Roach v. State

938 So. 2d 863, 2006 WL 279091
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedFebruary 7, 2006
Docket2001-KA-01244-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 938 So. 2d 863 (Roach v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roach v. State, 938 So. 2d 863, 2006 WL 279091 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

938 So.2d 863 (2006)

Timothy ROACH a/k/a Timothy K. Roach, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2001-KA-01244-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

February 7, 2006.
Rehearing Denied June 20, 2006.

*865 Rebecca G. Taylor, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by W. Daniel Hinchcliff, attorney for appellee.

Before LEE, P.J., IRVING and CHANDLER, JJ.

LEE, P.J., for the Court.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY AND FACTS

¶ 1. On November 8, 1998, Timothy Roach was arrested for burglarizing the home of Ruth Marbury in Jackson, Mississippi. A neighbor of Marbury, Johnny Barksdale, saw Roach exit Marbury's *866 house carrying a television. The police were notified and apprehended Roach a short distance from Marbury's residence. The police found several items belonging to Marbury on Roach's person and in his car.

¶ 2. Roach was indicted on April 8, 1999, for the crime of breaking and entering a dwelling and as an habitual offender. On October 13, 2000, Roach was tried and convicted by a jury in the Hinds County Circuit Court. Roach was sentenced as an habitual offender to serve twenty-five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole, probation or sentence reduction. Aggrieved, Roach appeals to this Court asserting nine issues: (1) he was illegally detained by the State; (2) the trial court erred by failing to dismiss the indictment; (3) he was denied a speedy trial; (4) he did not receive a fair trial; (5) the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence; (6) the trial court erred in refusing his circumstantial evidence instruction; (7) he was illegally sentenced as an habitual offender; (8) the trial court erred in failing to provide him with a hearing on his motion for a new trial; and (9) he did not receive effective assistance of counsel.

DISCUSSION

¶ 3. We first note that, although Roach's appellate counsel has written the majority of the brief, Roach has interspersed his own arguments for specific issues throughout the brief. The State has moved to strike the pro se portions of Roach's brief and requests this Court to stay the briefing schedule pending an order. We decline to do so.

I. WAS ROACH ILLEGALLY DETAINED BY THE STATE?

¶ 4. In his first issue on appeal, Roach argues that he was illegally detained by the State. Specifically, Roach contends that, pursuant to Rule 6.03 of the Uniform Rules of Circuit and County Court, he was not provided with the complaint against him and was also denied a preliminary hearing. Roach was arrested on November 8, 1998. As of December 9, 1998, the State had not produced a copy of the affidavit, complaint or warrant against Roach; thus, a municipal court judge released Roach from jail on December 12, 1998.

¶ 5. Roach's argument is correct. However, the Supreme Court has stated that the failure to provide a prompt initial appearance does not necessarily entitle a defendant to have his conviction reversed. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 22, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). Furthermore, Roach must prove that his defense was prejudiced by the denial of a preliminary hearing in order to reverse his conviction. See Esparaza v. State, 595 So.2d 418, 423 (Miss.1992); Lee v. State, 759 So.2d 1264, 1266 (¶ 11) (Miss.Ct.App.2000). Roach has not done so. In fact, Roach fails to mention any prejudice to his defense other than the mere assertion that Rule 6.03 was violated. We find this issue to be without merit.

II. DID THE TRIAL COURT ERR BY FAILING TO DISMISS THE INDICTMENT?

¶ 6. In his second issue, Roach has simply attached a copy of a motion entitled "motion for defective indictment" which he previously filed in the trial court. Roach, in fact, has filed two motions to dismiss the indictment, both of which were denied. Roach contends that the indictment was fatally defective because it failed to specifically state where the offense occurred. Specifically, Roach argues that the indictment *867 should have stated Ruth Marbury's address. The indictment stated as follows:

That TIMOTHY ROACH in said District, County and State on or about the 8th day of November, 1998 did wilfully, unlawfully, feloniously and burglariously break and enter the dwelling house of Ruth S. Marbury with the intent to commit a crime therein, to-wit:
to take, steal and carry away personal property of Ruth S. Marbury then and there situation in said dwelling house. . . .

¶ 7. According to Rule 7.06 of the Uniform Rules of Circuit and County Court, an indictment "shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged and shall fully notify the defendant of the nature and cause of the accusation." It is clear from reading the indictment that Roach was informed of the charges against him, including when and where the crime was committed. We cannot find that failure to list the specific address of the dwelling, when the person from whom the property was taken is named in the indictment, is error. See, e.g., Triplett v. State, 910 So.2d 581, 583(¶ 6) (Miss.Ct.App.2005). This issue is without merit.

III. WAS ROACH DENIED A SPEEDY TRIAL?

¶ 8. In his third issue on appeal, Roach asserts that his right to a speedy trial was violated. As Roach appears to address both his constitutional right and statutory right to a speedy trial, we will address both. Our standard of review in claims of speedy trial violations is as follows:

Review of a speedy trial claim encompasses the fact question of whether the trial delay rose from good cause. Under this Court's standard of review, this Court will uphold a decision based on substantial, credible evidence. If no probative evidence supports the trial court's finding of good cause, this Court will ordinarily reverse. The state bears the burden of proving good cause for a speedy trial delay, and thus bears the risk of non-persuasion.

DeLoach v. State, 722 So.2d 512, 516(¶ 12) (Miss.1998) (citations omitted).

a. Statutory right to a speedy trial

¶ 9. Roach briefly mentions that his statutory right to a speedy trial was violated under Mississippi Code Annotated Section 99-17-1 (Rev.2000), which states as follows:

Unless good cause be shown, and a continuance duly granted by the court, all offenses for which indictments are presented to the court shall be tried no later than two hundred seventy (270) days after the accused has been arraigned.

Roach was arraigned on June 11, 1999, and was not tried until October 12, 2000, well over the 270 day deadline. However, we have held that if a defendant fails to raise the statutory right to a speedy trial within 270 days of his arraignment, he acquiesces to the delay. Mims v. State, 856 So.2d 518, 522(¶ 11) (Miss.Ct.App.2003); Malone v. State, 829 So.2d 1253, 1257(¶ 11) (Miss. Ct.App.2002). See also Walton v. State, 678 So.2d 645, 649-50 (Miss.1996). This argument is without merit.

b. Constitutional right to a speedy trial

¶ 10. The United States Supreme Court in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct.

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938 So. 2d 863, 2006 WL 279091, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roach-v-state-missctapp-2006.