Norris Shannon Baines v. State

418 S.W.3d 663, 2010 WL 4321599, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 8777
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided November 3, 2010·No. 06-10-00069-CR·Published·Cited by 28 cases

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice MOSELEY.

For the sake of clarity, we withdraw our opinion rendered in the matter September 1, 2010, and issue this opinion in replacement of it.

Norris Shannon Baines appeals his Angelina County conviction for the state jail felony of evading detention and sentence of 180 days in the county jail. 1 The State alleged Baines committed evading detention by leading a police officer on a low-speed chase at speeds of approximately fifteen to twenty miles per hour around a single city block. The State sought to enhance the punishment, alleging that Baines had previously been convicted of two prior felonies. After Baines waived his right to a jury, a bench trial was conducted. The trial court carried Baines’s motion to suppress along with the bench trial. After the parties had rested, the trial court reviewed the arresting officer’s in-car video recording of the incident, recalled the police officer, and questioned the police officer concerning the depiction of events as preserved on the video recording. The trial court then permitted closing arguments and oral arguments on the motion to suppress. The trial court denied Baines’s motion to suppress and found Baines guilty of evading detention. At the punishment hearing, the trial court accepted Baines’s plea of true to the enhancement paragraphs, but announced, “I’m making no finding on the enhancements. And under [12.44(a) ] I’m sentencing you to 180 days in county jail....” The trial court later explained its decision was based on the gravity and circumstances of the offense.

Baines raises three issues on appeal, arguing that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress, the trial court erred by calling a witness after the parties had rested, and the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the conviction. The State raises a cross-point in its brief, complaining that the sentence imposed by the trial court is illegal.

I. The Error, if any, in Reopening the Evidence on the Court’s Motion Is Not Preserved

In his first point of error, Baines argues that the trial court erred in reopening the evidence on its own motion. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provides that a trial court “shall allow testimony to be introduced at any time before the argument of a cause is concluded, if it appears that it is necessary to a due administration of justice.” Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 36.02 (Vernon 2007); see Peek v. State, 106 S.W.3d 72, 79 (Tex.Crim.App.2003) (interpreting Article 36.02). Baines contends that the trial court erred in re-opening the evidence without a motion from either party. *667 Baines further contends that the additional testimony was not necessary to the due administration of justice. The reporter’s record provides as follows:

[Defense Counsel]: Defendant would rest, Your Honor.
[Prosecutor]: We do not have any rebuttal evidence. Close.
THE COURT: Roll the TV over here. Roll the TV over here closer.
[Defense Counsel]: Yes, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You can step down, Mr. Baines.
[Defense Counsel]: If you want me to stop, let me know, Judge.
(DVD Played.)
THE COURT: Yeah, stop it and back it up again. Go.
[Defense Counsel]: I think we go into slow.
THE COURT: Yeah. Okay. Back it up again. Officer Jackson, come up here a second.
KEVIN JACKSON,
resumed the witness stand and testified under oath as follows:
EXAMINATION
BY THE COURT: Hold on. Okay. What I want you to do is watch. This is your car approaching the red light or that intersection. I can’t tell — I guess you’re coming up on the railroad tracks. I see the marker now in the turn lane.
[Officer Jackson]: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: What I want you to do is tell him to stop it as soon as you think you see what you saw the truck start to move forward. Just tell him, stop, and we’re going to run it slow.
[Officer Jackson]: Stop.
THE COURT: Okay.
[Officer Jackson]: He’s already moving.
THE COURT: Okay. Can you point out the taillights to me of what you’re showing me is the truck? You just have to hold it down.
[Officer Jackson]: These are the taillights.
THE REPORTER: I’m sorry, sir. I can’t hear you.
[Officer Jackson]: I said the taillights are right there. This is the truck before it was — that was green.
THE COURT: Okay. Back it up a little bit, [Defense Counsel], just a couple frames if you can do that.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay. Let’s see.
THE COURT: Slow it down. Will it slow down more than that? More than that?
[Officer Jackson]: He was—
THE REPORTER: I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said.
[Officer Jackson]: I’m sorry. I was saying the same thing. He was already moving.
THE COURT: Stop. Stop it.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay. Stop?
THE COURT: Okay. Will it slow down any more than that?
[Defense Counsel]: It’s currently at, I think, half or — no, it’s at a quarter.
THE COURT: Can you slow it down any more than that?
[Defense Counsel]: I’m not sure. Quarter speed is the slowest we can go, Judge. I can play it at a quarter.
THE COURT: Okay.
[Defense Counsel]: Playing at a quarter right now.
THE COURT: Stop. Okay. That’s where the truck starts moving?
[Officer Jackson]: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: Because from what I can tell — and tell me if I’m wrong — you cannot see the truck taillights until that point.
[Officer Jackson]: Yes, sir.
*668 THE COURT: And is that because why? Why can’t I see them before then?
[Officer Jackson]: Because it’s in front of this other car.
THE COURT: Okay. All right. Go ahead. Okay. Back it up a little bit.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay.

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Norris Shannon Baines v. State, 418 S.W.3d 663, 2010 WL 4321599, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 8777 (Tex. Ct. App. 2010).

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