Joseph Nathan Lassaint v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 13, 2002
Docket13-01-00587-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Joseph Nathan Lassaint v. State (Joseph Nathan Lassaint v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joseph Nathan Lassaint v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

                                   NUMBER 13-01-587-CR

                             COURT OF APPEALS

                   THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS

                      CORPUS CHRISTI B EDINBURG

JOSEPH NATHAN LASSAINT,                                                Appellant,

                                                   v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS,                                                          Appellee.

        On appeal from the 411th District Court of Polk County, Texas.

                                   O P I N I O N

                       Before Justices Dorsey, Yañez and Baird[1]

                                   Opinion by Justice Baird   


Appellant was charged by indictment with the offense of possession with the intent to deliver more than 200 but less than 400 grams of cocaine.  The indictment also alleged a prior felony conviction for the purpose of enhancing the range of punishment.  A jury convicted appellant of the charged offense.  Appellant pled true to the enhancement allegation, the trial judge assessed punishment at twenty years confinement and a fine of $1,000.  Appellant raises four points of error contending the evidence is insufficient to support the jury=s verdict.  We sustain the first point and reverse the judgment of the trial court.

I.  Standard of Appellate Review

In determining whether the evidence is legally sufficient to sustain a conviction, we employ the standard of Jackson v. Virginia and ask Awhether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.@  Jackson v. Virgina, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979).  The standard is applicable to both direct and circumstantial evidence cases.  Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154, 158 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991), overruled in part on other grounds, Paulson v. State, 28 S.W.3d 570, 573 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000).


In possession of controlled substance cases, two evidentiary requirements must be met:  first, the State must prove the defendant exercised actual care, control and management over the contraband; and second, that he had knowledge that the substance in his possession was contraband.  King v. State, 895 S.W.2d 701, 703 (Tex. Crim. App.1995)(citing Martin v. State, 753 S.W.2d 384, 387 (Tex. Crim. App.1988)).  To establish criminal liability as a party, the State must prove that the defendant acted with the intent to promote or assist the offense by soliciting, encouraging, directing, aiding, or attempting to aid the other person in the commission of the offense.  Tex. Pen. Code Ann. ' 7.02(a)(2) (Vernon 1994).  The mere presence of the accused at a place where contraband is located does not make him a party to joint possession, even if he knows of the contraband's existence.  Oaks v. State, 642 S.W.2d 174, 177 (Tex. Crim. App. 1982).

Whether the theory of prosecution is sole or joint possession, the evidence must affirmatively link the accused to the contraband in such a manner and to such an extent that a reasonable inference may arise that the accused knew of the contraband's existence and that he exercised control over it.  Travis v. State, 638 S.W.2d 502, 503 (Tex. Crim. App. 1982).  When an accused is not in exclusive possession and control of the place where contraband is found, it cannot be concluded he had knowledge or control over the contraband unless there are additional independent facts and circumstances that affirmatively link him to the contraband. Brown v. State, 911 S.W.2d 744, 748 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995); Cude v. State, 716 S.W.2d 46, 47 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986); Sandoval v. State, 946 S.W.2d 472, 476 (Tex. App.BCorpus Christi 1997, no pet.).  Similarly, when the contraband is not found on the accused's person or it is not in the exclusive possession of the accused, additional facts and circumstances must link the accused to the contraband.  Menchaca v. State, 901 S.W.2d 640, 651 (Tex. App.BEl Paso 1995, pet. ref'd); Musick v. State, 862 S.W.2d 794, 804 (Tex. App.BEl Paso 1993, pet. ref'd).


The affirmative links doctrine is the appropriate means of applying the Jackson rationality standard of review.  Martinets v. State, 884 S.W.2d 185, 188 (Tex. App.BAustin 1994, no pet.).  The Court of Criminal Appeals explained this doctrine in Brown v.

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Related

Burks v. United States
437 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1978)
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Brown v. State
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Musick v. State
862 S.W.2d 794 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Sandoval v. State
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Mann v. State
850 S.W.2d 740 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Watson v. State
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Paulson v. State
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State v. Derrow
981 S.W.2d 776 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Cude v. State
716 S.W.2d 46 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Viveros v. State
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