State of Louisiana Versus Kevin Barker

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 11, 2019
Docket19-KA-223
StatusUnknown

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Bluebook
State of Louisiana Versus Kevin Barker, (La. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 19-KA-223

VERSUS FIFTH CIRCUIT

KEVIN BARKER COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF LOUISIANA

ON APPEAL FROM THE TWENTY-FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 18-6405, DIVISION "B" HONORABLE CORNELIUS E. REGAN, JUDGE PRESIDING

December 11, 2019

JUDE G. GRAVOIS JUDGE

Panel composed of Judges Fredericka Homberg Wicker, Jude G. Gravois, and Hans J. Liljeberg

AFFIRMED JGG FHW HJL COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLEE, STATE OF LOUISIANA Paul D. Connick, Jr. Terry M. Boudreaux Andrea F. Long Meredith Hearn

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT, KEVIN BARKER Davidson S. Ehle, III GRAVOIS, J.

Defendant, Kevin Barker, appeals his conviction and sentence for possession

with intent to distribute methamphetamine weighing less than twenty-eight grams,

following the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence. For the

following reasons, we affirm defendant’s conviction and sentence.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY AND FACTS

On October 23, 2018, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of

information charging defendant, Kevin Barker, with possession with intent to

distribute methamphetamine weighing less than twenty-eight grams, in violation of

La. R.S. 40:967(A). Derrick Jones was charged as a co-defendant in the same bill

of information. Defendant entered a plea in absentia of not guilty at his

arraignment on November 19, 2018.1 On that same date, defendant filed omnibus

motions, including a motion to suppress evidence. On February 11, 2019, the trial

court heard only defendant’s motion to suppress evidence.2 On February 19, 2019,

the trial court denied the motion to suppress.

On March 14, 2019, defendant withdrew his not guilty plea and pled guilty

as charged pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La. 1976). After informing

defendant of his Boykin3 rights and accepting his Crosby plea, the trial court

sentenced defendant to four years imprisonment at hard labor, suspended the

sentence, and placed him on three years of active probation. On March 20, 2019,

defendant filed a motion for an appeal, which was granted on March 21, 2019.

Defendant’s appeal follows where he challenges the trial court’s denial of his

motion to suppress evidence.

1 On that same date, a Motion, Affidavit and Order to Waive Defendant’s Presence at Arraignment was filed into the record. Per La. C.Cr.P. art. 832, a defendant may waive his presence at arraignment. 2 The remainder of defendant’s omnibus pretrial motions, such as a motion to suppress a confession and identification, were not heard. When a defendant fails to object to the trial court’s failure to hear or rule on a pretrial motion before pleading guilty, the motion is considered waived. See State v. Corzo, 04-791 (La. App. 5 Cir. 2/15/05), 896 So.2d 1101, 1102. Here, because defendant did not object to the trial court’s failure to hear or rule on his other pre-trial motions, any objection thereto is waived. 3 Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 242, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 1711, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969).

19-KA-223 1 Because defendant pled guilty, the facts of his case were not fully developed

at a trial. The bill of information provides that on or about October 4, 2018,

defendant knowingly or intentionally possessed with intent to distribute

methamphetamine weighing less than twenty-eight grams.

At the February 11, 2019 suppression hearing, Detective Allan Doubleday

with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office testified that on October 4, 2018, at

approximately 11:00 a.m., he went to the Boomtown Casino located on Peters

Road in Jefferson Parish after he received information that morning from a known

confidential informant (“CI”).4 The CI provided that defendant would deliver “a

quantity of methamphetamine and liquid methamphetamine” to the casino and that

he would arrive at approximately 11:00 a.m. in an Uber accompanied by a black

male. The CI did not know the name of the black male, but he or she provided

screenshots of both individuals.5

With this information and due to time constraints, Detective Doubleday went

to the casino and established surveillance. As he waited for the suspects to arrive,

Detective Doubleday was able to monitor their Uber on the Uber app, and the CI

also sent Detective Doubleday a text message indicating that the suspects would be

arriving at the casino soon. Detective Doubleday then observed defendant and the

black male from the previously provided screenshots arrive in an Uber. Both

defendant and the black male carried backpacks, and as predicted by the CI,

walked to the lobby of the casino near the elevator “where the meet was supposed

to happen.” At that point, the suspects were detained and brought outside of the

casino to the parking lot.6 Based on the CI’s information and his corroboration of

that information, Detective Doubleday believed that defendant was about to

4 Detective Doubleday testified that he had worked with this CI before and the CI was paid after the investigation. 5 Detective Doubleday could not recall whether the photographs of the suspects came from “Grinder” or another social media application. 6 Detective Doubleday denied that the suspects appeared nervous or attempted to discard their backpacks.

19-KA-223 2 commit a crime. Detective Doubleday Mirandized7 both defendant and the black

male, who was identified as Derrick Jones (the co-defendant).

Detective Doubleday testified that Mr. Jones waived his Miranda rights and

elected to speak with him while defendant remained silent. Mr. Jones proceeded to

inform Detective Doubleday that he had arrived in Louisiana from Oklahoma a

few weeks earlier and was living with defendant in an apartment. During that

time, he learned that defendant was distributing methamphetamine from that

location. He further provided that defendant had asked him that morning to travel

with him to deliver a quantity of methamphetamine, and when they went to leave

their apartment, defendant asked Mr. Jones to hold the methamphetamine while

they traveled to the casino. Mr. Jones stated that he had placed the

methamphetamine in a candy box inside of his backpack. Detective Doubleday

testified that after Mr. Jones said that the methamphetamine was in a candy box

inside of the backpack, the backpack was searched.8 Detective Doubleday

subsequently discovered a bag of crystal methamphetamine and also liquid

methamphetamine.9 Defendant did not have any contraband in his backpack or on

his person.

After Detective Doubleday’s testimony concluded, defendant argued that

there was not any corroboration of the information provided by the CI. He averred

that defendant was arrested without any probable cause when he was stopped at the

elevator in the casino lobby before any true corroboration of the tip occurred. He

urged that the arrest was illegal and that the evidence seized thereafter should be

7 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). 8 Detective Doubleday provided contradicting information as to whether Mr. Jones consented to a search of his backpack. He was asked: “Mr. Jones on the other hand at that point in the parking lot after he was detained gave you consent; is that right?” Detective Doubleday responded: “Correct.” However, he thereafter denied that Mr.

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Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Terry v. Ohio
392 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Boykin v. Alabama
395 U.S. 238 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Illinois v. Gates
462 U.S. 213 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Alabama v. White
496 U.S. 325 (Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Tovar
860 So. 2d 51 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Crosby
338 So. 2d 584 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1976)
State v. Cojoe
828 So. 2d 1101 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2002)
State v. Davis
768 So. 2d 201 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
State v. Melton
412 So. 2d 1065 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1982)
State v. Weiland
556 So. 2d 175 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)
State v. Grimes
16 So. 3d 418 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State v. Bellow
982 So. 2d 826 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Corzo
896 So. 2d 1101 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)
State v. Joseph
847 So. 2d 1196 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2003)
State v. Belton
441 So. 2d 1195 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1983)
State v. Smith
245 So. 2d 327 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1971)
Wurst v. Pruyn
202 So. 2d 268 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1967)
State v. Triche
848 So. 2d 80 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Brisban
809 So. 2d 923 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2002)

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