Lampe v. State

1975 OK CR 166, 540 P.2d 590
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 5, 1975
DocketF-74-780
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 1975 OK CR 166 (Lampe 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
Lampe v. State, 1975 OK CR 166, 540 P.2d 590 (Okla. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

*592 OPINION

BUSSEY, Judge:

Appellant Delmar Francis Lampe, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged, tried and convicted in the District Court, Cleveland County, Case No. CRF-72-358, for the offense of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Drug, in violation of 63 O.S.1971, § 2-401 (B) (2). After a non-jury trial, defendant was found guilty and sentenced to serve a term of two (2) years’ imprisonment and pay a fine of One ($1.-00) Dollar and court costs. From said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

The evidence adduced by the State at preliminary hearing (which was later submitted at trial as the State’s case in chief) was as follows: Cleveland County Deputy Sheriff Arthur Linville testified that while working with an informant in an undercover capacity, he had purchased two bags of what appeared to be marijuana from defendant on April 23, 1972. He stated that he arid the informant, Mike Jennings, went to a residence in Norman and knocked on the door. Two individuals (one of whom was later identified as defendant) answered the knock. Jennings asked defendant, whom neither Jennings nor Linville had met before, if “Fred” was there, and the other individual beside defendant replied that he was not. Defendant asked who they were, and Jennings replied, “Well I’m just a friend of his and we were going to try to find him and score a lid from him.” [P.H. 37] The agents started to leave, when the other individual, pointing to defendant, told them, “He’s got lids for sale.” [P.H. 38]. Defendant then said, “Yes, I’ve got lids for ten dollars, if you want to come in.” After seating the agents in the living room, defendant walked into another room, returning shortly with a white plastic bag. From this bag he removed several smaller clear plastic bags containing a green leafy substance and told them to take their choice. Linville put two of the bags in his pocket, paid defendant $20.00, and the agents left. During his direct testimony, Deputy Linville was asked if defendant (who was not seated at counsel table) was present in the courtroom. After being allowed to leave the witness stand in order to get a closer look, the witness stated that one of five male spectators seated in the courtroom “looks most like the Defendant that I encountered on that night . . .” [P.H. 33] A period of questioning followed relating to the transfer of the evidence to Cleveland County Undersheriff Gary Roberson for delivery to the state crime laboratory. The witness was then asked again if he could identify defendant in the courtroom. After the Court directed all spectators in the courtroom to stand, the witness positively identified defendant (who was the same individual earlier indicated by the witness), stating that he had lost weight and had much shorter hair than the last time the witness had seen him. Defendant was then directed, by the court, to take his seat at the counsel table.

On cross-examination the witness testified that he had viewed defendant on or about May 9, 1972, in the Cleveland County Jail. 1 Further, he stated that he had not known the “Fred” whom the agents had initially asked for in the course of the transaction, but had heard that he might have drugs for sale. He also stated, under cross-examination, that Jennings had been paid his expenses while serving as a confidential informant for the sheriff’s office.

The State’s second witness, state chemist Don Flynt, testified that he received the two bags of evidence from Undersheriff Roberson on May 5, 1972, and that chemical tests performed on the substance contained therein indicated that it was marijuana. Undersheriff Roberson next testified to his receipt of the evidence from Deputy Linville and his delivery of same to the crime bureau laboratory. After *593 overruling defendant’s Demurrer and Motions to Quash and Dismiss, the trial court bound defendant over for trial.

At trial, the State submitted the above testimony as its case in chief, and defendant produced evidence relating to the defense of entrapment. Defendant’s first witness was Larry Michael Jennings a/k/a Mike Burton, the confidential informant employed by Deputy Linville in making the alleged purchase from defendant. Jennings testified that he was incarcerated in the Cleveland County Jail at the time of trial. He stated that he had worked in an undercover capacity with Deputy Lin-ville at the time of the transaction. His version of the initial encounter at the front door of the residence was substantially the same as that given by Deputy Linville at the preliminary hearing. He added that he had told the occupants of the house that he was a friend of “Fred” Dolphus, and had hoped to “score” some marijuana from him. After defendant invited the agents inside, they engaged in general conversation for a few minutes. Jennings asked defendant if he had a joint, whereupon defendant produced one, which he and the two agents smoked. A few minutes later Jennings again mentioned his friendship with “Fred” and his desire to buy marijuana, at which point defendant agreed to sell some to them. At this stage of the testimony, defense counsel stipulated that defendant was the individual from whom the marijuana had been purchased. [T. 12] Jennings’ version of the actual exchange differed from Linville’s in that the former stated that defendant returned to the room with only two lids of marijuana rather than the larger assortment of baggies described by Linville. Jennings also stated, on redirect examination, that his purpose in cooperating with the sheriff’s office was to “keep from going to the penitentiary” pursuant to unrelated charges -then pending. He also stated that he was paid various sums of money by the sheriff’s office.

Defendant next testified in his own behalf. While he admitted having marijuana in his house and selling the two lids in question to the agents, he stated that he had only displayed to the agents two lids which he sold, and not the larger assortment of baggies testified to by Linville. He also identified Fred Dolphus as his roommate and said that the other individual with him, when the agents first arrived, was his other roommate, Richard Evans.

After the parties stipulated that Mike Jennings had not been a duly commissioned officer of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, both sides rested. At sentencing, on June 3, 1974, judgment and sentence was imposed, as above set forth.

In his first assignment of error, defendant argues that the in-court identification of defendant by Deputy Linville was inadmissible because it tvas tainted by a pre-trial identification of defendant in person and by mug shots. The alleged taint, argues defendant, was particularly damaging in the instant case in light of the difficulties encountered by Deputy Linville in his attempts to identify defendant at preliminary hearing. Assuming arguendo that this assignment possesses some merit, which it does not, if there was error it was certainly cured by the stipulation made by defense counsel at trial admitting defendant’s identity as the individual who had sold the marijuana to Deputy Linville. [T. 12] In addition, we note defendant’s admission on the witness stand that he had made the sale. [T. 38].

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Bluebook (online)
1975 OK CR 166, 540 P.2d 590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lampe-v-state-oklacrimapp-1975.