Home/Tennessee Supreme Court/State of Tennessee v. Albert Dewaynn Porter - Concurring

State of Tennessee v. Albert Dewaynn Porter - Concurring

CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 11, 1999
Docket02S01-9803-CC-000205
StatusPublished

This text of State of Tennessee v. Albert Dewaynn Porter - Concurring (State of Tennessee v. Albert Dewaynn Porter - Concurring) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Tennessee v. Albert Dewaynn Porter - Concurring, (Tenn. 1999).

Opinion

IN T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T O F T E N N E S S E E A T J A C K S O N

FL E I D F O R P U B L IC A T IO N O c to b e r 1 1 , 1 9 9 9 F ile d : O c to b e r 1 1 , 1 9 9 9 C e c il C r o w s o n , J r . A p p e lla te C o u r t C le r k

S T A T E O F T E N N E S S E E , ) ) A P P E L L E E , ) H A R D IN C O U N T Y ) v . ) H o n . C . C r e e d M c G in le y , J u d g e ) A L B E R T D E W A Y N N P O R T E R , ) N o . 0 2 S 0 1 -9 8 0 3 -C C -0 0 0 2 5 ) A P P E L L A N T . )

F O R A P P E L L A N T : F O R A P P E L L E E :

R IC H A R D W . D E B E R R Y J O H N K N O X W A L K U P C a m d e n , T N A tto rn e y G e n e ra l a n d R e p o rte r

M IC H A E L E . M O O R E S o l i c it o r G e n e r a l

E L IZ A B E T H B . M A R N E Y A s s is ta n t A tto r n e y G e n e r a l N a s h v ille , T N

R O B E R T R A D F O R D D i s t r ic t A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l

J O H N O V E R T O N A s s i s t a n t D i s t r ic t A t t o r n e y S a v a n n a h , T N

O P I N I O N

A F F IR M E D H O L D E R , J . O P IN IO N

W e g r a n te d th is a p p e a l to d e te r m in e w h e th e r th e c o m m o n la w " p r o c u rin g

a g e n t d e f e n s e " h a s b e e n a b o li s h e d b y s t a t u t e . W e h o l d t h a t t h e p r o c u r i n g a g e n t

d e f e n s e w a s a b o lis h e d b y T e n n . C o d e A n n . § 3 9 - 1 1 - 2 0 3 ( e ) ( 2 ) w h ic h e x p r e s s ly

s t a t e s t h a t " [ d ] e f e n s e s a v a il a b l e u n d e r c o m m o n l a w a r e h e r e b y a b o li s h e d . " T h e

t r ia l c o u r t a p p r o p r ia t e ly d e c lin e d t o in s tr u c t t h e ju r y o n th e p r o c u r in g a g e n t

d e f e n s e , a n d t h e d e f e n d a n t 's c o n v ic t i o n f o r s e ll i n g a c o n t r o l l e d s u b s t a n c e w a s

s u p p o r t e d b y t h e e v id e n c e .

F A C T S

O n S e p te m b e r 3 0 , 1 9 9 4 , K a r la A b b o tt, a n u n d e r c o v e r o p e r a t iv e fo r th e

T w e n t y - F o u r t h J u d ic ia l D i s t r i c t D r u g T a s k F o r c e , a n d B o b b y W i c k e r , a n

in f o r m a n t , d r o v e to a p r e - a r r a n g e d lo c a tio n a n d m e t t h e d e f e n d a n t . T h e t h r e e

d r o v e to W ic k e r ’s a p a rt m e n t , w h ic h w a s a c r o s s t h e s tr e e t f r o m th e a p a rtm e n t

w h e r e th e d e f e n d a n t p la n n e d to o b ta in c ra c k c o c a in e f o r W ic k e r . W h ile e n

r o u t e , t h e t r a n s a c t i o n w a s d is c u s s e d , a n d t h e y d e c i d e d t o p u r c h a s e a n “ 8 - b a l l ” o f

c o c a in e .

O n c e th e y a rr iv e d , A b b o tt , W ic k e r , a n d th e d e f e n d a n t e n te r e d W ic k e r ’s

a p a r t m e n t . T h e r e , A b b o t t g a v e th e d e f e n d a n t $ 2 5 0 t o b u y th e c r a c k c o c a in e .

T h e d e f e n d a n t t h e n w e n t a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t t o t h e r e s id e n c e o f a n i n d i v id u a l

r e f e r r e d to o n ly a s “ D e e . ” T h e p r e s e n c e o f c e rt a in p e r s o n s in D e e ’s a p a rt m e n t

a p p a r e n t l y c a u s e d s o m e c o n c e r n , a n d t h e d e f e n d a n t l e f t w i t h o u t m a k in g t h e

p u rc h a s e .

