People v. Norks

484 N.E.2d 1261, 137 Ill. App. 3d 1078, 92 Ill. Dec. 406, 1985 Ill. App. LEXIS 2642
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 23, 1985
Docket2-84-1137
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 484 N.E.2d 1261 (People v. Norks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Norks, 484 N.E.2d 1261, 137 Ill. App. 3d 1078, 92 Ill. Dec. 406, 1985 Ill. App. LEXIS 2642 (Ill. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinions

JUSTICE UNVERZAGT

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant, Leon Robert Norks, was convicted after a bench trial in the circuit court of Kane County of the offense of unlawful delivery of 0.2 grams of cocaine (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 56 1/2, par. 1401(c)), and the trial court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment.

The defendant raises four issues in this appeal: (1) whether the defendant was entrapped; (2) whether the outrageous conduct of the police amounted to a violation of due process of law; (3) whether the defendant was prejudiced by the State’s violation of discovery orders; and (4) whether the legal representative of the defendant was hindered by an actual conflict of interest.

We resolve all of these issues against the defendant and affirm the judgment of conviction entered below.

Detective Robert Wochner of the Batavia police department testified that on April 10, 1984, he was working in street clothes as an undercover investigator.

He drove a yellow Trans Am to the Pride Gas Station at Route 25 and Fabyan Parkway in Kane County. Three or four minutes after he arrived at the gas station, a station wagon arrived with two occupants who parked and got out. Detective Wochner knew one as Mike Mason, who introduced him to the other person who was the defendant, Leon Norks. The three then got into the station wagon at the suggestion of the defendant. The defendant handed Detective Wochner a small brown bottle which contained white crystalline powder. Wochner asked, “How much?” The defendant stated, “Fifty Dollars, right?” Wochner then counted out $50 and handed it to the defendant, who counted it and put it in his pants pocket.

Detective Wochner performed a field test on the substance found in the bottle and it turned pink. A Du Page County sheriff’s office forensic chemist testified the material found in the bottle was 0.2 grams of “L” cocaine, a controlled substance.

The wife, Mary Jo Norks, testified that on April 10, 1984, at about 5 o’clock p.m., Mike Mason came to the Norks’ house at 430 North River Street, Aurora. Both Norks and Mason were in the kitchen when Mason took a bottle of cocaine out of his pocket and placed it on the kitchen table. She related that Mason asked Leon if Leon knew where they could sell the cocaine and Mason said he could not sell it because he owed some guys some money, so he found Leon so that he would do it for him. Mason also asked the Norks if they wanted to use some of the cocaine but they declined. Mrs. Norks did not see her husband handle the cocaine bottle. Mason and Leon Norks left the Norks’ home a half hour after Mason had arrived.

Detective Robert Wochner, at the request of the defendant, was called as a court’s witness. He testified that on April 10, 1984, he was called on the phone at the police department at 4:30 by Mike Mason. Mason indicated that he had an individual who wanted to sell one-half gram of cocaine for $50. Wochner arranged with Mason for the transaction to take place at the Pride Gas Station in Batavia at 6 o’clock p.m. Mason informed Wochner that the person selling the cocaine would be Leon Norks. Wochner knew at this time that Mason was acting as a confidential informant for the police department of Batavia, but he was unaware of any deal that may have been struck with Mason but knew he had pending charges.

The parties then entered into a stipulation as to the testimony of Officer Bainer of the Batavia police department if he were called as a witness, which was:

“Officer Bainer would testify that he was involved in the arrest of Michael Mason on March 28, 1984, for possession of cannabis and theft. That shortly after his arrest on these charges, he had a conversation with Mr. Mason, wherein, he indicated to Mr. Mason that if Mr. Mason would participate with the police in setting up three deliveries of a controlled substance that it would be his recommendation to the State’s Attorney’s Office of Kane County they would recommend sentence be imposed that does not require imprisonment or jail time. With that understanding, Mr. Mason agreed to cooperate with the police in attempting to set up three deliveries of controlled substances. That conversation took place sometime in late March 1984.”

