Goodman v. State

356 So. 2d 691, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1289
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedJanuary 24, 1978
Docket3 Div. 788
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 356 So. 2d 691 (Goodman v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goodman v. State, 356 So. 2d 691, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1289 (Ala. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

TYSON, Judge.

Jimmy Claude Goodman, Jr., was charged by indictment with the unlawful possession of Amphetamine and Amobarbital in a two-count indictment, contrary to the provisions of Act No. 1407, Section 401(a), Acts of Alabama, 1971 Regular Session. The jury found the appellant guilty under both counts, and the trial court set punishment at eight years imprisonment.

Prior to trial a suppression hearing was conducted at which time Montgomery Detectives J. E. Nichols and William Fuller each testified with reference to the arrest and detention of Jimmy Claude Goodman, Jr., on the night of July 2, 1976.

According to Detective Nichols, he was assigned to the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs of the Montgomery Police Department as part of a special investigative team. At about 9:00 o’clock on the night of July 2, 1976, he, Captain Lynch, Captain Arnett, and Detective Fuller, were in the office having a discussion concerning [693]*693a drugstore robbery at Southside Drugs on Court Street in Montgomery which had occurred the previous evening. The officers had received a telephone call concerning a station wagon which had been observed near the scene of the drugstore robbery the previous evening and which was then observed in the South Lawn area of Montgomery.

Detectives Nichols and Fuller left in an unmarked green Chevrolet Malibu, driving toward the intersection of U. S. 31 South and U. S. 80 West, and saw an off-white or beige station wagon with a luggage rack on top (R. p. 5). The officers gave chase and turned on the blue lights on top of their vehicle. Officer Nichols stepped from the police vehicle to the station wagon, identified himself, and asked the driver, Jimmy Claude Goodman, Jr., to step out of the station wagon. Officer Nichols related that a lookout had been placed for a white male with a ruddy complexion and reddish tinted hair, driving a station wagon, and that Goodman answered the description in question. As Goodman alighted from the vehicle, Officer Nichols noticed a tan prescription bottle lying on the floorboard on the driver’s side. He reached down and retrieved it (R. p. 6).

Nichols stated he opened the bottle and observed some green and clear capsules, and also some brown and clear capsules with small spangles inside and the capital letters “S K F” on the outside of each type capsule. Nichols stated that he recognized the capsules as being Amphetamines because of his prior work in the drug field.

The appellant was patted down at the scene of the stop, and Officer Nichols removed a .22 caliber projectile and a pharmaceutical vial that contained an injectable drug from appellant’s pants pocket. The drugs retrieved by Officer Nichols were turned over by him to State Toxicologist Alan Adair (R. p. 8).

Officer Nichols drove the appellant’s vehicle to Police Headquarters and secured it. The following morning the vehicle was searched pursuant to a search warrant obtained by Detective Fuller and Officer Segrest.

On cross-examination, Officer Nichols related that he had received a call on his police radio from Officers Arnett and Lynch concerning the station wagon which fit the description of the wanted vehicle and was asked his assistance in stopping it. This was within twenty-four hours of the robbery the evening before at the drugstore.

Montgomery Police Detective William Fuller related that on the evening of July 2, 1976, he was a partner of Officer Jim Nichols. He stated that about 9:00 or 9:30 o’clock in the evening they received a call by police radio to stop a station wagon which was light beige in color, had a luggage rack on top, and a type of sticker on the rear bumper. The vehicle was reportedly involved in the robbery of the drugstore on South Court Street in Montgomery the evening before. Detective Fuller stated that he and Detective Nichols gave chase on Highway 31 South just as the vehicle turned West on Highway 80 toward Dan-nelly Field. The station wagon was stopped, Officer Nichols stepped to the side of the vehicle, and asked the driver to step out. He stated this was the appellant, Jimmy Claude Goodman, Jr. Detective Fuller stated that he saw a tan prescription bottle after Detective Nichols found it on the floorboard of appellant’s car (R. pp. 19-20). The following morning Detective Fuller went before Judge Matthis Piel and obtained a search warrant in which he described the prescription bottle and the drugs contained therein as the basis for obtaining a search warrant for the station wagon which was secured at Police Headquarters.

Pursuant to this warrant, Detective Fuller and Corporal William Segrest searched the station wagon and removed from it a brown paper bag underneath the front seat. They placed the contents thereof in a bag which was sealed, then delivered by Montgomery Officer Campbell to the State Toxicologist Office.

Moreover, prior to obtaining the search warrant, the appellant had executed a written consent authorizing a search of his 1968 [694]*694Ford station wagon, 4-11529, located at Police Headquarters (R. p. 35).

After hearing the three officers’ testimony, the trial court overruled the appellant’s motion to suppress.

Alabama State Toxicologist Alan Adair testified that on July 7, 1976, he received from Montgomery Police Detective J. E. Nichols a plastic bag with Officer Nichol’s initials on it, and that he marked it and gave the officer a receipt for it. He stated that he assigned Case No. 13215-A to the bag. He subsequently removed the contents and analyzed this. He noted that in one bag was a tan plastic prescription bottle which contained four green and clear capsules having the designation S K F D92 at each end, and also one green and clear capsule having S K F D91 at each end. Additionally, there were fifty-two brown and clear capsules having the designation S K F E13 at each end and fifteen brown and clear capsules having the designation S K F E14 at each end (R. p. 42).

Mr. Adair then analyzed these drugs and testified that he had custody of these until the day of trial, and, based upon his examination, the five green and clear capsules contained Amphetamine and Amobarbital (R. p. 43) and the sixty-seven brown and clear capsules were both types of Amphetamines. He stated that each of these are controlled substances within the meaning of Alabama law and require the prescription of a registered practitioner. Mr. Adair’s laboratory report was offered into evidence, but upon objection of defense counsel the trial court declined to admit this (R. p. 46).

Mr. Adair then testified that based upon his experience and examination these drugs were normally prescribed for weight loss by a physician and were capable of being taken either orally or crushed and injected into a person’s veins.

Mr. Adair was also allowed to testify that he received on July 2, 1976, a brown bag from Montgomery Police Officer Jimmy Gamble and that he had exclusive custody of the items received until the date of trial. In Mr. Adair’s testimony he identified one-half dozen different types of controlled substances which were analyzed and examined as coming from the bag received from Officer Gamble and marked with Montgomery Detective W. C. Segrest’s initials.

Montgomery Police Detective James E. Nichols was then recalled and related receiving information concerning a robbery on the night of July 1, 1976, of Southside Drugs on South Court Street.

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397 So. 2d 246 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1981)
Minnifield v. State
390 So. 2d 1146 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
Goodman v. State
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Thomas v. State
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Turner v. State
380 So. 2d 393 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
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382 So. 2d 601 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1979)
Wheat v. State
372 So. 2d 400 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
356 So. 2d 691, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1289, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goodman-v-state-alacrimapp-1978.