People v. Winford

889 N.E.2d 1181, 383 Ill. App. 3d 1, 321 Ill. Dec. 621, 2008 Ill. App. LEXIS 498
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided June 2, 2008·No. 1-05-3785·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE CAHILL

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Leander Winford was convicted of possessing cocaine and sentenced to six years in prison. He appeals, arguing the evidence at trial did not conform to the charging instrument. He also challenges the trial court’s fee order. We affirm the conviction and modify the fee order.

The State charged defendant with two counts of possession with intent to deliver. The first count charged him with possessing between 1 and 15 grams of heroin with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a church. See 720 ILCS 570/401(c)(l), 407(b)(1) (West 2004). The second count — and the only count at issue on appeal — charged him with possessing between 1 and 15 grams of a “controlled substance, to wit: cocaine, in violation of [section 401(c)(1) of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (Act) (720 ILCS 570/401(c)(l) (West 2004))].” (Emphasis added.)

Chicago police officer Joseph Dahl testified at defendant’s bench trial. Dahl said that on January 31, 2005, he was performing surveillance when he saw defendant engaging in what he believed were drug transactions near 1312 South Keeler Avenue, in Chicago. Dahl arrested defendant and seized $40 from defendant’s pocket. He then found eight clear plastic bags containing suspected heroin near a car parked about seven feet from where defendant was arrested. The parties stipulated that six of the eight bags tested positive for 1.1 grams of heroin.

Defendant moved for a directed verdict on count I, arguing the State failed to present evidence that the alleged transactions occurred within 1,000 feet of a church. The trial court granted the motion and dismissed count I of the indictment. Defendant did not present a casein-chief on count II but argued in closing that the State failed to prove intent to deliver beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court agreed with defendant and convicted him of the lesser included offense of simple possession under section 402(c) of the Act (720 ILCS 570/402(c) (West 2004) (making it unlawful to possess a controlled substance)). Defendant was sentenced to six years in prison.

Defendant argues for the first time on appeal that his conviction must be reversed because the State failed to prove he possessed cocaine, the controlled substance alleged in count II of the indictment. The State maintains that the reference to “cocaine” in the indictment was a scrivener’s error and that defendant was sufficiently apprised that he was on trial for a heroin offense because the indictment cited the heroin statute, section 401(c)(1) of the Act. It is undisputed that the evidence at trial showed that defendant possessed only heroin.

Defendant cites People v. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d 4, 726 N.E.2d 120 (2000). The defendant there was charged and convicted of delivering cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 4-5. The defendant argued on appeal that his conviction must be reversed because there was no evidence that the transaction at issue involved cocaine. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 5. Like this case, the parties stipulated to the presence only of heroin. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 5. The Durdin court first looked at whether the evidence was sufficient to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 6-7. Citing People v. Brooks, 271 Ill. App. 3d 570, 575, 648 N.E.2d 626 (1995), the court held the State was required to prove that the defendant knew he was delivering cocaine and not some other controlled substance. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 6-7. The court concluded that the State’s failure to present evidence of cocaine possession required reversal of the defendant’s conviction. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 7.

The Durdin court then looked at whether the variance between the indictment — which charged delivery of cocaine — and the evidence at trial — which showed delivery of heroin — was material and prejudicial. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 7, citing People v. Jones, 245 Ill. App. 3d 674, 677, 615 N.E.2d 373 (1993) (“a variance between the crime charged and the crime proved is not fatal to the conviction unless the variance is material and it misleads the accused in making [her] defense or exposes [her] to double jeopardy”). The court held the variance was material because the nature of the controlled substance is an essential element of the offense. Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 7. The court concluded: “we cannot say on this record that no actual prejudice or no realistic possibility of prejudicial uncertainty existed and therefore the variance here is fatal to the conviction.” Durdin, 312 Ill. App. 3d at 7.

Durdin can be distinguished. Unlike Durdin, the sufficiency of the evidence is not at issue here. There was sufficient evidence here to prove defendant guilty of possessing heroin. The evidence conformed to the indictment insofar as the indictment charged defendant with violating section 401(c)(1) of the Act, which makes it unlawful to possess with intent to deliver “1 gram or more but less than 15 grams of any substance containing heroin, or an analog thereof.” (Emphasis added.) 720 ILCS 570/401(c)(l) (West 2004). The problem here is that the indictment, while citing the statute applicable to heroin, went on to allege that defendant possessed between 1 and 15 grams of a “controlled substance, to wit: cocaine.” (Emphasis added.) This created a variance between the allegations made in the indictment and the proof at trial.

The indictment was not challenged in the trial court. So our review is limited to deciding whether the “indictment apprised defendant of the precise offense charged with sufficient specificity to prepare his defense and allow pleading a resulting conviction as a bar to future prosecution arising out of the same conduct.” People v. Edmonds, 325 Ill. App. 3d 439, 443, 757 N.E.2d 619 (2001), citing People v. Thingvold, 145 Ill. 2d 441, 448, 584 N.E.2d 89 (1991) (setting out standard of review applicable where a defendant challenges the charging instrument for the first time on appeal); People v. Gilmore, 63 Ill. 2d 23, 29, 344 N.E.2d 456, 460 (1976) (same). A variance between allegations in an indictment and proof at trial is fatal to a conviction if the variance is material and could mislead the accused in making his defense. People v. Collins, 214 Ill. 2d 206, 219, 824 N.E.2d 262 (2005). An indictment must, among other things, cite the statutory provision alleged to have been violated and set forth the nature and elements of the offense charged. Collins, 214 Ill. 2d at 219; 725 ILCS 5/111 — 3(a) (West 2004). “[Ojther matters unnecessarily added may be regarded as surplus-age.” Collins, 214 Ill. 2d at 219.

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People v. Winford, 889 N.E.2d 1181, 383 Ill. App. 3d 1, 321 Ill. Dec. 621, 2008 Ill. App. LEXIS 498 (Ill. Ct. App. 2008).

889 N.E.2d 1181 (People v. Winford) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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