Franco Andre Goyzueta v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided August 26, 2008·No. 02-07-00383-CR·Published

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS

FORT WORTH

NO. 2-07-383-CR

FRANCO ANDRE GOYZUETA APPELLANT

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS STATE

------------

FROM COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1 OF WICHITA COUNTY

OPINION

I.   Introduction

Appellant Franco Andre Goyzueta appeals his conviction for violation of  a permanent injunction under the “gang injunction statute.”   See T EX. P ENAL C ODE A NN. § 71.021 (Vernon 2003); T EX. C IV. P RAC. & R EM. C ODE A NN. § 125.065 (Vernon 2005).  Goyzueta pleaded guilty to the offense, and pursuant to a plea bargain agreement with the State, the trial court sentenced him to 300 days’ confinement in the Wichita County Jail and a $4,000 fine.  In four issues, Goyzueta argues that both section 71.021 of the Texas Penal Code and the permanent injunction’s curfew restriction are unconstitutionally vague and overbroad and that section 125.065(a)(2) of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code—authorizing entry of the permanent injunction underlying Goyzueta’s conviction—violates the separation of powers doctrine.  We will affirm.

II.   Factual and Procedural Background

On August 31, 2006, the State filed its “Original Petition for a Temporary Restraining Order, Temporary Injunction, and Permanent Injunction.”  The petition named twenty-one members of the street gang, Varrio Carnales (“VC”), including Goyzueta, who had allegedly engaged in criminal activity.  The petition listed twenty-nine activities the State sought to prohibit the named defendants from engaging in.  

Subsequently, the judge of the 89th District Court of Wichita County, Texas entered an order for a permanent injunction under section 125.065 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.   See T EX. C IV. P RAC. & R EM. C ODE A NN. § 125.065.  The permanent injunction contained a curfew restriction, prohibiting Goyzueta from “riding about in a public place after 11 p.m. and before 6 a.m. of the immediately following day.” (footnote: 1)

A week after the permanent injunction was signed, at approximately 12:43 a.m., Officer Joe R. Esteves, a Wichita Falls police officer, observed a car that failed to signal a left turn.  Officer Esteves pulled the car over and saw eighteen-year-old Goyzueta in the car.  According to Officer Esteves, he knew that Goyzueta was a VC member and that he was under the gang injunction imposed by the City of Wichita Falls.  Officer Esteves consequently arrested Goyzueta for violating the court order enjoining organized criminal activity, namely, “riding about in a public place after 11 p.m. and before 6 a.m. of the immediately following day.”

Goyzueta filed a motion to dismiss the charge against him, raising several constitutional challenges to the applicable statutes.  Goyzueta did not file any other pretrial motions.  After a hearing on his motion to dismiss, Goyzueta and the State reached the above-mentioned plea bargain agreement.  Goyzueta now appeals; his appeal is limited by the rules of appellate procedure and by the trial court’s certification of his right to appeal, which restrict Goyzueta to re-urging the issues he raised in his motion to dismiss.   See Tex. R. App. P . 25.2(a)(2)(A).

III.  The Applicable Statutes

Section 125.065 of the civil practice and remedies code outlines when a trial court can enter a temporary or permanent order against a criminal street gang member. See T EX. C IV. P RAC. & R EM. C ODE A NN. § 125.065 .  The statute provides:

(a) If the court finds that a combination or criminal street gang constitutes a public nuisance, the court may enter an order:

(1) enjoining a defendant in the suit from engaging in the gang activities of the combination or gang; and

(2) imposing other reasonable requirements to prevent the combination or gang from engaging in future gang activities.

(b) If the court finds that a place is habitually used in a manner that constitutes a public nuisance, the court may include in its order reasonable requirements to prevent the use of the place for gang activity.

Id.   Section 71.021 of the penal code describes the offense of violation of a court order enjoining organized criminal activity:

(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly violates a temporary or permanent order issued under Section 125.065(a) or (b), Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

(b) If conduct constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under another section of this code, the actor may be prosecuted under either section or under both sections.

(c) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

T EX. P ENAL C ODE A NN. § 71.021 .

IV.  Constitutionality of Penal Code Section 71.021

In his first and second issues, Goyzueta argues that section 71.021 of the Texas Penal Code is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. (footnote: 2)  The parties contend that this is a case of first impression in Texas as no other court has addressed the constitutionality of the gang injunction statute.  

The constitutionality of a criminal statute is a question of law which we review de novo. Owens v. State , 19 S.W.3d 480, 483 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2000, no pet.); State v. Salinas , 982 S.W.2d 9, 10–11 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1997, pet. ref’d).  Whenever we are confronted with an attack upon the constitutionality of  a statute, we presume that the statute is valid and that the legislature has not acted unreasonably or arbitrarily.   Rodriguez v. State , 93 S.W.3d 60, 69 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002); Ex parte Dave , 220 S.W.3d 154, 156 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2007, pet. ref’d), cert. denied , 128 S. Ct. 628 (2007).  The burden rests upon the individual who challenges the statute to establish its unconstitutionality.   Rodriguez , 93 S.W.3d at 69; Ex parte Dave , 220 S.W.3d at 156.  In the absence of contrary evidence, we will presume that the legislature acted in a constitutionally sound fashion.   Rodriguez , 93 S.W.3d at 69.

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