Ortega v. State

171 S.W.3d 895, 2005 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1344, 2005 WL 2218404
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 14, 2005
DocketPD-0819-04
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 171 S.W.3d 895 (Ortega v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ortega v. State, 171 S.W.3d 895, 2005 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1344, 2005 WL 2218404 (Tex. 2005).

Opinions

WOMACK, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court,

in which KELLER, P.J., and JOHNSON, KEASLER, HERVEY and HOLCOMB, JJ., joined.

The issue in this case is whether a trial for assault of a public servant, after the defendant had been tried for resisting an [896]*896arrest by the same public servant, denied the defendant Due Process of Law by violating the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment (“No person shall ... be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb”). We hold that the offenses were not “the same of-fence” under the Double Jeopardy Clause.

The indictment for assault of a public servant alleged that on or about November 3, 2000, in Refugio County, the appellant intentionally and knowingly caused bodily injury to Doug Carter by striking Doug Carter with his hand, knowing Carter was a public servant (specifically, a peace officer) and while Carter was lawfully discharging the official duty of arresting him, and in retaliation for and on account of the exercise of official power and the performance of official duty.

The trial began on April 22, 2002. In the first two days of the trial, the court arraigned the appellant and selected a jury. On the morning of the third day, after the jurors were sworn, the appellant’s attorney told the court that he “was told just a minute ago that my client had actually already been convicted in county court for resisting arrest ...; therefore, it would seem ... that this trial actually might be barred by double jeopardy.” He “object[ed] to proceeding at this time.” The court overruled his objection, and the trial continued.

The State presented the testimony of Officer Doug Carter of the Woodsboro Police Department, who tried to stop Robert Lee Ortega after he saw Ortega commit several traffic offenses while driving on the streets of Woodsboro. Using the emergency lights, the siren, and the “air horn” on his patrol car, he chased Ortega’s car down three streets, but Ortega did not stop until he got to his mother’s house. When the officer drew his pistol and ordered Ortega to get on the ground, Ortega refused to comply and shouted obscenities. The officer, seeing that Ortega was not armed, put his pistol back in its holster. He testified that he grabbed Ortega, told him he was under arrest, and tried to handcuff him, but Ortega “pulled away and began striking me” with his fists. He hit Carter in the body and face. After a deputy sheriff arrived and joined the struggle, Ortega hit Carter in the chin with his fist. Carter got a cuff from one set of handcuffs on one of Ortega’s arms, and a cuff from another set on the other arm, but he could not get the arms cuffed together until a third officer arrived and helped to take Ortega to the ground. Although handcuffed, Ortega continued to resist being placed in Carter’s patrol car until Carter showed him some pepper spray. The other two officers also testified.

After the State rested, the appellant presented to the court certified copies of complaints, informations, and judgments of two prosecutions of the appellant in the county court. One was for evading arrest by fleeing from Officer Doug Carter, which is not relevant to this appeal. The other was for resisting an arrest by Officer Doug Carter. Each information alleged that the appellant committed the offense in Refugio County on or about November 4, 2000. On December 20, 2000, the appellant had pleaded nolo contendere to each offense, and the county court had found him guilty and sentenced him to 46 days in jail in each case. The appellant told the district court that “we’re raising a double jeopardy defense ... and we’ll object to the — object to the trial, I guess.”

The court ruled, “With regard to your plea of double jeopardy, I will overrule that motion.”

The appellant presented no evidence before the jury. The jury found him guilty of assault of a public servant. At the [897]*897punishment stage, the State pleaded and proved that the appellant was an habitual felony offender, and the jury assessed punishment of 75 years in prison.

On the appeal that followed, the appellant presented a point that the “trial court erred in not sustaining Defendant’s plea of Double Jeopardy,” and a point that the trial court erred in not instructing the jury on the lesser-included offense of resisting arrest.

The Thirteenth Court of Appeals decided the appeal on double-jeopardy grounds. It said that the state law for lesser-included offenses was not adequate for that task.

By statute, an offense is a lesser included offense, among other things, if it is established by proof of the same or less than all the facts required to establish the commission of the offense charged. Tex.Crim. PROc.Code Ann. art. 87.09(1) (Vernon 1981). In double jeopardy scenarios, however, it is not enough merely to compare statutory elements.
We are to consider time, place, identity, manner and means in determining whether several offenses are the same.1

It held, “Because we conclude that resisting arrest and assault on a peace officer are the ‘same offense’ for double jeopardy purposes in this case and because we find that appellant has already been tried and convicted for resisting arrest, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and order a judgment of acquittal on the assault charge.”2 The Court reasoned:

At trial, the State relied on appellant’s conduct in resisting arrest to prove assault on a peace officer. Officer Carter testified that appellant struck at him with his hand as he was attempting to handcuff appellant to place him under arrest. This testimony was corroborated by Deputy Horner, who testified that appellant struck Officer Carter as Officer Carter was trying to place him under arrest. Thus, in the assault trial, the State relied on and proved the same facts — showing an intentional use of force against the officer — that were necessary to prove the resisting arrest charge. The State thus established that appellant committed the offense of resisting arrest for the second time. This is not allowed. It is clear from the indictment and the reporter’s record that the State was obligated to and did, in fact, prove that the assault occurred while Officer Carter was in the process of arresting appellant. Because appellant had already been convicted for conduct that was a necessary element of the offense for which he was later charged and subsequently convicted, his claim of double jeopardy must be sustained.3

The State petitioned for discretionary review. It presented three issues. It enumerated the first two, which had to do with lesser-included offenses. They asked specifically, “Whether the offense of resisting arrest is a lesser-included offense of aggravated assault on a peace officer,” and more generally “Whether the evidence presented or facts proven are relevant to the determination of whether one offense is a lesser-included offense of another.”4 The petition also pointed out a third, different issue: “Moreover, if we go forward with the applicable ... test, which is essential to a double jeopardy analysis ... [it] differs from the lesser-included offense [898]*898definition.5 ... Moreover, the offenses are not the same for purposes of double jeopardy.”6 We granted review.

We shall not address the State’s first two issues.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Robert Ortega v. William Stephens, Director
784 F.3d 250 (Fifth Circuit, 2015)
Ex parte Desormeaux
353 S.W.3d 897 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Jerrod Lovell Lewis v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2011
McCrary v. State
327 S.W.3d 165 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Doyle Lee McCrary v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010
Pomier v. State
326 S.W.3d 373 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Tholonaus Darrell Pomier v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010
Wendell Marquise Washington v. State
326 S.W.3d 302 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Washington v. State
326 S.W.3d 302 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Ex Parte Watson
306 S.W.3d 259 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Watson, Ex Parte Frank Eugene
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009
Matthew Michael Sesco v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
Mark Anthony Mayfield v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Littrell v. State
271 S.W.3d 273 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Littrell, Jared Daniel
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2008
John Paul Warner v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Kendrick Ray Miles v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Elijah Huff v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Milner v. State
263 S.W.3d 353 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Bruce Glenn Milner v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
171 S.W.3d 895, 2005 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1344, 2005 WL 2218404, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ortega-v-state-texcrimapp-2005.