The defendant, Leon Norks, testified in his own behalf. He stated that Michael Mason, whom he had known for two or three years, came to his house on April 10, 1984, at 5 p.m. Mason and he talked for about a half hour. Mason told Norks he had some cocaine that he wanted to sell. Mason showed him a vial of cocaine. Mason asked Norks if he knew anywhere he could sell it. Norks said, “Man, I can’t. I got no connections like that.” Mason then proposed that Norks sell the cocaine to a person named Bob for $50 and that they split the proceeds. At first Norks refused, but Mason kept pushing the issue. Finally, Norks agreed to do it. They left the Norks’ apartment, and the transaction went off as Detective Wochner stated it.

The defendant contends his conviction must be reversed because the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that entrapment did not occur. Specifically, he asserts the trial judge confused his willingness to commit the crime with his predisposition to commit it. He argues a showing that he was willing to commit the crime is not enough to overcome the defense of entrapment, citing in support People v. Pates (1980), 80 Ill. App. 3d 1062, aff’d (1981), 84 Ill. 2d 82. The defendant further argues that his entrapment defense must prevail unless it is shown that it was he who originated the criminal purpose. That is, the defendant asserts that the State must prove that he originated the criminal purpose as well as prove that he was willing to commit the crime.

It is true as defendant argues that the mere showing that he “willingly” committed the crime charged does not defeat his defense of entrapment. However, a demonstration that he was willing to commit it in furtherance of a criminal purpose which he originated is enough to overcome the defense. {People v. Pates (1980), 80 Ill. App. 3d 1062, 1064, aff’d (1981), 84 Ill. 2d 82.) In Pates, the court considered the propriety of an instruction which stated, in essence, that no entrapment of the defendant could be said to have occurred if the defendant was simply offered the opportunity or facility for committing a crime which he was willing to commit. In rejecting that instruction as an inept reflection of the law, the court pointed out that if such were the case, the defense of entrapment would be virtually unavailable in narcotics delivery cases, since the defendant’s intent to deliver the substance in question could not be shown without a simultaneous showing of some degree of willfulness. “The question is not whether the defendant intended to commit the crime, but whether the intent originated in his mind.” (People v. Pates (1980), 80 Ill. App. 3d 1062, 1066, aff’d (1981), 84 Ill. 2d 82.) “[T]he critical inquiry is whether the ‘criminal purpose’ of selling [the substance] originated with the [defendant] [citation].” (People v. Cross (1979), 77 Ill. 2d 396, 404, cert. denied (1980), 445 U.S. 929, 63 L. Ed. 2d 762, 100 S. Ct. 1316.) In determining whether the defendant originated the criminal purpose, the defendant’s predisposition and the governmental involvement should be considered. People v. Dempsey (1980), 82 Ill. App. 3d 699, 701; People v. Cross (1979), 77 111.

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

Related

People v. Mendoza
846 N.E.2d 169 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2006)
People v. Smith
803 N.E.2d 570 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2004)
People v. Cleveland
Appellate Court of Illinois, 2003
People v. Newberry
652 N.E.2d 288 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1995)
People v. Lambrecht
595 N.E.2d 1358 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
People v. D'ANGELO
585 N.E.2d 1239 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
People v. Collins
556 N.E.2d 835 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)
People v. Poulos
554 N.E.2d 448 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)
People v. Rodriguez
543 N.E.2d 324 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
People v. Manzo
539 N.E.2d 237 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
People v. Katsigiannis
526 N.E.2d 508 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1988)
People v. Schillaci
526 N.E.2d 871 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1988)
People v. Dabrowski
515 N.E.2d 1345 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People v. Solomon
511 N.E.2d 875 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People v. Taylor
406 N.W.2d 859 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Foreman
505 N.E.2d 731 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People v. Winters
502 N.E.2d 841 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)
People v. Peters
494 N.E.2d 853 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)
People v. Norks
484 N.E.2d 1261 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 N.E.2d 1261, 137 Ill. App. 3d 1078, 92 Ill. Dec. 406, 1985 Ill. App. LEXIS 2642, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-norks-illappct-1985.