Lewis v. State

532 S.W.3d 423
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 7, 2016
DocketNO. 14-14-00779-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 532 S.W.3d 423 (Lewis 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
Lewis v. State, 532 S.W.3d 423 (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Marc W. Brown, Justice

A jury convicted appellant Marcus Ja-mez Lewis of possession of cocaine.1 The trial court sentenced appellant to confine[426]*426ment for 45 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Appellant raises five issues on appeal. We affirm.

Factual and Procedural Background

On August 15, 2013, Officers K. Solis and J. Diaz observed appellant driving a car with improperly displayed license plates. The officers turned on the lights and sirens on their squad car to indicate to appellant that they intended to pull him over. Appellant began slowing down, but did not stop. After honking at appellant and using their P.A. system to instruct him to pull over, appellant finally pulled into a parking lot and came to a stop.

Officer Solis approached the passenger side of the car, where he observed a small object that appeared to be a rock of crack cocaine on the passenger’s thigh. Officer Solis asked the passenger to step out of the car, at which time he admitted that he was in possession of crack cocaine. Officer Diaz then asked appellant to step out of the vehicle and asked appellant for identification. Appellant refused to present Officer Diaz with identification or step out of the vehicle and began yelling and questioning the officers. Officer Solis drew his Taser gun and ordered appellant to step out of the vehicle. Appellant complied and allowed himself to be handcuffed. Once appellant and his passenger had both exited the car, the officers performed a search of the interior of the vehicle. Officer Diaz searched the panel located on the inside of the driver’s side door and found a box of cigarettes. Officer Diaz opened the cigarette box and found several small bags containing white powder. A field test indicated that the powder was cocaine. Officer Solis also found a firearm hidden inside of a compact disc cáse in the back seat.

Appellant was indicted for possession of a controlled substance. The indictment also alleged two prior felony convictions. Prior to trial, appellant filed several motions and affidavits. In these filings, appellant: referred to himself as “Marcus Jamez Lewis(c), a living, breathing, flesh- and-blood man under the law of God”; asserted a contract between the prosecutor as “offeror” and himself as the “offeree”; and described himself as a sovereign citizen “housekeeping” in the Republic of Texas. Appellant also filed a pre-trial writ of habeas corpus in which he cited to several provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code as well as the “Maritime Claims Rule.”

Appellant’s court-appointed counsel, Ted Doebbler, filed a motion for a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether appellant was competent to stand trial. The trial court granted the motion and appellant was evaluated by a licensed psychologist, who concluded that appellant was competent. The evaluating psychologist reported that appellant had a rational understanding of the charges against him, exhibited appropriate courtroom behavior, and possessed the capacity to adequately participate in legal proceedings with the guidance of legal counsel. The psychologist reported also that appellant exhibited adjustment disorder with anxiety, poly-substance dependence in early partial remission in a controlled environment, and antisocial personality disorder. The psychologist suggested that it would be beneficial for appellant to take the psychoactive medication that he had previously been prescribed but refused to take.

Before the start of trial, appellant informed the trial court that he intended to represent himself. The trial court admonished appellant that it was not in his best interest to proceed pro se and began a [427]*427Faretta2 hearing. At the outset, appellant asked the trial court to address him as “Paramount Security Interest Holder and Properties Collateral Belonging to the Defendant.” The trial court denied the initial request, and continued to do so each time that appellant asked. In his responses to the court’s questioning, appellant appeared to be feigning misunderstanding. The following exchange is illustrative:

THE COURT: So how far did you get in school, Mr. Lewis?
DEFENDANT: In what school?
THE COURT: What school do you think I’m talking about, sir? You don’t have any idea?
DEFENDANT: No, sir.
[[Image here]]
THE COURT: So what part of school is not clear to you.
DEFENDANT: I’ve been to several schools.
THE COURT: How far did you go in school? Tenth grade, college, pick a number.
DEFENDANT: College.

The trial court asked appellant if he understood the ramifications of representing himself, to which appellant responded that he was representing himself as the “Paramount Security Interest Holder of All Property Collateral Belonging to the Defendant” and therefore was the agent for Marcus Jamez Lewis. The trial court then said that appellant could not represent himself because he did not understand “the issues.” However, the hearing continued. The trial court asked appellant several more times if he understood that he would be held to the same standard as an attorney and appellant indicated that he did. The trial court asked appellant if he understood the range of punishment he was facing. Appellant indicated that he did. The trial court then warned appellant that he would not be able to present any of his pre-trial Uniform Commercial Code arguments as part of his defense. Appellant again feigned ignorance as the trial court admonished him:

THE COURT: I’m telling you up front, Mr. Lewis," none of this UCC stuff is getting in front of this jury. It has nothing to do with this case. Do you understand that, sir?
DEFENDANT: Do I understand What?
THE COURT: What part of that last sentence was not clear to you, sir?
DEFENDANT: You said—
THE COURT: None of that UCC stuff.
DEFENDANT: You keep referring to that UCC stuff I don’t—
THE COURT: Well, you filed stacks of motions quoting UCC. I’m reading your file right here. Are those your motions, sir?
DEFENDANT: Yes.
THE COURT: That stuff you’ve been writing down for the last few months, that’s what I’m talking about.
DEFENDANT: Can you be specific because I wrote so much.
THE COURT: I know you have. None ■of this UCC stuff is getting.in front of this jury.
DEFENDANT: What about my three-step administration process that I tried to handle with the district- attorney who I don’t even know where she is.
THE COURT: Standing right beside you, 5 feet away.
DEFENDANT: Where? She didn’t identify herself.

The trial court asked again whether appellant waived his right to effective legal counsel. Appellant said that he did. The [428]

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Bluebook (online)
532 S.W.3d 423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lewis-v-state-texapp-2016.