilson received a warrant to enter Donerson's residence, found at 646 Cain Ridge Road in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This residence had been under surveillance before the operation because of anonymous complaints from Donerson's neighbors. Wilson testified more crack cocaine was found at the residence, as well as paraphernalia and cash. Several cookies of crack cocaine were found in a jacket hanging in a hallway closet, and roughly $1400 was found in the pocket of another jacket. After searching a dresser in the bedroom, officers found two scales, one of which is used for measuring small quantities of items, and handgun ammunition. The State's expert testified the substance found at the residence was in fact cocaine.

¶ 4. At trial, Wilson and the State's expert testified for the State. The defense called three witnesses. The first defense witness was Tabitha Dixon. Dixon was Donerson's girlfriend, and she testified to giving Donerson about $1400 for him to hold for her. She also confirmed the residence at 646 Cain Ridge Road was indeed Donerson's. The next witness was Georgia Donerson, the defendant's mother. She testified she and the defendant's father had been paying the rent for Donerson's residence at 646 Cain Ridge Road, and Donerson lived there alone. She also testified she was supporting Donerson while he tried to get his Graduate Equivalency Degree. The third witness to testify was Donerson himself. He also verified the residence at 646 Cain Ridge Road was his and he had been living there alone for about a year. He also confirmed ownership of the jackets found in the house that contained the contraband, but stated he had not worn them in several years. Donerson claimed the small scale was in the residence when he moved in, he was not sure from where the larger scale had come, and that Dixon had given him the $1400 so he could keep up with it. Donerson also stated the shirt he wore at trial was one which was found in his closet at the time of the police department's search.

DISCUSSION OF THE LAW

STANDARD OF PROOF

¶ 5. In determining whether a judge was correct in allowing certain evidence to be admitted at trial, it is important to remember "the relevancy and admissibility of evidence are largely within the discretion of the trial court and reversal may be had only where that discretion has been abused." Johnston v. State, 567 So.2d 237, 238 (Miss.1990). This Court will not reverse the trial court's decision to admit evidence unless the trial court abused its discretion such that it prejudiced a party. Martindale v. Wilbanks, 744 So.2d 252(¶ 4) (Miss.1999).

¶ 6. The standard to be applied in claims of ineffective assistance of counsel is well known. The defendant must prove his attorney's performance was defective and the deficiency deprived the defendant of a *1085 fair trial. Hiter v. State, 660 So.2d 961, 965 (Miss.1995). This deficiency is assessed by looking at the totality of the circumstances. Id. There is also a strong presumption the attorney's conduct fell within the wide realm of reasonable professional assistance, and this review is highly deferential to the attorney. Id.

ANALYSIS

1. WHETHER THE APPELLANT WAS DENIED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT AGAINST UNREASONABLE SEARCH AND SEIZURE AS GUARANTEED BY THE FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND SECTION 23 OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION?

¶ 7. In raising this issue, Donerson claims there was insufficient evidence to support the municipal court's finding of probable cause and grant of the search warrant. This argument also attacks the trial court's affirmance of the municipal court findings. Donerson believes the search of his home and all of the evidence found therein should have been suppressed as an unreasonable search and seizure. When this Court is reviewing a finding of probable cause by a lower court, we are not to review de novo whether there was probable cause or not, but our job is simply to insure that there was a substantial basis for the magistrate's determination of probable cause. Buggs v. State, 738 So.2d 1253(¶ 5) (Miss.Ct.App.1999). Donerson challenges the finding of probable cause on the basis that the affidavit from Officer Wilson contained hearsay, and the police did not offer the municipal judge any information regarding the reliability of the confidential informant.

¶ 8. In looking at this issue, this Court is not impressed with Donerson's claims. Donerson would have this Court believe that an affidavit offered by a police officer for the purpose of getting a warrant cannot be based on hearsay. This is not the case, in fact, the standardized affidavit form specifically states hearsay information may be listed as a basis for probable cause. "Probable cause exists when facts and circumstances within an officer's knowledge, or of which he has reasonable trustworthy information, are sufficient themselves to justify a man of average caution in the belief that a crime has been committed and that a particular person committed it." Davis v. State, 660 So.2d 1228, 1238 (Miss.1995).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
812 So. 2d 1081, 2001 WL 291139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/donerson-v-state-missctapp-2001.