People v. Johnson

436 N.E.2d 757, 106 Ill. App. 3d 759, 62 Ill. Dec. 731, 1982 Ill. App. LEXIS 1895
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided June 18, 1982·No. 81-412·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE SCOTT

delivered the opinion of the court:

An information was filed in the circuit court of Warren County charging the defendant, Bernard William Johnson, with the unlawful delivery of a substance which he had represented to be a controlled substance, in violation of section 404 of the Controlled Substances Act. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 56/2, par. 1404.) Following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to a one-year term of probation. He presents two issues for review: whether the testimony of the prosecution’s principal witness was so incredible as to raise a reasonable doubt of his guilt, and whether the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had represented the delivered substance to be a controlled substance. We affirm.

The prosecution’s principal witness was Jill Bottom, an undercover police agent attached to the Multi-County Enforcement Group (MEG). She gave the following testimony which served as the basis for the defendant’s conviction. Agent Bottom entered the North Forty Tavern in Alexis, Illinois, at approximately 4:30 p.m. on January 11, 1980. She played pool with some patrons while drinking soft drinks. At about 9 p.m., the defendant, who was then unknown to the agent, approached her at the bar and introduced himself as Bernie. They drank and talked. Their conversation eventually settled on the topic of drugs. The defendant mentioned that he and another person had recently gone to Cuba, Illinois, to purchase “a couple thousand hits of white cross.” Once there, however, the defendant learned that instead of white cross, the seller had “yellow pharmaceutical speed,” which he sold the defendant. The defendant boasted to the agent that the speed was “clean and very good,” claiming that only two hits were necessary to “get off.” Then, upon returning from the men’s room, the defendant handed Bottom two tablets of the alleged pharmaceutical speed. He advised her to try those tablets, and, if she needed more, he offered to sell her as much as she wanted. They continued to talk, and the agent left at about 10:30 p.m. The defendant was not arrested until September 1980, nine months after the alleged delivery.

At trial the agent testified that she interpreted the defendant’s reference to speed as meaning amphetamine, a controlled substance. She also interpreted the defendant’s reference to “yellow pharmaceutical speed” as meaning that the tablets which he had delivered to her were high quality, clean or pure amphetamines. He had vouched for its potency by claiming that only two tablets were necessary to “get off” or become affected by it. The prosecution stipulated that the two tablets were analyzed and contained no controlled substances. On cross-examination, Bottom admitted that after she had met the defendant she began to drink wine and consumed three glasses by the time she left. She also explained her statement at the preliminary hearing that she had first entered the tavern at 6 p.m. by saying that she had frequented the tavern so often that she had mistaken at the preliminary hearing the time of her arrival on January 11.

The defendant in his case in chief first introduced several character witnesses who vouched for his good character and reputation. He also introduced the testimony of several so-called occurrence witnesses. One witness testified positively that the defendant was not in the tavern on January 11, yet the witness admitted that she was not even present at the tavern on that date. Another witness said that the defendant was present that night but that the accused had not spoken to agent Bottom. The defendant then assumed the witness stand. He admitted that he talked with agent Bottom that night for no more than 10 minutes. According to the defendant, the agent introduced herself as a student from Macomb and offered to buy speed from him. He denied telling her that he had purchased thousands of tablets of yellow pharmaceutical speed from a seller in Cuba, Illinois. He also denied handing the agent any tablets. Finally, the defendant refuted Bottom’s testimony that on January 11 he wore a flannel shirt. The defendant’s wife and mother both corroborated that portion of his testimony.

The defendant first argues that agent Bottom’s testimony was so wrought with inconsistencies and was so well controverted by the defendant’s evidence that a reasonable doubt as to his guilt exists. We disagree and find her testimony positive and credible.

Within the trier of fact’s nearly exclusive province lie several responsibilities: the resolution of inconsistencies or discrepancies in witnesses’ testimony; the determination of bias or interest which diminishes a witness’ credibility; and the weighing of each witness’ testimony. When the trier of fact renders a decision based upon credible and substantial evidence which is sufficient to convict, the verdict may not be lightly set aside merely because the trier of fact chose to believe the testimony presented by the prosecution rather than that presented by the accused. Accordingly, a reviewing court may not substitute its judgment for that of the trier of fact on questions involving the weight of evidence or credibility of the witnesses, and it will not reverse a finding of guilt unless the evidence is so improbable as to raise a reasonable doubt of guilt.

When the defendant’s objections are seen in the foregoing analysis, we must conclude that they are utterly devoid of merit and have no effect on Bottom’s credibility. The discrepancy in her testimony as to the time of her arrival at the tavern is completely insignificant and collateral to her testimony. She openly admitted this discrepancy and explained why she had been confused and how she had come to correct herself. Her apparent mistake that the defendant wore a flannel shirt on the night in question is equally harmless because there is no question that the defendant is the man with whom she spoke on January 11 and who gave her two tablets purportedly containing a controlled substance. The defendant also asserts that, because no one can remain in a tavern for very long withoút imbibing, the agent must have been lying when she testified that she did not drink until 9 p.m., 4*2 hours after she had entered. This argument is utterly fatuous. We find absolutely nothing unusual with her assertion that she had drunk only nonalcoholic beverages until she met the defendant. The defendant next contends that her testimony concerning his purported purchase of yellow pharmaceutical speed was fabricated because no follow-up investigation was made. Such an inference is clearly unreasonable and not supported by the evidence. Likewise, no such inference can be made from the nine-month delay between the transaction and his arrest. Finally, the defendant argues that he offered testimony sufficient to cast doubt on the agent’s testimony that she and the defendant had talked for 1*2 hours. We strongly disagree. Three witnesses testified for the defendant as to the events that occurred that night: the first witness said the defendant was not even at the tavern that night, yet this is hardly convincing since she also was not present that night; the second witness refuted the first and said the defendant was present but that he did not speak at all to the agent; the final witness, the defendant, contradicted both of the preceding witnesses and testified that he was present and that he had spoken to the agent, but that they had only talked for 10 minutes.

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People v. Johnson, 436 N.E.2d 757, 106 Ill. App. 3d 759, 62 Ill. Dec. 731, 1982 Ill. App. LEXIS 1895 (Ill. Ct. App. 1982).

436 N.E.2d 757 (People v. Johnson) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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