Hill v. State

1995 OK CR 28, 898 P.2d 155, 66 O.B.A.J. 1853, 1995 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 33, 1995 WL 310775
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 19, 1995
DocketF-94-0207
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 1995 OK CR 28 (Hill v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hill v. State, 1995 OK CR 28, 898 P.2d 155, 66 O.B.A.J. 1853, 1995 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 33, 1995 WL 310775 (Okla. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinions

OPINION

STRUBHAR, Judge:

Appellant, Marlon Henry Hill, was tried by jury in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Case Number CF-92-6005, before the Honorable James B. Blevins, District Judge. Appellant was convicted of Count II — Possession of a Firearm While Committing a Felony (21 O.S.1991, § 1287) and Count III — Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance Without a Tax Stamp Attached Thereto (68 O.S.1991, § 450.3).1 The jury recommended sentences of two (2) years imprisonment and five (5) years imprisonment respectively. The trial court ordered the sentences run consecutively and sentenced Appellant accordingly.

Appellant presents two novel issues to this Court. Appellant also presents two issues [159]*159which we find warrant clarification. We choose to publish this opinion to address these issues and to provide guidance.

On September 21, 1992, Trooper Jerry Treadwell stopped a two-door car driven by Marlon Galbreath for speeding on Interstate Highway 240. Appellant was a passenger in the car. When Treadwell turned on his emergency signals Galbreath took longer than was necessary to pull over. While following the car Treadwell noticed the driver and passenger were moving around. Gal-breath pulled over on the bridge above Western Avenue. Treadwell asked him for identification and then placed him in the trooper car to write a citation. Treadwell noticed Galbreath was extremely nervous and obtained Galbreath’s consent to search the car.

Treadwell approached Appellant and requested he exit the car. Appellant complied and stood at the front of the car while Tread-well searched it. Treadwell found a package with rock cocaine, a bag with a loaded gun and scales with powder on them behind the driver’s seat. He also found a large amount of loose money in the glove box. Treadwell told Appellant to stay where he was and returned to arrest Galbreath. He notified Galbreath he was being arrested for drug and firearm violations and prepared to handcuff him. However, Galbreath broke free and ran off the bridge away from Treadwell. Appellant then attempted to jump off the bridge. Seeing he was too high up to safely drop to the ground Appellant climbed back onto the bridge and followed Galbreath. Appellant was detained by citizens and arrested by police shortly thereafter.

Before chasing Appellant and Galbreath, Treadwell collected the cocaine, gun, scales and money and secured them in his car. After Appellant was caught Treadwell returned to Galbreath’s car with Charles Roberts, a drug dog handler for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. Treadwell then replaced the cocaine, gun and money in Gal-breath’s car. Roberts ran his dog through Galbreath’s car and detected the presence of illegal drugs on the driver’s door, behind the driver’s seat and in the glove box. Gal-breath’s car was then towed to the trooper station.

At the station another sniff search was conducted. The dog “hit” on the driver’s door, behind the driver’s seat and the glove box but ignored the passenger’s door. Troopers then took the money out of the glove box and hid it in the station garage. They also took Appellant’s money and hid it separately. The drug dog hit on both groups of bills. None of the troopers wore gloves when handling the items taken from Gal-breath’s car and at least three troopers handled the items prior to the last sniff search.

Appellant testified at trial and denied any knowledge of the cocaine or the gun. He claimed he went to his cousin’s house after a fight with his girlfriend where he met Gal-breath and accepted a ride so he could cool off. He said he slept in the car until Gal-breath woke him to say they were being pulled over. He claimed he had no idea why Treadwell was arresting Galbreath and that he ran from the scene out of fear he would be arrested for something he did not do.

In his first proposition of error Appellant claims the Oklahoma Controlled Dangerous Substance Tax Act, 68 O.S.1991, §§ 450.1-450.9 (hereinafter Act) is unenforceable because the Oklahoma Tax Commission (hereinafter Commission) has not promulgated rules providing for the purchase of stamps. He argues it is impossible to comply with rules which do not exist and therefore it is impossible to be convicted of a crime which punishes noncompliance.

We have found no Oklahoma cases on this issue. However, this precise issue was recently addressed in Bass v. State, 830 S.W.2d 142 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, pet. refd.). In Bass the defendant claimed no rules existed providing for purchase of drug tax stamps. He argued he could not be punished for not affixing stamps when it was impossible to purchase stamps. The defendant presented no evidence the rules did not exist arguing the burden to prove such rules existed was on the state. The court rejected his argument noting the defendant had the burden to provide evidence to support his claim. The court presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the commission acted in accordance with the legislative man[160]*160date of the drug tax stamp act and promulgated the necessary rules. Id. at 148.

This Court finds Bass persuasive on this issue. In Oklahoma a defendant bears the burden to provide a sufficient record upon which this Court may determine the issue raised. Simpson v. State, 876 P.2d 690, 701 (Okl.Cr.1994); Boyd v. State, 743 P.2d 674, 676 (Okl.Cr.1987). Failure to provide an adequate record waives review of the error. Id. In the present case Appellant fails to present any record to support his proposition. The only evidence Appellant cites this Court is two affidavits, appended to his brief, purporting to show the Commission has not promulgated any rules to make possible the purchase of drug tax stamps. Pursuant to this Court’s order of September 20, 1994,2 these two affidavits were specifically removed from the record and appellate counsel has failed to supplement the record with the affidavits. By failing to supplement the record appellate counsel precluded review of this argument. This Court may take judicial notice of promulgated rules of the Commission. 12 O.S.1991, § 2201(B)(1). However, in the absence of any evidence the Commission has not promulgated rules we presume the Commission, as the agency designated to adopt rules for the provision of stamps and collection of the tax, has followed the legislative mandate in 68 O.S.1991, § 450.4, and has promulgated the necessary rules.

In his second proposition of error Appellant contends the Act is unconstitutional. He argues the Act: (1) violates his right against self incrimination; (2) impermissibly forces him to forfeit one constitutional right in order to exercise another; (3) violates the prohibition against double jeopardy in both the United States and Oklahoma Constitutions; and (4) is a pretext to increase punishment on drug offenses rather than raise revenue.

Appellant’s first two arguments were recently addressed in White v. State, — P.2d -, 66 OBJ 1143 (Okl.Cr. April 1, 1995), reh’g denied, — P.2d -, 66 OBJ 1249 (Okl.Cr. April 8, 1995). White rejects identical arguments and is dispositive of Appellant’s first two arguments.

Appellant’s third argument is moot. Because he was not convicted of trafficking in addition to the tax stamp violation Appellant fails to show he was punished twice for the same act.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1995 OK CR 28, 898 P.2d 155, 66 O.B.A.J. 1853, 1995 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 33, 1995 WL 310775, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hill-v-state-oklacrimapp-1995.