Fisher v. State

681 S.W.2d 202, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6374
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 27, 1984
DocketB14-83-698-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 681 S.W.2d 202 (Fisher 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
Fisher v. State, 681 S.W.2d 202, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6374 (Tex. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

ELLIS, Justice.

Appellant, Gary Wayne Fisher, appeals from a judgment of conviction for the felony offense of burglary of a habitation, enhanced by two prior felony convictions. In a joint trial, with co-defendant, Thomas Lee Gamble, the jury found appellant guilty and, finding the two enhancement *204 paragraphs of the indictment true, assessed punishment at forty-five years in the Texas Department of Corrections. Appellant raises six grounds of error.

Ground of error one claims that the trial court erred in refusing to grant appellant’s motion to quash the first enhancement paragraph of the indictment. Appellant’s ground of error two asserts that the trial court erred in refusing to grant appellant’s Motion for Severance. Ground of error three contends that the trial court erred in denying a mistrial after the prosecutor, during jury argument, appealed to community expectations. As his fourth ground of error, appellant claims the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to bolster the identification made by his witnesses. In appellant’s fifth ground of error, he claims that the trial court erred in permitting the prosecutor to intellect his personal feelings and opinion into his jury argument on punishment. Appellant’s last ground of error asserts that the affirmative finding made by the trial court that a deadly weapon was used in the commission of the offense was error when no such issue was submitted to the jury and no such allegation was made in the indictment. We overrule appellant’s first five grounds of error, and agree with appellant’s sixth ground of error. We reform the judgment of the trial court and affirm as reformed.

The events leading to appellant’s arrest started when Shirley Irving, around midnight on April 29, 1983, observed an automobile stop across the street from her apartment and saw two men get out. She testified that she recognized the two men as appellant, Gary Wayne Fisher, whom she knew for thirteen years, and co-defendant, Thomas Lee Gamble, whom she knew for twelve years. Irving testified that about ten minutes after she saw appellant and co-defendant Gamble arrive, she heard a noise “like someone was kicking in a door.” Irving called the police to report a burglary in progress. She testified that she saw co-defendant Gamble carrying clothes and shoes to a car, and then returned to the apartment building across from Irving’s apartment. The police arrived and Irving said she heard what sounded like a gunshot. Irving later identified both appellant and co-defendant Gamble when police brought them to the scene for identification.

Wally Posey, the complainant, testified that he woke up around midnight on April 29,1983, to find two people in his bedroom. He recognized both Fisher and Gamble, having previously known them. Co-defendant Gamble placed a pistol to Posey’s head and demanded money. Gamble told appellant to hit Posey if he moved. Gamble put a pillow over Posey’s head. Posey testified that Gamble found and took his wallet and money. Posey said that he heard the noise of a door being kicked in and, as he turned his head, appellant hit him across the hand with a piece of metal. Posey testified that the two men took clothing and shoes from his apartment. Both appellant and co-defendant Gamble rushed from Posey’s apartment when the police arrived. On Posey’s way out to see what was happening outside, he noticed his television and AM/FM radio at the bottom of the staircase. Outside, Posey found the police, who had appellant in custody. Posey identified appellant and told them that Gamble could be found at the Sampson Motel. Posey was taken to the motel to identify Gamble. Posey also claimed some clothes and shoes which were found in the car that Irving saw appellant and Gamble get out of.

One of the arresting officers testified that as he got out of his car, he saw someone look out of the window of Posey’s apartment. Moments later, he saw two men run out of the building. The officer chased them and apprehended appellant. The officer testified that Posey identified appellant and told them Gamble could be found at the Sampson Motel. An officer searched the car outside Posey’s apartment and found personal articles which were claimed by Posey. The officers proceeded to the Sampson Motel and talked to Denise Carol, later identified as Gamble’s common law wife. She told the officers that Gamble was not home, but he would return in a *205 few hours. The police returned to the Sampson Motel and arrested Gamble.

Gamble, who denied any part in the burglary, testified on his own behalf. He testified that he had been with Carol that evening in the Sampson Motel. He said he left the motel for another motel, the El Orbit Motel, where he spoke with the manager. From there, he went to a bootleg house and then home. The manager of the El Orbit Motel testified that he spoke to Gamble that evening and Gamble did not appear to be sweating or excited. Appellant did not testify.

The jiiry found both appellant and co-defendant Gamble guilty. At the punishment hearing, appellant renewed his motion to quash the first enhancement paragraph of the indictment, which was denied, but succeeded in arranging the deletion of the reason for the probation revocation from the judgment of his 1980 heroin conviction contained in the penitentiary packet offered by the State as State’s Exhibit No. 9. The jury found the two enhancement paragraphs true and assessed appellant’s punishment at forty-five years confinement.

In ground of error one appellant alleges that the trial court erred in denying appellant’s motion to quash the first enhancement paragraph of the indictment. The motion alleged that the 1980 conviction alleged in the first enhancement paragraph was for possession of heroin. The original punishment imposed for appellant’s heroin possession was probation. However, appellant’s probation was revoked for alleged possession of oxycodine hydrocloride, which appellant claims is a substance not listed in the Controlled Substance Act or the Dangerous Drugs Act. Appellant alleges that the probation revocation was fundamentally defective because the offense used to revoke the probation was not an offense. Therefore, the 1980 heroin conviction could not be used to enhance punishment. At the punishment hearing, appellant moved to delete the reason for the revocation of probation in the judgment contained in the penetentiary packet offered by the State in State’s Exhibit No. 9. The trial court whited out the reason for the revocation of probation from the judgment. Appellant also renewed the motion to quash the enhancement paragraph. The court denied this motion. As presented to the jury, the proof of the first enhancement allegation did not show the cause of the probation revocation. We cannot find that the trial court erred since there is a lack of proof, and sufficiency of the evidence cannot be attacked collaterally.

Appellant filed an unverified motion to quash. Appellant made no attempt to prove any of the allegations in the motion. In Taylor v. State, 612 S.W.2d 566 (Tex.Crim.App.1981), the court refused to find an abuse of discretion in the trial court’s action because the appellant did not furnish the court with a bill of exception or a record of the hearing which led to the objectionable ruling. In the present case, appellant has not presented proof by a record of a hearing, or any other form.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
681 S.W.2d 202, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6374, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-v-state-texapp-1984.