Laterrell Marique Alexander v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedMay 9, 2024
DocketA24A0597
StatusPublished

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

Bluebook
Laterrell Marique Alexander v. State, (Ga. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

THIRD DIVISION DOYLE, P. J., HODGES and WATKINS, JJ.

NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed. https://www.gaappeals.us/rules

May 9, 2024

In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A24A0596. ALEXANDER v. THE STATE. A24A0597. ALEXANDER v. THE STATE.

HODGES, Judge.

In two related cases, the Superior Court of Hart County revoked Laterrell

Marique Alexander’s probation. We granted his applications for discretionary review.

For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the trial court’s finding that Alexander

committed the new offenses of trafficking methamphetamine and possessing drug-

related objects. Further, as outlined below, Alexander has not challenged the trial

court’s finding that he committed the new offense of illegally using a communications

facility. The trial court’s determination that Alexander also committed the new

offenses of engaging in a conspiracy to possess a Schedule II controlled substance with

intent to distribute and violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, however, are not supported by a preponderance of the evidence and must be reversed.

Accordingly, we vacate the trial court’s order and remand this case with direction that

the trial court consider, in its discretion, what penalty to impose based upon the new

offenses that remain.

Pursuant to OCGA § 42-8-34.1 (b), a court may revoke any part of any probated

or suspended sentence if the defendant admits the violation as alleged or if the

evidence produced at the revocation hearing establishes the violation by a

preponderance of the evidence.

This Court will not interfere with a revocation unless there has been a manifest abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court. Thus, we will affirm a probation revocation judgment if the record includes some competent evidence to show that the defendant violated the terms of his probation in the specific manner charged. This Court reviews questions of law, however, de novo.

(Citation omitted.) Kellum v. State, 367 Ga. App. 742 (888 SE2d 315) (2023). “It is

well settled law that the quality and quantum of evidence necessary for revocation of

probation is not that demanded for conviction of a crime.” (Citation and punctuation

omitted.) Dugger v. State, 260 Ga. App. 843, 846 (2) (581 SE2d 655) (2003). The trial

court is the factfinder and, as such, bears the duty of weighing the evidence,

2 determining the credibility of witnesses, resolving conflicts in the evidence, and

deciding whether to accept or reject evidence that is introduced. See Gaddis v. State,

310 Ga. App. 189, 190 (1) (712 SE2d 599) (2011).

In 2016, Alexander pled guilty in two cases to two counts of possession of

cocaine with intent to distribute. He received consecutive sentences totaling 20 years,

with the first five years to be served in confinement. As conditions of probation, he

was, inter alia, subject to a Fourth Amendment waiver, prohibited from using or

possessing narcotics or dangerous drugs that were not lawfully prescribed, prohibited

from associating with anyone who uses or possesses illegal drugs, and prohibited from

committing any new criminal offenses. In 2023, the State, through the Department of

Community Services, petitioned to modify or revoke Alexander’s probation, alleging

he had committed new criminal offenses: (1) trafficking methamphetamine and

possessing drug-related objects; (2) violating the Street Gang Terrorism and

Prevention Act; (3) engaging in a conspiracy to possess a Schedule II controlled

substance with intent to distribute; and (4) illegally using a communication facility.

Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court revoked the balance of

Alexander’s probation, finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he violated the

3 terms and conditions of his probation in both lower court cases by committing the new

offenses outlined above. Alexander’s discretionary appeals are consolidated for our

review.

1. Alexander argues that the trial court erred in admitting, over objection,

State’s Exhibit 1, which consisted of line sheets of text messages and telephone calls

between him and Jaquavious Waller, the self-proclaimed Hart County leader of the

Sex, Money, Murder gang. As will be discussed more fully below, Alexander raised

a best evidence objection at the hearing, arguing that the best evidence was “the

recordings themselves.” We turn first to this enumeration, because it influences our

analysis of the trial court’s ruling on several of the new crimes at issue in Alexander’s

probation revocation.1

We review the trial court’s admission of evidence for an abuse of discretion.

Gude v. State, 306 Ga. 423, 426 (2) (831 SE2d 807) (2019). “An abuse of discretion

occurs where a ruling is unsupported by any evidence of record or where that ruling

1 “For convenience of discussion, we have taken the enumerated errors out of the order in which [Alexander] has listed them . . . .” Foster v. Morrison, 177 Ga. App. 250 (1) (339 SE2d 307) (1985). 4 misstates or misapplies the relevant law.” (Citation and punctuation omitted.) Glasper

v. State, 364 Ga. App. 608, 610 (876 SE2d 11) (2022).

The record shows that the texts and calls were intercepted pursuant to two

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (“GBI”) T-3 wiretaps, the longest of which was

active for 47 days. Through these wiretaps, law enforcement was investigating various

crimes believed to be gang-related, including a murder, a stabbing, and a shooting

involving the Sex, Money, Murder gang and other gangs. At the hearing, GBI Special

Agent Katie Walker testified that she participated in the wiretap every day and had

firsthand knowledge of every phone call and text message between Waller and

Alexander. She testified that the pertinent text messages and phone calls were reduced

to written form in 104 line sheets.

The State tendered the line sheets into evidence at trial over various objections.2

After Walker testified that the GBI had original recordings of the phone calls,

Alexander raised a best evidence objection. The trial court admitted the line sheets

over these objections.

2 Alexander raised hearsay and Confrontation Clause objections related to Waller’s communications, but those objections were overruled. Alexander does not enumerate those particular rulings as error on appeal, so we do not address them further. 5 Walker testified that the phone call narratives recorded in line sheets typically

were created by the agent — in this case, herself — listening to the call and typing in

pertinent information in real time, either as a non-verbatim summary or as a verbatim

transcription. Walker testified, by contrast, that the text messages were recorded

verbatim in the line sheets via an app and could not be edited or summarized,

appearing “exactly” as typed by the original senders.

OCGA § 24-10-1002 provides that “[t]o prove the contents of a writing,

recording, or photograph, the original writing, recording, or photograph shall be

required.” OCGA § 24-10-1003

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Laterrell Marique Alexander v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laterrell-marique-alexander-v-state-gactapp-2024.