Guyton v. State

271 S.W.3d 773, 2008 WL 4816600
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 5, 2008
Docket10-07-00070-CR
StatusPublished

This text of 271 S.W.3d 773 (Guyton 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
Guyton v. State, 271 S.W.3d 773, 2008 WL 4816600 (Tex. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

271 S.W.3d 773 (2008)

Ronald Lamont GUYTON, Appellant,
v.
The STATE of Texas, Appellee.

No. 10-07-00070-CR.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Waco.

November 5, 2008.

*774 Lane D. Thibodeaux, Law Office of Lane D. Thibodeaux, Bryan, for appellant.

Bill R. Turner, Brazos County Dist. Atty., Bryan, for appellee.

Before Chief Justice GRAY, Justice VANCE, and Justice REYNA.

OPINION

BILL VANCE, Justice.

A jury convicted Ronald Guyton of three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and assessed punishment at fifty years' confinement for count one, two years' confinement for count two, and fifty years' confinement for count three. In his pro se supplemental brief Guyton attacks his conviction claiming that the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to prove possession with intent to deliver. Additionally, Guyton complains that the trial court erred when it failed to (1) inquire into a conflict of interest between him and his attorney and (2) give him adequate notice of the introduction of his penitentiary packet for enhancement purposes. Finding the evidence factually insufficient to support Guyton's conviction, we will reverse and remand for a new trial.

Background

On the evening of April 26, 2006, Officers Steve Spillars and Paul Mahoney, attempted to stop a white Pontiac that was allegedly operating with a defective headlight.[1] The Pontiac did not immediately pull over but continued to travel east on Highway 21 in Bryan until it turned onto Waco Street. Spillars testified that, as the Pontiac began to stop, he started to get out of his vehicle because he saw the back door of the Pontiac begin to open. Guyton, who was wearing a black baseball cap, ran out of the back door of the Pontiac and was chased by Spillars. During the chase, Spillars saw Guyton throw a small object from his right hand as he continued to chase Guyton into a creek.

When Guyton was arrested, he initially falsely identified himself as Christopher Brice Daniels. Mahoney then ran Guyton's fingerprints through the FBI and DPS databases under the name Christopher Daniels. However, when Mahoney took Guyton the fingerprint cards to sign, he signed his name as Ronald Guyton. Subsequent investigation confirmed that Guyton was Ronald Guyton and not Christopher Daniels. When the officers searched Guyton, he was not carrying any contraband and he did not appear to be under the influence of narcotics.

Spillars searched the area and located a black baseball cap, a food-coloring bottle, and two plastic sandwich bags that had been tied together. The contents of the sandwich bags and the food-coloring bottle were later tested and weighed, and forensic scientist Joel Budge testified that the bags contained .40 grams of cocaine and 3.57 grams of ecstasy. The food-coloring bottle contained 5.15 grams of PCP.

*775 Officer Spillars testified that usually possession of less than a gram of cocaine would be charged as possession only. He also testified that when he initially arrested Guyton he was booked on possession and not possession with intent to deliver.

Detective Robert Wilson, College Station Police Department, testified that street-level drug dealers normally carry enough drugs for only a few sales. Furthermore, a street-level drug dealer normally would not document his drug sales on a narcotics ledger, as they typically operate on a hand-to-hand basis. Street level dealers carry a low amount of product in order to be able to quickly eat, drop, or destroy evidence if stopped by law enforcement. He also testified to the perceived effects of each of the individual drugs Guyton possessed, and stated that a typical drug user would not collectively consume, cocaine, ecstasy, and PCP because the drugs would counteract the effects of each other. In his opinion, the drugs possessed by Guyton were for sale and not personal use.

After a jury convicted Guyton on all three counts of possession with intent to deliver, he filed a motion for new trial claiming that he did not receive effective assistance of counsel or adequate notice of the reindictment.[2] A hearing was held, the trial court denied the motion, and this appeal followed.

Pro Se Pleadings

As an initial matter, we must address Guyton's status as a pro se litigant before this court. Both Guyton and his appointed appellate counsel have filed briefing in this matter. A criminal appellant has no right to hybrid representation. Ex parte Taylor, 36 S.W.3d 883, 887 (Tex. Crim.App.2001); Meyer v. State, 27 S.W.3d 644, 648 (Tex.App.-Waco 2000, pet. ref'd). Generally, when an appellant has counsel and counsel has filed a brief, the appellant has no right to file a pro se brief. However, the prohibition on hybrid representation is not absolute. See e.g., Warren v. State, 98 S.W.3d 739, 741 (Tex.App.-Waco 2003, pet. ref'd). We may consider a pro se brief if the interests of justice require us to do so. We have reviewed Guyton's pro se supplemental brief and find that the interests of justice require that we address his issues. See Williams v. State, 946 S.W.2d 886, 892 (Tex.App.-Waco 1997, no pet.) (appellate court may consider pro se issue in the interest of justice even though appellant has no right to hybrid representation).

Intent to Deliver

In his first issue, Guyton challenges the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to support a finding of intent to deliver. The standard of review for legal and factual sufficiency is well settled. When reviewing a challenge to the legal sufficiency of the evidence to establish the elements of a penal offense, we must determine whether, after viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-19, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Our duty is to determine if the finding of the trier of fact is rational by viewing all of *776 the evidence admitted at trial in the light most favorable to the verdict. Adelman v. State, 828 S.W.2d 418, 422 (Tex.Crim.App. 1992). In doing so, any inconsistencies in the evidence are resolved in favor of the verdict. Curry v. State, 30 S.W.3d 394, 406 (Tex.Crim.App.2000).

In a factual sufficiency review, we ask whether a neutral review of all the evidence, though legally sufficient, demonstrates either that the proof of guilt is so weak or that conflicting evidence is so strong as to render the factfinder's verdict clearly wrong and manifestly unjust. Watson v. State, 204 S.W.3d 404, 414-15 (Tex. Crim.App.2006); Johnson v. State, 23 S.W.3d 1, 11 (Tex.Crim.App.2000).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Ex Parte Taylor
36 S.W.3d 883 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Curry v. State
30 S.W.3d 394 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Watson v. State
204 S.W.3d 404 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Villescas v. State
189 S.W.3d 290 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Erskine v. State
191 S.W.3d 374 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Morrow v. State
757 S.W.2d 484 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Maldonado v. State
998 S.W.2d 239 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Moreno v. State
195 S.W.3d 321 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Pitts v. State
731 S.W.2d 687 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Taylor v. State
684 S.W.2d 682 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Williams v. State
946 S.W.2d 886 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Adelman v. State
828 S.W.2d 418 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Johnson v. State
23 S.W.3d 1 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Meyer v. State
27 S.W.3d 644 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Jones v. State
944 S.W.2d 642 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Brooks v. State
957 S.W.2d 30 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Warren v. State
98 S.W.3d 739 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
271 S.W.3d 773, 2008 WL 4816600, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guyton-v-state-texapp-2008.