Jamie D. Ladner a/k/a Jamie Daryl Ladner a/k/a Jamie Ladner v. State of Mississippi

Court of Appeals of Mississippi·Decided February 8, 2022·No. 2020-KA-00299-COA·Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI NO. 2020-KA-00299-COA

JAMIE D. LADNER A/K/A JAMIE DARYL APPELLANT LADNER A/K/A JAMIE LADNER

v. STATE OF MISSISSIPPI APPELLEE

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 02/27/2020 TRIAL JUDGE: HON. ROGER T. CLARK COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: HARRISON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER BY: GEORGE T. HOLMES

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: LAUREN GABRIELLE CANTRELL DISTRICT ATTORNEY: JOEL SMITH NATURE OF THE CASE: CRIMINAL - FELONY DISPOSITION: AFFIRMED - 02/08/2022 MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED: MANDATE ISSUED:

BEFORE BARNES, C.J., GREENLEE AND WESTBROOKS, JJ.

WESTBROOKS, J., FOR THE COURT:

¶1. Jamie Ladner appeals his conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon from the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District of Harrison County. Following a jury trial, Ladner was sentenced to serve six years in custody as a non-violent habitual offender under Mississippi Code Annotated section 99-19-81 (Rev. 2015). Ladner now appeals and requests a new trial, arguing that the trial court erred by excluding the testimony of one Debbie Holbrook and by allowing content from Deputy Caleb Gregoire’s body camera into evidence. Lastly, Ladner raises the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel. Finding no reversible

error, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶2. On February 24, 2018, Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Gregoire conducted a traffic stop for an expired tag on a silver Ford SUV driven by Ladner. Deputy Gregoire’s body camera recorded the events that transpired, and the footage was admitted into evidence. As Deputy Gregoire approached the truck, he explained to Ladner the purpose of the stop. Deputy Gregoire then asked Ladner for his license and registration and if he had ever been arrested for narcotics use. Ladner informed him that his license was expired and that he had been convicted approximately twenty years prior for manufacturing marijuana. When Deputy Gregoire asked Ladner, “Is that it?” Ladner responded, “No.” Deputy Gregoire also asked, “Is there anything illegal in the car or around your person?” Ladner again responded, “No.” Ladner further informed Deputy Gregoire that he was taking the truck to have the shocks repaired. Ladner was then instructed to step out of the vehicle and was asked if there were any weapons or contraband in the vehicle. He responded that there were none and consented to a search of the SUV.

¶3. As Deputy Gregoire prepared to search the SUV, Ladner admitted that his aunt might have left a gun on the front passenger seat. He further claimed that he was unaware of the gun until the traffic stop. When Deputy Gregoire began searching the SUV, he located a glass “meth pipe” and told Ladner that he had seen him push it behind the seat. Deputy Gregoire immediately detained Ladner for possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputy Gregoire read Ladner his rights, and Ladner then admitted that he knew the officer saw him

hide the pipe and said that was why he gave Deputy Gregoire permission to search the vehicle. Ladner also acknowledged that he had lied about his knowledge of the presence of the pipe and the gun. Continuing with the search of the vehicle, Deputy Gregoire found a .22-caliber gun on the passenger seat under a bag of Ladner’s clothes. Unable to confirm Ladner’s prior convictions, Deputy Gregoire seized the gun and issued Ladner a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia. Days after the stop, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office was able to confirm Ladner’s prior convictions, and Investigator Jason Walker obtained an arrest warrant.

¶4. Ladner was then arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon and indicted under Mississippi Code Annotated section 97-37-5 (Rev. 2014). The indictment was later amended based on Ladner’s status as a non-violent habitual offender. Trial was set for February 18, 2020. On the day before trial, the State presented its motion in limine to prohibit the testimony of a person named Debbie Holbrook, who was expected to testify based upon firsthand knowledge that Ladner’s aunt, Becky Gregory (who died prior to the hearing), owned the SUV, that Gregory had asked Ladner to take the SUV to have the shocks replaced, and that the gun belonged to Gregory. The State argued that Holbrook’s testimony was hearsay and did not fit within any hearsay exception. The trial court ruled the proposed testimony was hearsay. The trial court further ordered that it would allow testimony regarding who owned the SUV, but the court would not allow testimony regarding what the owner of the SUV asked Ladner to do with the SUV.

¶5. The trial court also heard Ladner’s two other motions in limine requesting the court

to prohibit or limit any mentioning of (1) any prior convictions under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 609, as they would be more prejudicial than probative, and (2) any evidence presented as Rule 404(b) evidence, as well as any uncharged criminal actions.1 The admissibility of the body-camera video was raised during the Rule 404(b) motion in limine. The trial court found the mentioning of the meth pipe was troubling and instructed the attorneys to exclude portions of the video that pertained to drug paraphernalia. Ladner’s motion in limine was granted with regard to the Rule 404(b) evidence—except for the prior conviction for manufacturing marijuana. See MRE 404(b). At trial, the State argued that the body-camera footage relevant to the meth pipe should not be redacted because it would confuse the jury about why the officer began searching the SUV. The trial court ultimately agreed and ruled that the jury would be allowed to see the video, which was redacted in part but not as it pertained to the meth pipe.

¶6. After a two-day trial, the jury found Ladner guilty. Ladner was sentenced to serve six years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The court denied Ladner’s motion for a new trial or, in the alternative, judgment notwithstanding the verdict. He now appeals.

DISCUSSION

I. The trial court’s exclusion of the testimony of Debbie Holbrook was harmless error.

¶7. Ladner argues that the trial court erred in finding Holbrook’s testimony to be

1 With regard to the Rule 609 motion in limine, the trial court only allowed evidence of Ladner’s conviction of manufacturing a controlled substance, which had given rise to his indictment in 2005.

inadmissible hearsay. “This Court’s standard of review for the admission of evidence is abuse of discretion.” Dandass v. State, 233 So. 3d 856, 863 (¶16) (Miss. Ct. App. 2017) (citing Hobgood v. State, 926 So. 2d 847, 853 (¶16) (Miss. 2006)). “Therefore, unless that discretion is abused this Court should not overturn the trial court’s ruling.” Id.

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Jamie D. Ladner a/k/a Jamie Daryl Ladner a/k/a Jamie Ladner v. State of Mississippi, (Mich. Ct. App. 2022).

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