2 T h e d e f e n d a n t e v e n tu a lly m e t D e e o n t h e s tr e e t in f r o n t o f t h e a p a r t m e n t

a n d p u r c h a s e d th e c o c a in e fr o m D e e . A b b o tt a n d W ic k e r w e r e a b le to o b s e rv e

t h e e x c h a n g e o f c o c a in e f o r m o n e y b e tw e e n D e e a n d t h e d e f e n d a n t . T h e

d e f e n d a n t th e n r e tu r n e d to W ic k e r ’s a p a rtm e n t w ith th e c o c a in e . H e r e f u s e d ,

h o w e v e r , to g iv e t h e c o c a in e to A b b o t t a n d W ic k e r u n til th e y a g r e e d t o s m o k e

s o m e o f t h e c r a c k c o c a i n e w i t h h i m . T h e d e f e n d a n t h e l p e d t o p r e p a r e a d e v ic e

u s e d to in h a le th e c o c a in e . H e a n d W ic k e r t h e n s m o k e d s o m e o f t h e c ra c k

c o c a in e . A b b o t t a n d W ic k e r t h e n d r o v e th e d e f e n d a n t b a c k t o t h e o r ig in a l

m e e t in g p la c e .

T h e d e f e n d a n t w a s in d i c t e d f o r v io l a t i n g T e n n . C o d e A n n . § 3 9 - 1 7 - 4 1 7

w h i c h p r o v id e s t h a t :

It is a n o ff e n s e fo r a d e fe n d a n t to k n o w i n g ly : M a n u f a c tu r e a c o n tr o lle d s u b s t a n c e ; d e liv e r a c o n tr o lle d s u b s t a n c e ; s e ll a c o n tr o lle d s u b s ta n c e ; o r p o s s e s s a c o n tr o lle d s u b s ta n c e w i th in te n t to m a n u f a c tu r e , d e l i v e r o r s e ll s u c h c o n tr o lle d s u b s ta n c e .

T e n n . C o d e A n n . § 3 9 - 1 7 - 4 1 7 ( a ) . T h e d e f e n d a n t r e q u e s te d t h e t r ia l ju d g e to

in s tr u c t t h e ju r y o n th e p r o c u r in g a g e n t d o c tr in e . T h e t r ia l ju d g e h e ld t h a t t h e

" p r o c u r i n g a g e n t " d o c t r i n e w a s a c o m m o n l a w d e f e n s e t h a t w a s a b o li s h e d b y

T e n n . C o d e A n n . § 3 9 - 1 1 - 2 0 3 ( e ) ( 2 ) w h i c h p r o v id e s t h a t " [ d ] e f e n s e s a v a il a b l e

u n d e r t h e c o m m o n l a w a r e h e r e b y a b o li s h e d . " T h e t r i a l j u d g e d e c li n e d t o

in s tr u c t t h e ju r y o n th e " p r o c u r in g a g e n t" d o c tr in e .

T h e d e f e n d a n t ' s t e s t i m o n y in d i c a t e s t h a t h e w a s a d d ic t e d t o c o c a i n e a n d

t h a t h e h a d d e v is e d a m e a n s t o s u p p o r t h i s a d d ic t i o n . U s in g f u n d s p r o v id e d b y

p e r s o n s d e s ir i n g d r u g s , h e p u r c h a s e d t h o s e d r u g s f r o m th ir d p a r tie s . T h e

d e f e n d a n t w o u ld th e n s h a re in a p o r tio n o f th e d r u g s w h e n h e d e liv e re d th e

3 d r u g s t o t h e p e r s o n s w h o h a d s u p p lie d t h e m o n e y . T h e ju r y c o n v ic t e d t h e

d e f e n d a n t o f s e ll i n g c o c a i n e . A m a j o r i t y o f t h e c o u r t o f c r i m i n a l a p p e a l s a f f i r m e d .

A N A L Y S IS

T h e d e f e n d a n t a r g u e s t h a t t h e t r i a l c o u r t e r r e d b y r e f u s in g t o i n s t r u c t t h e

ju r y o n th e " p r o c u r in g a g e n t" d o c tr in e . T h e d e f e n d a n t r e lie s o n S t a t e v . B a ld w in ,

8 6 7 S . W . 2 d 3 5 8 ( T e n n . C r im . A p p . 1 9 9 3 ) . In B a ld w in , t h e in t e r m e d ia t e a p p e lla t e

c o u rt h e ld th a t th e " p r o c u rin g a g e n t" d o c tr in e w a s v ia b le a s a d e fe n s e w h e n a

d e f e n d a n t is c h a r g e d w ith t h e s a le o f d r u g s . B a ld w in , h o w e v e r, is

d i s t i n g u i s h a b le f r o m t h e p r e s e n t c a s e a s t h e o f f e n s e in B a l d w i n p r e d a t e d t h e

T e n n e s s e e C r im in a l R e f o r m A c t o f 1 9 8 9 .

W ith th e p a s s a g e o f th e C r im in a l R e f o r m A c t o f 1 9 8 9 , t h e l e g i s la t u r e

m a d e p r o c u r i n g o r d e l i v e r i n g a c o n t r o l l e d s u b s t a n c e t h e s a m e c r i m e a s s e ll i n g a

c o n tr o lle d s u b s ta n c e . T e n n . C o d e A n n . § 3 9 - 1 7 - 4 1 7 ; s e e g e n e r a lly C a r t e r v .

S ta te , 9 5 8 S .W .2 d 6 2 0 ( T e n n . 1 9 9 7 ) ; S c h a d v . A r iz o n a , 5 0 1 U .S . 6 2 4 ( 1 9 9 1 )

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