Hensley v. State

72 So. 3d 1065, 2011 Miss. LEXIS 427, 2011 WL 4037021
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 8, 2011
Docket2010-KA-01311-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 72 So. 3d 1065 (Hensley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hensley v. State, 72 So. 3d 1065, 2011 Miss. LEXIS 427, 2011 WL 4037021 (Mich. 2011).

Opinion

CHANDLER, Justice,

for the Court:

¶ 1. On May 11, 2010, a Tishomingo County jury found Cliff Hensley (Cliff) guilty of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine in violation of Mississippi Code Sections 41-29-139 and 97-1-1. Cliff was sentenced as a habitual offender to a term of twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). In this appeal, Cliff asserts his sentence of twenty years is an improper sentence under the governing statutes.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW

¶ 2. Jeff Palmer, former commander of the Stateline Narcotics Task Force, 1 was working closely with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the narcotics officers based out of McNairy County, Tennessee, at the time of Cliffs arrest. Palmer testified that an individual buying pseu-doephedrine would have to show a photo ID and sign a list identifying what kind of pills and how many dosage units were being purchased. Palmer helped create a list for the Stateline Narcotics Task Force of individuals who were known to cross state lines to purchase pseudoephedrine. 2 This list was placed at pharmacies, and the pharmacists or pharmacy technicians *1067 would contact the task force when an individual on the list bought pseudoephedrine.

¶ 3. On June 20, 2007, Palmer received a phone call from the Kroger pharmacy in Corinth, Mississippi, indicating that a Jeff Hensley (Jeff), who was on the pseu-doephedrine list, had entered the store requesting to buy pseudoephedrine. Palmer instructed the pharmacist to sell the pseudoephedrine to Jeff. Palmer then contacted Ben Caldwell, a Corinth Police Department detective, to help conduct surveillance of the Kroger parking lot as Jeff was leaving Kroger. While Palmer and Caldwell were conducting surveillance, Jeff and another individual traveled to Burns-ville, made a loop through a closed pharmacy parking lot, and continued east on Highway 72. Shortly thereafter, Palmer and Caldwell conducted a traffic stop of the car.

¶ 4. Jeff was driving the vehicle, and Cliff was riding in the passenger seat at the time of the stop. Palmer and Caldwell separated Cliff and Jeff, asked them questions, and received contradictory answers concerning their trip to Alabama. Jeff gave Palmer permission to search the vehicle. A plastic container containing around $100 in cash and forty-eight loose pseu-doephedrine pills was found. 3 Two empty boxes of pseudoephedrine and a Kroger receipt also were found.

¶ 5. Cliff and Jeff were arrested and transported to the Tishomingo County Sheriffs Department. After reading Cliff and Jeff their Miranda 4 rights, Palmer received a written statement from Cliff. Cliff gave Palmer the information, and Palmer made a written statement. Cliff signed the statement agreeing with all facts contained in the statement. The statement is as follows:

During the past month, my brother, Jeff Hensley and I, have been purchasing pseudoephedrine pills. I have bought pills at Walgreen’s in Corinth and Kroger in Corinth. I have bought some at Rite Aid in Selmer, Tennessee, a couple of weeks ago. The pills I buy I give to Jeff. Jeff carries the pills to somebody that cooks meth. I am currently out on bond in McNairy County, Tennessee, for possession of meth. The last time I used meth was a couple of days ago.
Today, Jeff and I rode to Corinth. Jeff bought two boxes of pseudoephd-rine pills at Kroger. I popped the pills out and put them in a plastic container with our money. Jeff told me about a store in Burnsville, and we went there. The store was closed. We were headed to Alabama to buy some more pills when we were pulled over.

¶ 6. Prior to the traffic stop, the officers did not know Cliff was in the vehicle, but Cliffs name was also on the list of individuals purchasing pseudoephedrine on a routine basis. Jeff also gave a statement that explained their specific actions in attempting to buy pills at several different pharmacies the day they were arrested.

¶ 7. At trial, after Palmer’s testimony explaining how the brothers’ statements were obtained, the State moved, outside the presence of the jury, to enter into evidence certified copies of Cliffs prior convictions. The State argued the convictions were to be introduced under Mississippi Rule of Evidence Rule 404(b) to show Cliffs purpose in purchasing and being *1068 involved in the purchase of pseudoephed-rine pills for the manufacture of methamphetamine. The Court ruled that the pri- or convictions could be admitted to show Cliffs motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, or absence of mistake or accident under Rule 404(b). The State prepared a limiting instruction to accompany these prior convictions.

¶ 8. Alicia Waldrop, a forensic drug analysis expert, testified that the pills found with Cliff and Jeff were pseudoephedrine. After Palmer and Waldrop each concluded their testimony, the State rested, and the defense moved for a directed verdict. The defense argued the State was unable to prove that there had been an agreement on June 20, 2007, to manufacture methamphetamine. The defense also argued that Hensley’s indictment should have specified Section 41-29-815, which bars manufacture of methamphetamine, rather than Section 41-29-139, which bars the manufacture of a controlled substance. See Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-315, § 41-29-139 (Rev.2009). The motion for directed verdict was denied.

¶ 9. The State then moved to amend the indictment to charge Cliff as a habitual offender. The motion previously had been filed, and defense counsel had been given notice of the motion. The judge granted the motion. After putting on no witnesses, the defense rested. The jury found Cliff guilty of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. The trial judge, finding that Cliff had been convicted three times previously of felony crimes and sentenced on each conviction to separate terms of one year or more, sentenced Cliff as a habitual offender pursuant to Mississippi Code Section 99-19-81 to twenty years in the custody of the MDOC. See Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81 (Rev.2007).

DISCUSSION

WHETHER THE SENTENCE OF TWENTY YEARS AS A HABITUAL OFFENDER WAS AN IMPROPER SENTENCE FOR CONVICTION OF CONSPIRACY TO MANUFACTURE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE UNDER THE MISSISSIPPI CODE SECTIONS LISTED IN THE INDICTMENT.

¶ 10. Cliff argues that his sentence of twenty years exceeded the time allowed by the governing statutes. “The imposition of a sentence is within the discretion of the trial court, and this Court will not review the sentence, if it is within the limits prescribed by statute.” Reynolds v. State, 585 So.2d 753, 756 (Miss.1991) (citing Reed v. State, 536 So.2d 1336, 1339 (Miss.1988)). This Court will not disturb a sentence if it does not exceed the maximum term allowed by statute. Robinson v.

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

Related

Hensley v. State
156 So. 3d 346 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2014)
Bell v. State
102 So. 3d 297 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 So. 3d 1065, 2011 Miss. LEXIS 427, 2011 WL 4037021, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hensley-v-state-miss-2011.