Posey v. State

916 S.W.2d 88, 1996 Tex. App. LEXIS 381, 1996 WL 37971
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 1, 1996
Docket01-94-00405-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 916 S.W.2d 88 (Posey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Posey v. State, 916 S.W.2d 88, 1996 Tex. App. LEXIS 381, 1996 WL 37971 (Tex. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

OPINION

COHEN, Justice.

A jury found appellant guilty of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 1 and the trial court found two enhancement paragraphs “true” and assessed punishment of 35 years in prison. We find fundamental error in the jury charge because it did not submit appellant’s sole defense, mistake of fact. Consequently, we reverse and remand.

In his first point of error, appellant asserts the evidence is insufficient to prove he knew he did not have the owner’s consent when he drove the vehicle. We review the evidence under the standard in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-19, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2787-88, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154, 157 (Tex.Crim.App.1991).

Wanda Thomas owned a 1988 Jaguar automobile that normally was driven by her friend, Chuck Williams. On November 4, 1993, Mr. Williams parked the car, then in undamaged, good condition, at Hobby airport and flew to Corpus Christi. The car was stolen soon after. On November 7, 1993, Officer Ervin stopped the car for an expired registration. Appellant was driving. When appellant could not produce a driver’s license or proof of insurance, Deputy Ervin checked and discovered that Ms. Thomas owned the car. Deputy Ervin then asked appellant who owned the car. Appellant said he got it from a friend named “Chuck,” whose last name and address he did not know. In the glove compartment were repair bills for the car on which only the name “Chuck” was written. Deputy Ervin noted that the car’s driver’s side door panel was pulled back and the alarm system wires were cut. Neither Ms. Thomas nor Mr. Williams gave anyone permission to drive the car.

To prove unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, the State must show, “at a minimum,” that the defendant operated the vehicle knowing he did not have the owner’s consent. McQueen v. State, 781 S.W.2d 600, 604 n. 5 (Tex.Crim.App.1989). The complainant’s testimony that the defendant had no consent is sufficient, in itself, to prove the defendant knew he had no consent to operate the car. Id. at 604-05; 2 White v. State, 844 *90 S.W.2d 929, 932 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, pet. ref'd). The State met that burden. The evidence was sufficient.

Appellant relies on Herbert v. State, 827 S.W.2d 507 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no pet.), in which we found similar evidence insufficient. Id. at 509. The Herbert opinion does not state whether that jury was instructed on the mistake of fact defense. 3 We assume it was because if the evidence raises an issue on mistake of fact, as it did in Herbert, the instruction is required in order to prevent the crime of unauthorized use from being a strict liability offense. See Lynch v. State, 643 S.W.2d 737, 738 (Tex.Crim.App.1983). The jury here was not instructed on mistake of fact, however, and we must measure the evidence based on the jury charge that was given, not based on one that should have been given. Benson v. State, 661 S.W.2d 708, 715-16 (Tex.Crim.App.1982) (op. on reh’g), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1219, 104 S.Ct. 2667, 81 L.Ed.2d 372 (1984). Because this jury was not instructed on mistake of fact, we cannot consider that defense in deciding the sufficiency of the evidence. Herbert is thus distinguishable and not controlling. Moreover, the result in Herbert is questionable. We held the evidence in Herbert insufficient because the evidence of mistake of fact was “uncontradicted.” Herbert, 827 S.W.2d at 509. We did not mention McQueen, however, in which the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that a fact finder is “free to reject” such evidence, and if it does, its verdict will not be set aside for insufficient evidence. McQueen, 781 S.W.2d at 605. Thus, while Herbert may conflict with McQueen, we need not resolve the conflict today because of the absence in this case of a mistake of fact instruction.

We overrule the first point of error.

In his second point of error, appellant asserts the trial court reversibly erred by not instructing the jury on the defense of mistake of fact.

A defendant is entitled to an affirmative submission of defenses raised by the evidence. Lynch, 643 S.W.2d at 738. The defense of mistake of fact provides:

It is a defense to prosecution that the actor through mistake formed a reasonable belief about a matter of fact if his mistaken belief negated the kind of culpability required for commission of the offense.

TexPenal Code Ann. § 8.02(a) (Vernon 1994). A reasonable doubt on this issue would have entitled appellant to an acquittal. Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 2.03(d) (Vernon 1994); McQueen, 781 S.W.2d at 604 n. 5.

In an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle case, mistake of fact is raised if the defendant received the keys from someone who was apparently authorized to give them. McQueen, 781 S.W.2d at 602-605; Woodfox v. State, 779 S.W.2d 434, 435 (Tex.Crim.App.1989); Lynch, 643 S.W.2d at 738. Evidence showed that appellant told Deputy Ervin he got the car from a friend named “Chuck” who lived in his neighborhood and drove fancy cars. In addition, two defense witnesses, Larry Harris and Kenneth Posey, each testified that a man named Charles Yates gave appellant the keys to a black Jaguar while both were at the home of Mr. Harris. This evidence raised the defense of mistake of fact.

However, defense counsel did not object or request a jury instruction on mistake of fact. Consequently, reversal is required only if the harm is so egregious that appellant was denied a fair trial. Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex.Crim.App.1984). The harm must be measured in light of the entire jury charge, the state of the evidence, including the contested issues and weight of the probative evidence, the argument of counsel, and the record as a whole. Id.

The evidence and the closing argument reflect that only one defense was presented—appellant received the car’s keys and permission to drive from an individual in *91

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916 S.W.2d 88, 1996 Tex. App. LEXIS 381, 1996 WL 37971, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/posey-v-state-texapp-1996.