James Allen Walker v. State of Mississippi

CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 30, 2003
Docket2003-KA-00313-SCT
StatusPublished

This text of James Allen Walker v. State of Mississippi (James Allen Walker v. State of Mississippi) 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
James Allen Walker v. State of Mississippi, (Mich. 2003).

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSISSIPPI

NO. 2003-KA-00313-SCT

JAMES ALLEN WALKER

v.

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 1/30/2003 TRIAL JUDGE: HON. GEORGE B. READY COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: DESOTO COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: BOBBY TAYLOR VANCE ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: JOHN R. HENRY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: JOHN W. CHAMPION NATURE OF THE CASE: CRIMINAL - FELONY DISPOSITION: AFFIRMED - 08/05/2004 MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED: MANDATE ISSUED:

BEFORE WALLER, P.J., CARLSON AND DICKINSON, JJ.

WALLER, PRESIDING JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:

¶1. James Allen Walker appeals from a jury verdict convicting him of possession of two

precursor chemicals (pseudoephedrine and lithium), knowing that the precursor chemicals

would be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine).

¶2. On June 12, 2001, an employee of Sam's Club in Southaven called the Southaven

Police Department, reporting that a white male had bought large amounts of ephedrine. As

the police arrived, a GMC pickup truck occupied by two white males was leaving the

parking lot. The driver of the truck matched the description (white male, mid-30s, wearing a pullover shirt with three large stripes) given by the employee. The police proceeded to

follow the truck and then noticed that the truck had no brake lights. They stopped the truck

and informed the occupants, James Allen Walker and William Stanley Miller, that they had

received a report about someone buying large quantities of ephedrine. The occupants

verbally consented to a search of the truck. The police recovered several boxes of ephedrine

and several packs of lithium batteries. Walker and Miller were arrested for possession of

two or more precursors.

¶3. After a trial, Walker was found guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in the custody

of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 10 years suspended conditioned on future

good behavior. After considering the issues Walker raises on appeal, we affirm the

conviction and sentence.

DISCUSSION

I. THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF MISS. CODE ANN. § 41-29-313(1)(a)(ii).

¶4. Walker argues that Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-313(1)(a)(ii) (Supp. 2003), the statute

under which he was convicted and sentenced, is unconstitutionally vague. The statute

provides in pertinent part as follows:

(1)(a) Except as authorized in this section, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly or intentionally:

***

(ii) Purchase, possess, transfer or distribute any two (2) or more of the listed precursor chemicals or drugs in any amount, knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the listed precursor chemical or drug

2 will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance.

(3) The terms "listed precursor drug or chemical" means a precursor drug or chemical that, in addition to legitimate uses, may be used in manufacturing a controlled substance in violation of this chapter. . . . The following are "listed precursor drugs or chemicals": . . . (d) Ephedrine; . . . (f) Lithium; . . . .

Walker contends that:

[t]he reasonable person who sees legal and legitimate items for sale with no notice that the brand or name under which they are sold may contain an ingredient [that] is a precursor and that the purchase of two or more legitimate, legal items may subject the purchaser to criminal prosecution does not have notice and such lack of notice denies the American consumer of common household products constitutional due process.

¶5. "Legislative acts are . . . cloaked with a presumption of constitutionality, and

unconstitutionality must appear beyond reasonable doubt." Mauldin v. Branch, 866 So. 2d

429, 435 (Miss. 2003) (citing In re Estate of Smiley, 530 So. 2d 18, 21-22 (Miss. 1988)).

A statute's validity is presumed:

We adhere here to the rule that one who assails a legislative enactment must overcome the strong presumption of validity and such assailant must prove his conclusions affirmatively, and clearly establish it beyond a reasonable doubt. All doubts must be resolved in favor of validity of a statute. If possible, a court should construe statutes so as to render them constitutional rather than unconstitutional if the statute under attack does not clearly and apparently conflict with organic law after first resolving all doubts in favor of validity.

Loden v. Miss. Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 279 So. 2d 636, 640 (Miss. 1973) (citations omitted).

We must presume that the Legislature "intended to comply with the organic law, and the

3 statute should be given a reasonable interpretation which is consistent with that presumed

intent and which would permit the upholding of the act." Mauldin, 866 So. 2d at 435 (citing

Berry v. Southern Pine Elec. Power Ass'n, 222 Miss. 260, 76 So. 2d 212, 214 (1954)).

¶6. "[T]he wording of a statute does not necessarily offend the requirements of due

process as long as the language provides a 'sufficient warning as to the proscribed conduct

when measured by common understanding and practices . . . .'" Perkins v. State, 863 So. 2d

47, 54 (Miss. 2004) (citing Cassibry v. State, 404 So. 2d 1360, 1368 (Miss. 1981) (following

Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476, 77 S. Ct. 1304, 1 L. Ed. 2d 1498 (1957))).

¶7. We find that Walker has failed to overcome the presumption that the statute is

constitutional. Walker's argument that an ordinary person buying a box of decongestant

would not know that he or she was committing a crime fails because the statute requires

mens rea, i.e., either having known or should have reasonably known that the decongestant

would be used in the manufacture of a controlled substance. See Village of Hoffman

Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc., 455 U.S. 489, 102 S. Ct. 1186, 1193, 71 L. Ed.

2d 362 (1982) ("[A] scienter requirement may mitigate a law's vagueness, especially with

respect to the adequacy of notice to the complainant that his conduct is proscribed."). See

also Tobacco Accessories & Novelty Craftsmen Merchants Ass'n v. Treen, 681 F.2d 378

(5th Cir. 1982); Florida Businessmen for Free Enterprise v. City of Hollywood, 673 F.2d

1213 (11th Cir. 1982).

¶8. This claim is without merit.

II. WHETHER THE POLICE OFFICER'S ACTS OF FOLLOWING WALKER'S TRUCK AND MAKING

4 AN INVESTIGATORY STOP WERE BASED ON REASONABLE SUSPICION.

¶9. Walker claims that probable cause and/or reasonable suspicion did not exist because

Officer Greg Smorowski, the first officer on the scene, began following Walker's truck

before Officer Smorowski was able to determine that Walker's appearance matched that of

the description given. Indeed, the record shows:

. . .

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Related

Roth v. United States
354 U.S. 476 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Terry v. Ohio
392 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Schneckloth v. Bustamonte
412 U.S. 218 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc.
455 U.S. 489 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Minnesota v. Dickerson
508 U.S. 366 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Whren v. United States
517 U.S. 806 (Supreme Court, 1996)
United States v. Thurman Jeff West
460 F.2d 374 (Fifth Circuit, 1972)
United States v. Javier Valencia-Amezcua
278 F.3d 901 (Ninth Circuit, 2002)
Howell v. State
860 So. 2d 704 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2003)
Burchfield v. State
892 So. 2d 248 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2004)
Hopson v. State
625 So. 2d 395 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1993)
Berry v. Southern Pine Electric Power Ass'n
76 So. 2d 212 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1954)
Loden v. Mississippi Public Service Commission
279 So. 2d 636 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1973)
Griffin v. State
607 So. 2d 1197 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1992)
Jefferson v. State
818 So. 2d 1099 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2002)
Thomas v. State
818 So. 2d 335 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2002)
Luton v. State
287 So. 2d 269 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1973)
Taylor v. Johnson
796 So. 2d 11 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
Matter of Estate of Smiley
530 So. 2d 18 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1988)

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