State Of Louisiana v. Maurice Anderson

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 22, 2022·No. 2022KA0587·Unknown

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL

FIRST CIRCUIT

2022 KA 0587

STATE OF LOUISIANA

VERSUS

MAURICE ANDERSON

Judgment Rendered:

DEC 2 2 2022

Appealed from the

Twenty -First Judicial District Court In and for the Parish of Tangipahoa State of Louisiana

Docket Number 1202751

The Honorable Charlotte Foster, Judge Presiding

Scott M. Perrilloux Counsel for Appellee, Amite, LA State of Louisiana

Brett Sommer Livingston, LA

Liu T. Vo Clark Counsel for Defendant/ Appellant, Mandeville, LA Maurice Anderson

Maurice Anderson Appellant Pro se Angola, LA

BEFORE: WHIPPLE, C.J., GUIDRY, AND HOLDRIDGE, JJ.

WHIPPLE, C.J.

The defendant, Maurice J. Anderson, was charged by amended grand jury indictment with theft when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a value of one thousand five hundred dollars or more ( count I), a violation of LSA-R.S.

14: 67( B)( 1) ( prior to amendment by 2017 La. Acts No. 281, § 1& 2014 La. Acts

No. 255, § 1) and aggravated battery ( count 11), a violation of LSA-R.S. 14: 34. He

pled not guilty on both counts. Following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty as charged as to count 1, and guilty of the responsive offense of simple battery as to count II. He moved for a new trial and a post -verdict judgment of acquittal, but the motions were denied. On count I, the defendant was sentenced to ten years at hard labor. On count 1I, he was sentenced to a consecutive term of six

months in parish prison. Thereafter, by amended habitual offender bill of information, the State alleged, on count 1, the defendant was a fourth -felony habitual offender.' Following a hearing, the defendant was adjudged a fourth - felony habitual offender, his prior sentence on count I was vacated, and he was sentenced to sixty years at hard labor. The convictions, habitual offender

adjudication, and sentences were affirmed by this court and supervisory review

Predicate number one was set forth as the defendant' s July 12, 1989 convictions, under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket numbers 55231 and 57296 for felony theft. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of two years at hard labor and seven years at hard labor, respectively, for the offenses.

Predicate number two was set forth as the defendant' s March 29, 1999 convictions under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 79726, for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling; under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 83332 for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling; and under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 87213 for simple burglary. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of ten years at hard labor on each count, six years suspended, and five years probation for the offenses. The State also set forth that the defendant' s probation was revoked on March 5, 2022.

Predicate number three was set forth as the defendant' s May 12, 2003 conviction, under Twenty -Second Judicial District Court Docket number 85028, for possession or introduction of contraband ( marijuana) into a penal institute. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to three years at hard labor, imposition of which was suspended, and three years probation for the offense.

Predicate number four was set forth as the defendant' s November 5, 2004 conviction, under Twenty -Second. Judicial District Court Docket number 87690, for possession or introduction of contraband ( marijuana) into a penal institute. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to six months at hard labor for the offense.

was denied by the Louisiana Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. State v. Anderson, 2015- 1043 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 2/ 24116), 2016 WL 759166; State

v. Anderson, 2016- 1191 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 2117117), 2017 WL 658782, writ

denied, 2017- 0671 ( La. 212118), 237 So. 3d 512, cert. denied, U.S. , 139 S.

Ct. 145, 202 L. Ed. 2d 88 ( 2018).

Subsequently, the defendant moved to correct his " illegal sentence,"

claiming he benefitted from 2017 La. Acts No. 282, but his motions were denied. This court denied his application for supervisory relief. State v. Anderson, 2018-

1698 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 2/ 19/ 19), 2019 WL 669501. Thereafter, the Louisiana

Supreme Court vacated the habitual offender adjudication and sentence and

remanded the case to the trial court for a new habitual offender adjudication in light of State v. Lyles, 2019- 00203 ( La. 10/ 22/ 19), 286 So. 3d 407, 411 ( per

curiam) ("[ f]or persons like defendant, whose convictions became final on or after November 1, 2017, and whose habitual offender bills were filed before that date,

the full provisions of [2017 La. Acts No.] 282 apply.... On remand, the district

court is directed to apply the version of the Habitual Offender Law, La. R. S.

15: 529. 1, as it was amended by 2017 La. Acts[.] [ No.] 282, and before its

amendment by 2018 La. Acts [ No.] 542."). State v. Anderson, 2019- 0468, 2019- 0442 ( La. 11/ 25/ 19), 283 So. 3d 488 ( per curiam).

Following remand, the State filed a new habitual offender bill of information against the defendant, alleging on count I, he was a fourth -felony habitual offender.' The defendant denied the allegations of the bill. Prior to the habitual

2Predicate number 1 was set forth as the defendant' s March 29, 1999 convictions under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 79726, for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling; under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 83332 for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling; and under Twenty -First Judicial District Court Docket number 87213 for simple burglary. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of ten years at hard labor on each count, six years suspended, and five years probation for the offenses. The State also set forth that the defendant' s probation was revoked on March 5, 2022.

offender hearing, he moved for a downward departure from the mandatory minimum sentence. Following a hearing, the trial court denied the motion for downward departure, adjudged the defendant a fourth -felony habitual offender, vacated the original sentence imposed on count I, and sentenced the defendant to twenty years at hard labor. The defendant objected to the sentence. He now appeals, filing a counseled and a pro se brief. In his counseled brief, he challenges the habitual

offender sentence as unconstitutionally excessive. In his pro se brief, he raises four assignments of error. For the following reasons, we affirm the habitual offender adjudication and sentence.

FACTS

A recitation of the facts concerning the offenses at issue are set forth in Anderson, 2016 WL 759166 at * I - * 2.

UNCONSTITUTIONALLY EXCESSIVE SENTENCE

In his sole counseled assignment of error, the defendant contends his sentence

was unconstitutionally excessive for a felony theft conviction. He argues that while

he " has prior convictions that statutorily make him eligible to receive this harsh

sentence, the trial court failed to give appropriate consideration to any possible

mitigating factors that counsel for [ the defendant] attempted to present." The

defendant notes he is a fifty-three year old man, sentenced to twenty years imprisonment under the habitual offender law, which makes him ineligible for good time.'

Predicate number 2 was set forth as the defendant' s May 12, 2003 conviction, under Twenty -Second Judicial District Court Docket number 85428, for possession or introduction of contraband ( marijuana) into a penal institute. The State further set forth that the defendant was sentenced to three years at hard labor, two and one- half years suspended, and three years probation for the offense.

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