Shane Lee Hale v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided August 31, 2006·No. 02-05-00024-CR·Published

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS

FORT WORTH

NO. 2-05-260-CR

JAVIER ALBERTO SABILLON APPELLANT

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS STATE

------------

FROM THE 372ND DISTRICT COURT OF TARRANT COUNTY

MEMORANDUM OPINION (footnote: 1)

I.  Introduction

Appellant Javier Alberto Sabillon appeals his conviction and life sentence for aggravated sexual assault.  In his first point, Sabillon contends that the trial court erred by admitting evidence gathered as a result of a search warrant that lacked probable cause.  In Sabillon’s second point, he complains that the trial court erred by admitting the search warrant affidavit into evidence at trial.  In his third and fourth points, Sabillon complains that the trial court erred by denying cross-examination of the complainant regarding her mental health and DWI probation.  In Sabillon’s fifth point, he asserts that the trial court erred by excluding the complainant’s statement that she was fearful of the police because of her DWI probation.  We affirm.  

II.  Background Facts

The complainant, K.R., and Sabillon dated from January 2004 to June 2004.  On July 17, 2004, K.R. went to a bar in Fort Worth with her friend, Ty Ramsey.  After K.R., Ramsey, and George Whipple, K.R.’s friend, left the bar to take Whipple to his apartment, Whipple noticed a truck following them into his apartment complex.  Ramsey, who was driving the car, stopped the car and Whipple got out to see who was following them.  When Whipple was walking back to Ramsey’s car, K.R. jumped out of the car and said, “It’s [Sabillon].”  When K.R. got to Sabillon’s truck, Sabillon threw her in his truck and drove off.  Ramsey called the police after Sabillon left.  

Sabillon drove to his brother’s house and began yelling at K.R..  Sabillon grabbed K.R. by her neck and threatened to kill her.  K.R. then “blacked out” from loss of oxygen. K.R. testified that she would slip in and out of consciousness and would wake up to Sabillon sexually assaulting her.

The police called K.R.’s mother and told her that Sabillon had possibly kidnapped her daughter.  K.R.’s mother then called Sabillon’s sister and told her what the police had said.  Sabillon’s sister then got her son, Victor Weinstein, to go over to the house to see if Sabillon and K.R. were there. When Weinstein arrived, he saw Sabillon and went upstairs to check on K.R.. Weinstein then called his mother and waited for her at the house.  

The police arrived shortly after Weinstein called his mother.  When the police got to the house, they went upstairs and saw K.R. sleeping on the bed face down with her clothes on.  The police then woke her up, and K.R. told them that Sabillon had raped her.

On June 27, 2005, a jury found Sabillon guilty of aggravated sexual assault and answered true to the repeat offender notice.  The trial court assessed Sabillon’s punishment at a life sentence in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.  The jury found Sabillon not guilty of aggravated kidnapping.

III.  Motion to Suppress

In his first point, Sabillon contends that the trial court erred by admitting pictures and physical evidence that were gathered as a result of a search warrant which lacked probable cause.

A.  Standard of Review

We review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence under a bifurcated standard of review.   Carmouche v. State , 10 S.W.3d 323, 327 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); Guzman v. State , 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).  In reviewing the trial court’s decision, we do not engage in our own factual review.   Romero v. State , 800 S.W.2d 539, 543 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990); Best v. State , 118 S.W.3d 857, 861 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2003, no pet.).  The trial judge is the sole trier of fact and judge of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony.   State v. Ross , 32 S.W.3d 853, 855 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); State v. Ballard , 987 S.W.2d 889, 891 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999).  Therefore, we give almost total deference to the trial court’s rulings on (1) questions of historical fact and (2) application-of-law-to-fact questions that turn on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor.   Johnson v. State , 68 S.W.3d 644, 652-53 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002); State v. Ballman , 157 S.W.3d 65, 68 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2004, pet. ref’d).  But when the trial court’s rulings do not turn on the credibility and demeanor of the witnesses, we review de novo a trial court’s rulings on mixed questions of law and fact.   Estrada v. State , 154 S.W.3d 604, 607 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005); Johnson , 68 S.W.3d at 652-53.

When reviewing a trial court’s ruling on a mixed question of law and fact, the court of appeals may review de novo the trial court’s application of the law of search and seizure to the facts of the case.   Estrada , 154 S.W.3d at 607.  When there are no explicit findings of historical fact, the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling.   Id .

We must uphold the trial court’s ruling if it is supported by the record and correct under any theory of law applicable to the case even if the trial court gave the wrong reason for its ruling.   Armendariz v. State , 123 S.W.3d 401, 404 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003), cert. denied , 541 U.S. 974 (2004); Ross , 32 S.W.3d at 856; Romero , 800 S.W.2d at 543.

When reviewing a magistrate’s decision to issue a warrant, we apply the deferential standard of review articulated by the United States Supreme Court in Illinois v. Gates , 462 U.S. 213, 236, 103 S. Ct. 2317, 2331 (1983). Swearingen v. State , 143 S.W.3d 808, 810-11 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004).  Under that standard, we uphold the probable cause determination “so long as the magistrate had a ‘substantial basis for . . . conclud[ing]’ that a search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing.” Gates , 462 U.S. at 236, 103 S. Ct. at 2331; see Swearingen , 143 S.W.3d at 810.

B.  Search Warrant Affidavit

Sabillon asserts that the warrant affidavit does not contain sufficient information to provide the magistrate with a substantial basis for concluding that probable cause existed.

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