State of Louisiana v. William Jones

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 6, 2013
DocketKA-0013-0395
StatusUnknown

This text of State of Louisiana v. William Jones (State of Louisiana v. William Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Louisiana v. William Jones, (La. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

13-395

VERSUS

WILLIAM JONES

**********

APPEAL FROM THE FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF CALCASIEU, NO. 6423-12 HONORABLE RONALD F. WARE, DISTRICT JUDGE

JAMES T. GENOVESE JUDGE

Court composed of James T. Genovese, Shannon J. Gremillion and John E. Conery, Judges.

REVERSED AND REMANDED.

John F. DeRosier District Attorney — Fourteenth Judicial District Christy Rhoades Karen C. McLellan Carla S. Sigler Assistant District Attorneys 901 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 800 Lake Charles, Louisiana 70601 (337) 437-3400 COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT: State of Louisiana Edward K. Bauman Louisiana Appellate Project Post Office Box 1641 Lake Charles, Louisiana 70602-1641 (337) 491-0570 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLEE: William Jones GENOVESE, Judge.

In this domestic abuse battery case, the State appeals the trial court‟s grant

of Defendant‟s Motion to Quash on the basis of double jeopardy. For the

following reasons, we reverse and remand.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On January 14, 2012, at 8:43 p.m., Defendant, William Jones, was arrested

and jailed for domestic abuse battery by strangulation stemming from an

altercation between him and his girlfriend in Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

On January 16, 2012, at 2:30 p.m., some fifty-four hours later, the arrest warrant

and bond was signed by District Court Judge David Ritchie.

The arrest warrant and bond provided as follows:

WARRANT

STATE OF LOUISIANA SPD COMPLAINT # C411200148 PARISH OF CALCASIEU TO THE SHERIFF OR ANY OTHER PEACE OFFICER

WHEREAS, complaint has been made by sworn affidavit of: PO G. MARTIN THAT

WILLIAM JONES 192 N. CITIES SERVICE HWY #14 SULPHUR, LA, B/M DOB: 05/12/1971, SSN: OLN: LA 10639749 on or about JANUARY 14, 2012 in the Parish and State aforementioned did unlawfully:

COMMIT LA RS 14:35.3B3 - DOMESTIC ABUSE BATTERY BY STRANGULATION – 10,000

Bond will be effective 48 hours after booking. Conditions of Bond:[1] (1) No contact with victim. (2) No other criminal activity.

Now THEREFORE, you are hereby commanded in the name of the State of Louisiana to apprehend, arrest and bring the said accused to before the Court of competent jurisdiction to be dealt with according to law and let this be your warrant of arrest.

1 The “Conditions of Bond” were hand written by Judge Ritchie. LET THE ACCUSED BE ADMITTED TO BAIL IN THE SUM OF $ 10,000 with good and solvent security to be approved by the Sheriff of said Parish.

YOU ARE COMMANDED TO NOTIFY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN WRITING UPON ARREST.

Given under my official signature this 16th day of January , 2012, at 2:30 p.m.

DAVID A. RITCHIE ___________________ JUDGE‟S PRINTED NAME JUDGE‟S SIGNATURE

The State filed a bill of information charging Defendant with domestic abuse

by strangulation. Thereafter, Defendant filed a Motion to Quash, alleging:

2.

Defendant, hereby files this Motion to Quash, pursuant to La.C.Cr.P.[]532(6) seeking an order of this Honorable Court dismissing the Bill of Information pending against the Defendant, with prejudice. 3

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads in pertinent part, “nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb”.

4.

The Defendant‟s Motion to Quash must be granted and the charges against him dismissed because he is facing double punishment for the same act, after being forced to serve two (2) days in jail without the possibility of bond by order of a sitting judge of the 14th Judicial District Court. (See Exhibit “A”).

5.

Any potential conviction and implication of sentence against defendant would be a second penalty for the alleged offense and thus unconstitutional and therefore the Court must grant the Defendant‟s motion.

A hearing on the Motion to Quash was held before District Court Judge

Ronald F. Ware on October 12, 2012. Defendant‟s attorney argued that the

“written designation” by Judge Ritchie on the bond, stating that the bond would be

2 effective forty-eight hours after booking, was punishment by the government, and

any other punishment by the government would constitute double jeopardy.

The State argued that, at the time Judge Richie set the condition of bond that

bond would be effective forty-eight hours after booking, the forty-eight hours from

booking had almost elapsed. Defendant did not spend any more time in jail than

was allowable under La.Code Crim.P. art. 230.2(A);2 he did not suffer any harm or

prejudice; and, no jeopardy had attached to this pretrial proceeding. The State

further asserted that even if there was a statutory or constitutional violation, the

remedy imposed, i.e., quashing of the bill of information, was legally

impermissible. We note that Defendant‟s remedy for a violation of La.Code

Crim.P. art. 230.2(A) would simply be a release on recognizance3 and not a

quashal of the bill of information.

The trial court granted the motion stating in pertinent part:

Well, this is what‟s troubling me; well, a couple of things. Bond was set within 48 hours. Nobody denies that. And the condition of bail was that he not be allowed to be booked out 48 hours, and the 48 hours had expired.

Another thing is, I guess[,] it goes to the core of your argument, Mr. Dorsey -- is has he been [sic] -- is this a punishment, pretrial or based on a set of facts or a particular incident? I don‟t know. Seems like it is to me. But for the 48 hours having been expired at the time he impose [sic] it, I guess, you know, we get back to the moot point. I mean --

Mr. Dorsey, what do you think about that? The 48 hours had passed. When this warrant was signed and bail fixed, he was eligible for release upon posting bail. Do you agree with that?

....

2 Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 230.2(A) provides, in pertinent part, that if a person is arrested without a warrant, the person cannot be held more than forty-eight hours from booking without a probable cause determination being made by a magistrate or judge. 3 Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 230.2(B) provides: “If a probable cause determination is not timely made . . ., the arrested person shall be released on his own recognizance.” 3 And I was troubled by the fact that could Mr. Jones, could he have bonded out at the time that Judge Ritchie signed this paperwork? The answer is no.

2:30 p.m[.]? 6 hours and 13 minutes that he had to wait after this was signed before he‟d be eligible for bail -- well, not eligible for bail. He was set bail, but would be permitted or admitted to bail. That‟s another 6 hours. And jail is not time out. Jail is jail.

He was denied bail without a hearing based on a particular set of circumstances, an incident that caused him to be arrested. It‟s not something – it‟s not anything else. It was the event that caused him to be arrested. And it was the event that was the basis, that same event, that was the basis for his detention past the 48 hours; not past the 48 hours but caused him to spend an additional six hours in jail. Had jeopardy attached, Mr. Dorsey?

No, but there is my concern that the State seeks to punish him twice. That was penal, in nature, to hold him for an additional six hours past the time that he should have been; and by law, bailable at 2:30 Monday. . . .

8:43. [p.m.] At the time this was signed at 2[:]30 [p.m.], he should have been bailable immediately. But[,] he was not. I‟m going to quash the information.

ERRORS PATENT

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed for

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