Doty v. State

820 S.W.2d 918, 1991 WL 250873
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 4, 1992
Docket2-89-010-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 820 S.W.2d 918 (Doty 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
Doty v. State, 820 S.W.2d 918, 1991 WL 250873 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

LATTIMORE, Justice.

John Quincy Doty, appellant, was charged with theft of property the value of which was at least $750 but less than $20,-000. Trial was to a jury which returned a verdict of guilty. During the punishment phase of the trial, the jury found the enhancement paragraph to be true and assessed punishment at twenty years in the Texas Department of Corrections. 1 Appellant has perfected his appeal to this court.

We affirm.

Statement of Facts

The record reflects that appellant and another man rapidly departed the Tandy Center Dillard’s store with twenty-one pairs of men’s dress slacks, for which they had not paid. Doty and his accomplice fled on foot toward their get-away car driven by a third man. The thieves were pursued by two Dillard’s salesmen. The thieves dropped the pants in an effort to get away. Both salesmen noted appellant and his accomplices escaped in a maroon Mercury which had a dealer’s license tag in the rear window. Each salesman memorized the dealer tag number.

At the same time, Fanning and his wife were stopped at a red light a short distance *920 away from the glass doors through which the running men made their escape. The Fannings observed the two men rapidly leaving the store. They saw the two salesmen pursue the thieves. The Fannings watched the thieves drop the clothing and jump into a maroon car which had a dealer’s tag in the back window. Fanning testified that he saw three heads in the getaway car. He testified that he followed the get-away car and observed the maroon vehicle pull into the parking lot at McCloud’s Grocery Store. Fanning proceeded in his vehicle past McCloud’s Grocery Store and continued down the street.

After Fanning had proceeded some distance down the street he saw a patrol car and flagged the officer down. He related to the officer what he had seen. He last saw the patrol car heading in the direction of the McCloud’s Grocery Store.

The officer whom Fanning had stopped was called to testify. The officer related the events which occurred subsequent to being stopped by Fanning. He testified that after he had been alerted by Fanning, he proceeded in his patrol car toward the store in question.

The officer testified that it took him forty-five seconds from the time he had been alerted until he reached the store. When he arrived at the store he observed the suspect vehicle, which had been described to him, parked in the parking lot.

During the time it took the officer to drive to the store, a message was displayed on the mobile data unit in the patrol car. The message indicated a theft had occurred at the Dillard’s store. The license tag number on the display matched the license tag number of the suspect vehicle. At this time the officer advised the dispatcher that he had located the suspect vehicle. The officer got out of his patrol unit and proceeded into the store.

Once inside the store, the officer observed three black males and the store clerk. He approached the suspects and asked them for their identification. The officer identified appellant at trial as being one of the persons whom he had observed inside the store. Doty was wearing a white cap at the time the officer observed him in the store.

The police officer then requested the three men to lay down on the floor and he awaited the arrival of backup officers. When the backup officers arrived, each suspect was placed in a separate patrol vehicle. The officer then searched the suspect vehicle for any stolen property or merchandise. His search did not reveal any stolen items. He instructed one of his backup officers to go to the Dillard’s store, get the witnesses to the crime and bring them to the scene of the arrest. Subsequently the backup officer returned with two witnesses. These witnesses were the salesmen who had pursued the thieves.

The witnesses were asked to identify the suspects while they remained seated in the separate squad cars. At that time the witnesses were unable to identify any of the thieves. Then appellant and the other suspects were removed from the police cars ánd both witnesses positively identified Doty as one of the thieves.

Appellant’s Points of Error

In appellant’s first point of error he complains the court below erred in denying appellant’s objection to the impaneling of a jury from which the State had peremptorily stricken all black potential jurors. Appellant complains that such action by the trial court violated his sixth and fourteenth amendment rights under the United States Constitution and article I, sections 10, 15, and 19 of the Texas Constitution.

It is uncontroverted that the jury panel contained five black potential jurors. Of these five jurors, one was excused and the other four were removed via the State’s use of its peremptory strikes. The defense counsel made a Batson 2 challenge.

The trial court held a hearing and concluded that the reasons presented by the State for which it had struck each of the potential jurors in question indicated to the *921 trial court that no Batson violation was intended and overruled appellant’s motion.

In response to appellant’s complaint upon appeal that a Batson violation occurred, the State points out that the appellant’s Batson challenge at trial was untimely. The record reflects that the voir dire peremptory challenges and the challenges for cause were exercised in the normal fashion. The jury was then sworn in. Thereafter, the remainder of the panel was excused to the central jury room while the jury was sent to the trial court’s jury room. At that time, Doty challenged the composition of the jury as being in violation of Batson. See Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986).

Article 35.261(a) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure which became effective on August 31, 1987, states that in order for a Batson objection to be timely, such must be made “before the court has impanelled the jury.” Tex.Code Crim.Proc. Ann. art. 35.261(a) (Vernon 1989). Subsequent to the enactment of this new rule, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a Batson objection must be made before the jury is sworn in to be timely. Cooper v. State, 791 S.W.2d 80, 81-82 (Tex.Crim.App.1990); see also Hill v. State, 787 S.W.2d 74, 75-77 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1990, pet. granted) (opinion on reh’g). In the present case, Doty’s objection to the composition of the jury was not on record until after the jury had been sworn in. A thorough review of the statement of facts indicates that the defense counsel may have attempted to present something to the trial judge prior to the jury being sworn in and the balance of the panel sent on their way to the central jury room.

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Bluebook (online)
820 S.W.2d 918, 1991 WL 250873, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doty-v-state-texapp-1992.