People v. Stewart

256 N.W.2d 31, 400 Mich. 540
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 18, 1977
Docket55230, (Calendar No. 5)
StatusPublished
Cited by135 cases

This text of 256 N.W.2d 31 (People v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Stewart, 256 N.W.2d 31, 400 Mich. 540 (Mich. 1977).

Opinions

Blair Moody, Jr., J.

Defendant Howard Stewart was convicted on March 8, 1971, of sale and possession of heroin in violation of MCLA 335.152; MSA 18.1122, and MCLA 335.153; MSA 18.1123. The defendant was sentenced from 20 to 25 years and from 7-1/2 to 10 years respectively.

Defendant appealed his conviction as a matter of right. The Court of Appeals affirmed defendant’s conviction in a brief opinion. That Court held that certain statements allegedly made by a non-produced codefendant were admissible against the defendant under the co-conspirators exception to the hearsay rule. It also held that sale and possession, while having common elements in certain cases, are nonetheless separate crimes. Therefore, it concluded double jeopardy (more aptly "double punishment”) problems do not arise when the charges of possession and sale of narcotics are joined in a criminal prosecution arising out of the same transaction. People v Stewart, 46 Mich App 282; 207 NW2d 907 (1973).1

This Court originally granted leave to appeal in [546]*546this matter on March 29, 1974. On June 4, 1976, it affirmed both the trial court and Court of Appeals. People v Stewart, 397 Mich 1; 242 NW2d 760 (1976). This Court’s majority limited its discussion of defendant’s appeal in that opinion to a single issue: the aforementioned hearsay exception problem.

Thereafter, in light of our decision in People v Martin, 398 Mich 303; 247 NW2d 303 (1976), this Court on December 9, 1976, decided to grant the defendant a rehearing "limited to issues raised on appeal but not discussed in the opinion of the Court released on June 4, 1976”. 398 Mich 951 (1976).

Those issues are as follows:

1) Whether conviction of both sale and possession of the same heroin, upon proof of sale incident to possession, was constitutionally proscribed double punishment.

2) Whether the prosecution failed to meet its burden of proof to establish that the defendant did not have a license to either possess or sell heroin.

3) Whether the trial court erred in not instructing the jury sua sponte on two possible defenses:

(a) That the defendant was entrapped as a matter of law, or;

(b) That the defendant was only acting as a procuring agent in the alleged transaction.

4) Whether the prosecution failed to show "due diligence” in attempting to produce defendant’s named codefendant.

5) Whether the mandatory 20-year minimum sentence received by the defendant for the sale of heroin constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, thus rendering the statute unconstitutional and requiring that defendant’s sentence be vacated.

We find merit only in the first issue. We there[547]*547fore reverse and vacate defendant’s conviction of possession of heroin and affirm his conviction of sale of heroin.

I

Justice Levin succinctly set out the pertinent facts in his dissenting opinion in the original case:

"The people made their case entirely from the testimony of LaTonia Boldin, an unpaid civilian undercover narcotics agent working for the Detroit Police Department. She testified that she went to Stewart’s restaurant, introduced herself as 'Candy’, and told him she needed a job to support her 'habit’. Stewart asked her when she could begin work, and she said as soon as she got a 'fix’. Stewart first offered her marijuana, which she rejected because it was 'too mild’, and then agreed to sell her 'some P’s’ [heroin] for $20.
"Boldin testified that Stewart left the restaurant and entered an apartment building across the street. While he was gone, Boldin talked 'for 10 or 15 minutes’ with a man who introduced himself as 'Junior’. During the conversation they discussed narcotics.
"Boldin testified that when Stewart returned to the restaurant he went directly to the kitchen and called 'Junior’. She said that she did not see Stewart carrying anything or give anything to 'Junior’. She could see that Stewart and 'Junior’ were talking, but could not hear what they said.
"Stewart remained in the kitchen. 'Junior’ rejoined Boldin and sold her heroin for $20.” (Footnotes omitted.) 397 Mich 1, 11-12.

There is no dispute in the instant case that the same heroin was allegedly possessed and sold by the defendant in a single continuous transaction. There was no evidence of possession distinct and apart from the overall sale sequence.

The opinion of the Court of Appeals is correct in [548]*548its determination that possession and sale of narcotics are separate crimes which may be separately charged. People v Stewart, supra. In a given case, sale may be found without possession. Likewise, possession may be determined without sale. However, depending upon the facts developed at trial, when the circumstance of possession is not severable or apart from a sale and the jury concludes the defendant is guilty of sale, then the possession blends together with the sale so as to constitute one single wrongful act.

Therefore, from the evidence adduced at this trial, the illegal possession of heroin was obviously a lesser included offense of the illegal sale of heroin. When the jury in the case at bar found the defendant guilty of the illegal sale of this heroin, they necessarily found him guilty of possession of the same heroin.

In the recent case of People v Martin, 398 Mich 303; 247 NW2d 303 (1976), this Court reached a similar conclusion in a case where possession was clearly a lesser included offense of delivery. Martin relied on State v Allen, 292 A2d 167, 172 (Me, 1972), as authority for its holding. The Allen case facts and rationale are directly on point with the instant case:

"It is elementary that the State cannot divide a single offense into several parts according to time and conduct and base separate prosecutions upon and impose separate punishments for the various necessary divisions of that single crime. * * *
"The possession of narcotic drugs is an offense distinct from the sale thereof. But in the instant case the possession and sale clearly constituted one single and same act. The possession, as legally defined, is necessarily a constitutent part of the sale, as legally defined. Where the only possession of the narcotic drug is that incident to and necessary for the sale thereof, and it [549]*549does not appear that there was possession before or after and apart from such sale, the State cannot fragment the accused’s involvement into separate and distinct acts or transactions to obtain multiple convictions, and separate convictions under such circumstances will not stand. * * * The error is not cured by the fact the trial Court permitted the two sentences to run concurrently. * * * The conviction and sentence upon the charge of possession must be set aside.” Martin, supra, 307-308.

The logic of Martin and Allen applies here. Defendant Stewart may not be "doubly punished” by convicting him of possession, which in this case was a "necessary” prerequisite or the sine qua non for the very sale for which he was also convicted.

Furthermore, as we stated in Martin:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
256 N.W.2d 31, 400 Mich. 540, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-stewart-mich-1977.