Gallegos v. State

754 S.W.2d 485, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1652, 1988 WL 72145
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 14, 1988
Docket01-87-01060-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 754 S.W.2d 485 (Gallegos 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
Gallegos v. State, 754 S.W.2d 485, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1652, 1988 WL 72145 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

JACK SMITH, Justice.

This is an appeal from the conviction of possession of a controlled substance, heroin. The jury found appellant guilty, and after the trial court found the enhancement paragraphs to be true, it sentenced him to 60 years confinement. In five points of error, appellant contends that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his request for new counsel; erred in refusing counsel a 10-day continuance; erred in ordering that appellant pay attorney’s fees as a condition of parole; and that he was denied reasonably effective assistance of counsel.

The evidence adduced at trial indicates that Officer R.J. Vargas received a tip from an informant that a man was selling heroin in front of an apartment complex. The informant, who had proven reliable in the past, gave a general description of the man and the name “Rojo.” The officer testified that he drove to the apartment complex and observed a man, matching the informant’s description, talking with two other individuals. Moments later, the officer observed a white vehicle approach the suspect. The suspect walked to the driver’s window, blocking the officer’s view, and 45 seconds to one minute later, the suspect returned to his position on the wall. The officer stated that from his experience this behavior was consistent with the selling of drugs. At this point, the undercover officer requested that a marked vehicle “arrest” appellant.

Officer A.G. Tello, one of the investigating officers, stated that he and his partner drove up beside appellant and asked him to approach their vehicle. The officer testified that appellant hesitated, then dropped a clear baggie from his waist band and walked towards the officers. After Officer Tello’s partner retrieved the baggie, and identified its contents as heroin, he arrested appellant.

An HPD lab chemist testified that the substance in the baggie was heroin. The substance weighed less than 28 grams and was one percent pure heroin.

We first address appellant’s third and fourth points of error, which assert that appellant was denied reasonably effective assistance of counsel. Specifically, appellant claims that his counsel’s representation violated his rights under the United States and Texas Constitutions.

The law on the right to counsel is the same under the United States and Texas Constitutions. U.S. Const, amend. VI; Tex. Const, art. I, sec. 10; see Hernandez v. State, 726 S.W.2d 53, 55-56 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). The general standard of review for effective assistance of counsel is stated in Ex parte Duffy, 607 S.W.2d 507, 516 (Tex.Crim.App.1980). Ferguson v. State, 639 S.W.2d 307, 310 (Tex.Crim.App.1982).

The recent case of Ex parte Cruz, 739 S.W.2d 53, 57-58 (Tex.Crim.App.1987), distinguished the appropriate usage of the standard in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed. 2d 674 (1984), from that in Ex parte Duffy, 607 S.W.2d at 516. In Cruz, cases are *487 divided into two groups: (1) those in which the alleged ineffective assistance of counsel took place during the punishment phase of a capital murder trial, in which event Strickland applies; and, (2) those in which the alleged ineffective assistance of counsel took place during the punishment phase of an ordinary trial, in which event Duffy applies.

The Court of Criminal Appeals has commented that “the threshold standard for determining effective assistance of counsel enunciated in Strickland is not substantively different from the standard this Court has propounded in recent years.” Hernandez v. State, 726 S.W.2d at 55.

The Court of Criminal Appeals has interpreted Duffy as follows:

Under this standard the sufficiency of an attorney’s assistance is gauged by the totality of the representation of the accused. This constitutional right to counsel does not mean errorless counsel or counsel whose competency is to be judged by hindsight. The right to effective assistance of counsel means counsel reasonably likely to render reasonably effective assistance of counsel.

Ex parte Cruz, 739 S.W.2d at 58. Thus, the determination of an “effective assistance of counsel” question turns on the particular circumstances of each case. Mercado v. State, 615 S.W.2d 225, 227 (Tex.Crim.App.1981).

Texas case law interpreting Duffy has required, in addition to a showing of some act that would constitute ineffective assistance of counsel, a showing of harm due to the alleged ineffective assistance. See, e.g., Ferguson v. State, 639 S.W.2d at 311; Mercado v. State, 615 S.W.2d at 228.

First, appellant contends that ineffectiveness was shown by his counsel’s failure to file any pre-trial motions other than a request for the trial court to assess punishment. However, appellant fails to provide any proof of exculpatory evidence that would have been discoverable by such a motion or that there was no informal discovery undertaken. Passmore v. State, 617 S.W.2d 682, 685 (Tex.Crim.App.1981). Additionally, he fails to show what meritorious motions were not made and how they would have benefited him.

Second, appellant contends that ineffectiveness is shown by his counsel’s failure to raise defenses other than the officer’s insufficient probable cause to make the warrantless arrest. From the record, the evidence indicates that appellant was seen possessing the heroin, thereby making his warrantless arrest proper. Lunde v. State, 736 S.W.2d 665 (Tex.Crim.App.1987). Furthermore, appellant has failed to indicate to this Court other defenses that he may have had. This Court cannot second-guess the trial strategy employed by trial counsel, and the fact that another attorney may employ different tactics is insufficient to support a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. See Martin v. State, 623 S.W.2d 391 (Tex.Crim.App.1981); Sanchez v. State, 589 S.W.2d 422 (Tex.Crim.App.1979); Stewart v. State, 652 S.W.2d 496 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1983, no pet.).

Third, appellant contends that counsel’s ineffectiveness is shown by his failure to argue or plead for the trial court’s leniency during the punishment hearing.

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Bluebook (online)
754 S.W.2d 485, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1652, 1988 WL 72145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gallegos-v-state-texapp-1988.