Rankin v. State

881 S.W.2d 14, 1994 WL 7411
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided July 28, 1994·No. 01-92-00830-CR·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinions

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

HUTSON-DUNN, Justice.

Appellant has filed a motion for rehearing, which we grant. The opinion issued by this Court on October 28,1993, is withdrawn, and the following opinion is issued in lieu of the earlier one.

Appellant, James Carey Rankin, was charged by indictment with one count of possession of a controlled substance weighing [15] less than 28 grams. After a jury trial, he was convicted and pled true to two enhancement counts. The jury assessed punishment at 25-years confinement.

On March 8, 1992, Officer William K. Ma-lanson of the Harris County Sheriffs Department was dispatched to answer a family disturbance call. When Officer Malanson arrived at the apartment, he heard appellant and a woman arguing inside the apartment. Officer Malanson knocked on the door, identified himself, and requested they open the door. After several minutes, Officer Malan-son was admitted to the apartment by appellant’s wife.

When Officer Malanson entered the apartment, he noticed broken glass and a hole in one of the walls in the apartment. Appellant’s wife appeared nervous and timid, and Officer Malanson noticed that she had a knot on her head. She stated that appellant had pushed her into the wall.

Officer Malanson testified that upon entering the apartment, he performed a pat down search for weapons on appellant. However, appellant and his wife testified that Officer Malanson performed a full search of appellant that included turning his pockets inside out.

During Officer Malanson’s investigation, appellant told the officer that he had a crack cocaine problem. Appellant and his wife had apparently been arguing over the fact that he needed 30 dollars to pay for some crack cocaine that he had purchased.

Appellant was placed under arrest for assault. His hands were handcuffed behind his back, and he was placed in the back of Officer Simpson’s patrol unit and transported to the police station. While Officer Simpson transported appellant to the police station, Officer Malanson remained at the apartment and interviewed appellant’s wife. During the course of the conversation with appellant’s wife, Officer Malanson formed the opinion that appellant may have been in possession of a controlled substance. Officer Malanson contacted Officer Simpson, who was still en route to the police station, and requested that Officer Simpson search appellant for crack cocaine.

As soon as Officer Simpson received this message by radio dispatch to his patrol car, appellant began squirming and kicking the back seat of Officer Simpson’s patrol car. When Officer Simpson told appellant to sit still, appellant claimed that he was attempting to get in a more comfortable position.

A search of appellant at the police station revealed that he did not have a controlled substance on his person at that time. However, a search under the back seat of Officer Simpson’s patrol car turned up a baggie that contained what appeared to be a rock of crack cocaine. The rock of crack cocaine was found on the same side of the back seat that appellant had been sitting on.

Officer Simpson testified that he searched his patrol car when he began his shift, and there was no crack cocaine in the vehicle at that tíme. Officer Simpson also testified that no one had been in the back seat of his patrol car on that day except appellant.

Appellant denied that the crack cocaine found in the back of the patrol unit was his. However, appellant admitted that on the morning of the incident he had purchased 30 dollars worth of crack cocaine, but testified that he had thrown it down the sink because he realized he had a cocaine problem. He testified that the argument with his wife concerned the 30 dollars that he owed for the crack that he had purchased.

Appellant’s wife took the stand in support of her husband. She testified that she was standing right by appellant when he threw the crack cocaine down the sink.

In his first point of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred by overruling appellant’s objection to the State’s closing arguments during the guilt/innocence phase of the trial:

(Prosecutor) Well, what if you choose not to believe the deputies? What if you choose to believe Mr. Rankin? That is okay, too. See, I don’t have to prove the time of day this happened. I don’t have to prove where they were when he possessed the coke. If you will read the charge, all I have to do is prove that on March 8th, 1992, James Carey Rankin, in Harris County, Texas, did intentionally and know[16] ingly possess a controlled substance, namely cocaine, in an amount less than 28 grams by aggregate weight, including adulterants and dilutants.
(The Court) Two minutes.
(Prosecutor) Ladies and gentlemen, he testified that he got up 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, went to the friend’s house and bought it, smoked — bought 30 dollars’ worth, smoked part of it brought the rest of it home, had a fight with his wife trying to beg $30 off of her. And then, well, the story is on their side that they threw it down. He testified that all of this happened on March 8th, 1992. He admitted that he had the crack on that day. He admitted all of the elements.
(Appellant’s Counsel) Objection, Your Honor. That is a misstatement of the law. The allegation of the possession would have to be as of the time the officer set forth in the offense report, not a previous possession; and that is not the subject of the indictment.
(The Court) That is overruled.
(Prosecutor) The offense report is not evidence, the offense report is there for the officer to refresh his memory. I don’t have to prove when. Like I said, all of [sic] have to prove is the element you see in the jury charge.
That charge is the law for you to follow. Do you believe that on March 8th, 1992, Mr. Rankin possessed crack cocaine, or cocaine? He admitted to that. He told you yesterday on the stand that he did.
So, the bottom line, if you believe the deputy, Deputy Malanson and Deputy Simpson, that just a pat down search was done there at the apartment, following procedure, that the full search was going to be done there at the station, that the seat was searched that morning, that after Mr. Rankin had ridden in the car, that he was the only person that had been in the ear that day, as Deputy Simpson testified, that is correct. Deputy Simpson found that rock in the seat after he was in the car and taken in. If you believe all of that, you find the defendant guilty. If you don’t believe that and you believe Mr. Rankin, that, hey, you know, he smoked the crack or, hey, he had already thrown it down the sink as he testified yesterday—
(The Court) Time is up.
(Prosecutor) —then again you find the defendant guilty. It’s that simple.
(Appellant’s Counsel) Your Honor, once again I am going to object for the improper jury argument, for the record.
(The Court) Very well. That is overruled. Mr. Bailiff, take them out, please.

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Rankin v. State, 881 S.W.2d 14, 1994 WL 7411 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

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