Jones v. State

807 N.E.2d 58, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 752, 2004 WL 886997
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 27, 2004
Docket79A05-0306-CR-281
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 807 N.E.2d 58 (Jones v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. State, 807 N.E.2d 58, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 752, 2004 WL 886997 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION -

NAJAM, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

The State charged Antoine Jones with a total of ten counts, and following a jury trial, he was convicted of the following crimes: Counts I and II, Dealing in Cocaine, both as Class A felonies; Count III, Possession of Cocaine With Intent to Deliver, as a Class A felony; Count IV, Possession of Cocaine, as a Class A felony; Count V, Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Cocaine, as a Class A felony; Count VII, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, as a Class D felony; and County VIII, Neglect of a Dependent, as a Class D felony. The trial court sentenced Jones to a total term of sixty years, with five years suspended to probation. Jones now appeals and presents the following issues for review:

1. Whether the State presented suffi-client evidence to sustain his convie-tions on Counts I, III, IV, and VII.
Whether Jones' convictions on Count III, Possession of Cocaine With Intent to Deliver, and Count «IV, Possession of Cocaine, violate the actual evidence test of the Double Jeopardy Clause under Article I, Section 14 of the Indiana Constitution.
Whether Jones' crimes constitute an episode of criminal conduct.
Whether the imposition of consecutive sentences is inappropriate in light of the nature of his offenses and his character.

We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Johnny Lee Drake regularly purchased crack cocaine from Jones and was addicted to the drug in the Fall of 2002. After Drake had loaned his car to someone in exchange for crack cocaine, he contacted the Tippecanoe County Drug Task Force and inquired. whether someone there could help him retrieve his car. In October 2002, Drake agreed to become a confidential informant. He informed the Drug Task Force that Jones, whom Drake referred to as "T," was "the source of crack cocaine in Tippecanoe County." He also told the Drug Task Force that he had purchased crack cocaine from Jones at Jones' residence at 418 S. 9th Street in Lafayette. On October 1, 2002, the Drug Task Force intended for Drake to complete a controlled buy from Jones. But because Jones was in jail at the time, Drake instead bought crack cocaine from Anthony Segal at 418 S. 9th Street.

On October 16, 2002, Lori Johnson, who was also addicted to crack cocaine and had purchased crack from Jones many times in the past, bought crack from Jones and Keyana Compton, another resident at 418 S. 9th Street. Johnson traded several per *62 sonal items, including her computer, her son's PlayStation, her television, her car, and her mother's car, in exchange for crack. After she had consumed all the crack she purchased on October 16 and realized that she had "got[ten] her mother involved," she contacted a family friend who was a detective. Thereafter, like Drake, Johnson agreed to become a confidential informant for the Drug Task Force.

On October 17, 2002, Johnson went to Jones' residence to complete a controlled buy. When she learned that Jones was not there, Johnson gave the buy money to Compton in exchange for the keys to her mother's car. Johnson left Jones' residence and returned later. When Jones was still not at home, she left. Later that day, she sat in a vehicle with undercover police officers near Jones' residence and waited until Jones returned home. She then went into the house and purchased $100 worth of crack from Jones, approximately .55 grams. Johnson wore a wire during the buy, and the officers had an audiotape recording of the transaction. The officers then obtained a search warrant to search Jones' residence.

During the search, the officers found digital scales and several plastic baggies and baggie corners. The officers found approximately 1.75 grams of crack cocaine inside a plastic bag in Jones' bedroom. There were also bills in that bedroom with Jones' name on them. The officers discovered 43.75 grams of crack cocaine and a nine millimeter handgun with the serial number scratched off hidden in a bathtub. And the officer recovered many of Johnson's personal items that she had exchanged for crack. The officers also found a portion of the buy money in Jones' girlfriend's wallet.

The State charged Jones with two counts of dealing in cocaine, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, one count of possession of cocaine, one count of conspiracy to commit dealing in cocaine, one count of possession of a handgun with obliterated identification marks, one count of maintaining a common nuisance, one count of neglect of a dependent, and one count of corrupt business influence. The State dismissed the corrupt business influence charge, and the jury found Jones guilty of all charges exeept the possession of a handgun charge.

Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court identified as mitigating "that imprisonment ... will result in undue hardship on his dependents." The court identified two aggravating factors: Jones' history of criminal or delinquent activity and that he was on probation at the time he committed the instant crimes. The court then sentenced Jones to thirty years each on Counts I, II, III, IV, and V, and to three years on Counts VII and VIII. The court further ordered that he serve the sentences in Counts II, III,; IV, V, VII, and VIII concurrent with each other, but consecutive to the sentence in Count I, for a total of sixty years. The court also ordered that he serve five years of the total sentence on probation. This appeal ensued.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Issue One: Sufficiency of the Evidence

Jones first asserts that the State failed to present sufficient evidence to sustain his convictions on Counts I, III, IV, and VIL. Regarding Count I, he maintains that the State failed to prove that the substance he sold to Johnson on October 16, 2002 was crack cocaine. Regarding Counts III, IV, and VII, he contends that the State failed to prove that he had constructive possession over the items the officers recovered from the home when they executed the *63 search warrant. We address his arguments in turn.

When reviewing a conviction for sufficiency of the evidence, this court looks to the evidence most favorable to the State and all of the reasonable inferences to be drawn from such evidence. Smalley v. State, 732 N.E.2d 1231, 1234 (Ind.Ct.App.2000). We will affirm unless there is no way a reasonable trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty. Id. We neither reweigh the evidence nor assess the credibility of witnesses, but rather look to the evidence to determine whether there was substantive probative evidence to support the verdict. See id.

A. Count I-Proof that Substance Alleged was Cocaine

Count I involved Jones' sale of drugs to Johnson on October 16, 2002. Jones asserts that his conviction on that count warrants reversal because Johnson immediately smoked the substance, and the State presented insufficient evidence to prove that the substance was, in fact, crack cocaine. We cannot agree.

'As our supreme court stated in Clifton v. State, 499 N.E.2d 256, 258 (Ind.1986):

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

Related

Jackson v. Warden
N.D. Indiana, 2022
Demonae Deshawn Lewis v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
121 N.E.3d 132 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2019)
Richard Steele v. State of Indiana
42 N.E.3d 138 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2015)
Cornelius Hines v. State of Indiana
30 N.E.3d 1216 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2015)
Thomas Mack v. State of Indiana
23 N.E.3d 742 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2014)
Jade M. Cook v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2014
David Hedgecraft v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2014
William A. Asher v. Stephanie J. Coomler
994 N.E.2d 1283 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013)
Kenneth D. Helton v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013
E. Paul Haste v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013
Adrian Hardy v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2012
Tina R. Like Simmons v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2012

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
807 N.E.2d 58, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 752, 2004 WL 886997, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-state-indctapp-2004.