Smith v. Commonwealth

481 S.W.3d 510, 2016 Ky. App. LEXIS 1, 2016 WL 93985
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJanuary 8, 2016
DocketNO. 2013-CA-001288-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 481 S.W.3d 510 (Smith v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Commonwealth, 481 S.W.3d 510, 2016 Ky. App. LEXIS 1, 2016 WL 93985 (Ky. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

KRAMER, JUDGE:

John William Smith appeals the Monroe Circuit Court’s judgment convicting him of manufacturing inethamphetamine and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. After a careful review of the record, we reverse in part because the circuit court abused its discretion in denying Smith’s motion for a continuance, we affirm in part regarding Smith’s remaining claims, and we remand for a new trial.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In January 2012, Tompkinsville City Police Department Chief Dale Ford was on duty when an anonymous telephone call was received by the department stating that two males were in the. process of making methamphetamine in a black pickup truck; that one of the males was Timmy Curtis; and that the truck was parked at the house where Curtis resided. The caller also provided the address for the house where the men and the truck could be found. Officers went to that location and found Curtis and John Smith in the truck near the basement door. As one officer was approaching the scene, Curtis exited the truck and ran into the house, dropping a bottle in the yard as he did so. Curtis ran through the house and exited [513]*513the other side, essentially running into the police chief.

Smith was sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck, and he was ordered to exit the vehicle and lie on the ground. The driver’s side1 door of the truck was left open and inside the truck, the officers could see an open duffel bag containing components of methamphetamine manufacturing. The bag was located in the middle of the bench-style seat of the truck, which was the only seat in the truck.

Because the officers present were not certified to take apart a methamphetamine lab, dispatch was called so that properly trained officers could come and dismantle the methamphetamine lab. Officers Jesse England and Kerry Denton of the Tomp-kinsville Police Department were the certified officers who arrived to dismantle the methamphetamine lab. Samples were taken and tested, and the results revealed the presence of , pseudoephedrine/ephedrine and methamphetamine.

Smith was indicted- on charges of: Manufacturing methamphetamine; possession of drag paraphernalia; and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Smith moved' to suppress the evidence against him, and a suppression hearing was held. The court orally denied Smith’s motion to suppress at the close of the suppression hearing..

During the suppression hearing, Smith orally moved for a continuance of his trial. The court denied his motion. Following the hearing, Smith filed a written motion for a continuance. In that motion, he argued that he had learned during the suppression hearing that the two officers from the Tompkinsville Police Department who were the “technicians” who worked the case and handled the alleged “methamphetamine lab” materials in the case, Kerry Denton and Jessie England, would be unavailable to testify during the scheduled trial because they were both deployed with the military overseas. Smith alleged that these two witnesses were indispensable because they could establish that no “active” methamphetamine lab was present, which he believed would assist with his defense. On the day trial was scheduled to begin, the court orally denied Smith’s motion for a continuance, then proceeded with the trial.

A directed verdict was granted regarding the possession of drug paraphernalia charge. Consequently, that charge was dismissed. The jury ultimately convicted Smith on the charges of manufacturing methamphetamine and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. The jury recommended a sentence of fifteen years of imprisonment for the manufacturing methamphetamine conviction and three years of imprisonment for the first-degree possession of a controlled, substance conviction. The jury further recommended that the sentences be served consecutively. However, upon final sentencing, the court ordered the sentences recommended by the jury to be served concurrently, for a total of fifteen years of imprisonment.

Smith now appeals, contending that: (a) the circuit court denied him due process when it denied his motion for a continuance due to the absence of the two witnesses; (b) testimony about the anonymous tip received by police was inadmissible hearsay, and error in admitting it was not harmless; (c) he was denied due process of law by the manufacturing methamphetamine jury instruction that failed to require proof of the requisite mental state; and (d) a directed verdict should have been granted on both counts submitted to the jury, due to the lack of evidence that Smith possessed any of the items in this case.

[514]*514II. ANALYSIS

A. MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE

Smith first alleges that the. circuit court denied him due process when it denied his motion for a continuance due to the absence of the two officer witnesses, who he claims were critical to his defense. Smith asserts that the witnesses’ testimony that there was no “active” methamphetamine lab would have helped his defense. He contends that their testimony would help prove elements of his defense, specifically,. that the duffel bag in the truck belonged to his co-defendant, Timmy Curtis, and that Smith did not know what was in the bag. Smith alleges that if the methamphetamine lab was “active,” the jury would be more likely to believe that Smith knew what was going on in the vehicle,

We review a circuit court’s order denying a motion for a continuance for an abuse of discretion. See Guffey v. Guffey, 323 S.W.3d 369, 371 (Ky.App.2010). A court has broad discretion in controlling the disposition of the cases on its docket and in determining whether to grant a continuance. See Rehm v. Clayton, 132 S.W.3d 864, 869 (Ky.2004). This, however, involves a “weighting of] competing interests and maintaining] an even, balance.” (internal citation omitted). Id. A court should consider several factors when deciding whether to grant a continuance:

1) The length of delay;
2) Whether there have been any previous continuances;
3) The inconvenience to the litigants, witnesses, counsel, and the court;
4) Whether the delay is purposeful or caused by the accused;
5) The availability of competent counsel, if at issue;
6) The complexity of the case; and
7)Whether denying the continuance would lead to any identifiable prejudice.

Anderson v. Commonwealth, 63 S.W.3d 135, 138 (Ky.2001) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). '

Regarding the length of the delay, in his motion for a continuance, Smith noted that trial was scheduled for March 2013, and that the Commonwealth had asserted that it believed the two witnesses would be available for trial in November. This would have been an eight-month delay of the trial date, which is not unreasonable. This factor weighs in favor of Smjth.

There were no prior continuances. Thus, this factor weighs in favor of Smith.

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481 S.W.3d 510, 2016 Ky. App. LEXIS 1, 2016 WL 93985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-2016.