People v. Warren

2014 IL App (4th) 120721, 16 N.E.3d 13
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 6, 2014
Docket4-12-0721
StatusUnpublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2014 IL App (4th) 120721 (People v. Warren) 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. Warren, 2014 IL App (4th) 120721, 16 N.E.3d 13 (Ill. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

FILED 2014 IL App (4th) 120721 June 6, 2014 Carla Bender NO. 4-12-0721 4th District Appellate Court, IL IN THE APPELLATE COURT

OF ILLINOIS

FOURTH DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Circuit Court of v. ) Champaign County JOSEPH W. WARREN, ) No. 11CF443 Defendant-Appellant. ) ) Honorable ) Heidi N. Ladd, ) Judge Presiding.

JUSTICE KNECHT delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Presiding Justice Appleton and Justice Pope concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Following a May 2012 trial, the jury found defendant guilty of unlawful possession

with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony (720 ILCS 570/401(c)(2) (West

2010)) (count I), and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony (720 ILCS

5/24-1.1(a), (e) (West 2010)) (count II). In July 2012, the trial court sentenced defendant to a

30-year term on count I and a concurrent 10-year term on count II. Defendant appeals, arguing

(1) the State failed to produce sufficient evidence to sustain his conviction on count I; (2) he is

entitled to a vacation of certain assessments imposed pursuant to his conviction; and (3) he is

entitled to additional sentencing credit for time served. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and

remand with directions.

¶2 I. BACKGROUND ¶3 On March 21, 2011, the State charged defendant with unlawful possession with

intent to deliver a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The

charges arose from a traffic stop and later search of a hotel room rented by defendant.

¶4 A. The Traffic Stop

¶5 On March 18, 2011, Officer Jeremiah Christian of the Champaign police

department, who was assigned to the Community Action Team, observed defendant driving a

green Oldsmobile Bravada. Upon recognizing defendant as the driver, Officer Christian

"conducted surveillance to see where [defendant] was going." Officer Christian followed

defendant to the Red Roof Inn on Anthony Drive. Officer Christian observed defendant exit his

vehicle and enter a guest room at the hotel. Officer Christian then left the area to meet with other

members of the Community Action Team.

¶6 The team formulated a plan to return to the area around the hotel to continue

surveillance on defendant's activities. If defendant was observed leaving the hotel, an officer

would follow and wait for defendant to commit a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS

5/1-100 to 20-402 (West 2010)). The officers would then stop the vehicle and further their

investigation.

¶7 Officer Christian returned to the hotel to continue his surveillance. At some point

during his surveillance, Officer Christian observed defendant return to the Oldsmobile Bravada.

He was accompanied by a white female, later identified as Kimberly Rosas. Defendant drove the

vehicle away from the hotel and headed toward Neil Street. Officer Christian went to hotel

management to see whether defendant had rented a room at the hotel. Officer Christian learned

defendant had been renting a room at the hotel since March 8, 2011. The rental agreement listed

-2- only defendant's name. Officer Christian then went to the room and stood watch to ensure

nobody entered or left the room. Shortly thereafter, Officer Phillip McDonald observed

defendant commit a traffic violation while turning right onto Neil Street, and initiated a traffic stop

at the intersection of Neil Street and Interstate 74. Several other Champaign police officers,

including Katherine Thompson, Marshall Henry, and Robert Sumption, arrived on the scene to

provide backup.

¶8 Officer McDonald approached the vehicle and asked defendant to shut off the car.

He detected an odor of cannabis emanating from the vehicle. Officer Henry also detected the

odor of cannabis. Because the officers detected the odor of cannabis, Officer McDonald asked

defendant to step out of the vehicle so it could be searched. Defendant responded by attempting to

lock the driver's door and reaching for the key still in the ignition. Officer McDonald then

reached inside the car and grabbed defendant's arm. Officer Henry assisted Officer McDonald in

removing defendant from the vehicle. After the officers removed defendant from the vehicle, a

lengthy struggle ensued and defendant resisted the officers' attempts to place him under arrest.

¶9 During this struggle, Officer Sumption asked Rosas whether anything illegal was

located inside the car. At first she indicated there was not, but she later informed the officer a gun

was in her purse. This prompted Officer Sumption to draw his weapon and point it at Rosas.

Officer Sumption relayed this information to the other officers at the scene. Officer Sumption

then removed Rosas from the vehicle and placed her under arrest. She was escorted to the

backseat of Officer Thompson's squad car. Officer Sumption removed the gun from Rosas's

purse and determined the gun was loaded with a magazine containing six rounds of .25-caliber

ammunition. He also determined no rounds were in the weapon's chamber. While sitting in the

-3- backseat, Rosas told Officer Sumption defendant carried the purse containing the handgun to the

vehicle.

¶ 10 B. Rosas's Postarrest Interview

¶ 11 As Officer Thompson escorted Rosas to her police car, she asked Rosas whether

she had anything "crotched," meaning concealed within her undergarments or inside her vaginal or

anal cavity. Rosas stated she did not. While seated in the back of the police car, Rosas told

Officer Sumption that defendant carried the gun in her purse to the car. Rosas told Officer

Sumption approximately half an ounce of crack cocaine was located in the hotel room. Rosas was

then transported to the Red Roof Inn to confirm the location of the room in which she and

defendant had been staying.

¶ 12 Officer Thompson transported Rosas to the Champaign police department to speak

with Officer McDonald. After being informed of and waiving her Miranda rights (Miranda v.

Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)), Rosas stated she had a current addiction to crack cocaine. Officer

McDonald inquired about the gun recovered during the traffic stop. Rosas stated defendant had

the gun in his waistband until Officer McDonald initiated the traffic stop, when defendant placed

the handgun in Rosas's purse.

¶ 13 Rosas then expressed her concern over going to jail. After Officer McDonald

assured Rosas she would not go to jail, Rosas stated, "I'll do anything that you want me to do. I'll

be helpful, you know, as long as I don't go to jail." Rosas then detailed the drug-dealing operation

defendant was running from the hotel room. Defendant would bring large quantities of crack

cocaine to the room and break it down for sale. He used a black scale to assist him in breaking

down the product. Defendant would then package the individual pieces for sale. Once packaged

-4- for sale, defendant would place the individually wrapped pieces of crack cocaine in a plastic bag

and "go deal."

¶ 14 Rosas believed defendant was bringing at least four ounces of crack cocaine to the

room per day to package for sale. She further believed at least a half-ounce of crack cocaine

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Related

People v. Vara
2018 IL 121823 (Illinois Supreme Court, 2018)
People v. Warren
2016 IL App (4th) 120721-B (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2016)
People v. Hible
2016 IL App (4th) 131096 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2016)
People v. Jones
2015 IL App (4th) 130711 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2015)
People v. Mister
2015 IL App (4th) 130180 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2015)
People v. Bradford
2014 IL App (4th) 130288 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2014 IL App (4th) 120721, 16 N.E.3d 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-warren-illappct-2014.