State Of Washington v. Derrick Lamont Thomas

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided July 7, 2014·No. 71738-3·Unpublished

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON r^o O

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ~~ No. 71738-3-1 fe m^ Respondent,

DIVISION ONE -J &S v.

UNPUBLISHED OPINION m

DERRICK LAMONT THOMAS, en

Appellant. FILED: July 7, 2014

Appelwick, J. —Thomas appeals his convictions for violation of a protection order, third degree driving while license suspended or revoked, first degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). Thomas contends that the procedure used for peremptory challenges violated his public trial right. He argues that the statements he made to a community corrections officer while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car should have been suppressed, because he was not first given Miranda v. Arizona. 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 (1966), warnings. He challenges the prosecutor's repeated use of the phrase "we know" in closing. He argues that the trial court should have dismissed the cocaine possession charge under the mandatory joinder rule, because it was not presented to the jury in the first trial. He asserts a double jeopardy violation for the same reason. He argues, and the State concedes, that his misdemeanor sentences exceed the statutory maximum by one day. We affirm, but remand for correction of a sentencing error.

FACTS

On June 24, 2012, Officer Reginald Gutierrez was dispatched to 4840 South I Street in Tacoma for possible narcotics activity at the house. When Gutierrez arrived, he approached Derrick Thomas, who was outside the house detailing a car. Gutierrez asked

Thomas where he lived. Thomas responded, "'Here'" and pointed at the 4840 South I Street house. Gutierrez requested identification from Thomas. Thomas replied that he did not have any. Gutierrez then asked Thomas for his name and date of birth. Not believing Thomas's answer, Gutierrez detained Thomas. Thomas then revealed his name and admitted he had an outstanding arrest warrant. Gutierrez arrested Thomas and read him his Miranda rights.

Thomas was released from jail on July 14, 2012. The address he registered with the Department of Corrections (DOC) was his mother's home on South Hosmer in Tacoma.

DOC Officer Thomas Grabski decided to stake out the 4840 South I Street house the day Thomas was released. Grabski had received information from another officer that Thomas was living at the house in violation of community custody, and that firearms and controlled substances might be located there. Grabski is a community corrections officer charged with seeking out probation violators. He was not actively supervising Thomas at the time.

Officer Grabski recruited five police officers to assist him in investigating whether Thomas was in possession of guns and drugs. Grabski briefed the officers and instructed them to pull Thomas over on his orders.

Around 7:00 p.m., Grabski watched a vehicle pull up to the front of the 4840 South I Street house. Thomas got out of the car and entered the house without knocking. Thomas's driver's license was suspended at the time. A few minutes later, Thomas left the house and got back into the car. Later that night, Thomas again drove up to the house. Thomas, a woman, and two children got out and went inside. A short time later, Thomas left the house and drove away again.

As Thomas drove away, Grabski radioed to the assisting officers to pull Thomas over for driving with a suspended license. When Grabski arrived, Thomas was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car. Grabski did not inform Thomas of his Miranda rights. Grabski asked Thomas whether he lived at the 4840 South I Street residence, whether he had property inside, and whether he had a key to the house. Thomas responded that he had property there and a key to the house, but did not live there.

Grabski then accompanied Thomas and the other officers back to the house to search for firearms and drugs. Thomas remained detained in the patrol car during the search. The woman who answered the door said Thomas was her boyfriend and they had children together. She told the officers that Thomas did not live there, but kept some property there.

The officers searched the entire house, except the children's bedrooms. They found men's clothing in the master bedroom, as well as a loaded shotgun and shotgun shells. They also discovered scales and a small baggie of cocaine inside a pill bottle. The cocaine was located in a drawer with both men's and women's underwear. They found court and DOC documents, as well as a receipt, in Thomas's name in the master bedroom.

On July 16, 2012, the State charged Thomas with first degree unlawful possession of a firearm (Count I), violation of a protection order (Count II), and third degree driving while license suspended or revoked (DWLS, Count III).

On October 16, 2012, the State filed an amended information in open court adding a charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, specifically cocaine. Thomas was arraigned on the additional charge the same day.

The proceedings were then recessed for nearly two months. Trial commenced on December 10, 2012. However, because the October amended information was not filed until January 2013, it did not appear in the computer record at the time of trial. The parties proceeded on only the three original charges: unlawful possession of a firearm, violation of a protection order, and DWLS. Defense counsel later recalled that the State told her that it decided not to proceed on the cocaine possession charge. Thomas did not move to consolidate the charges.

At trial, Thomas objected to admission of his statements to Grabski while detained in the patrol car. The trial court noted Thomas's standing objection. Nevertheless, Grabski testified that Thomas said he had a key to the 4840 South I Street house, had just come from there, and kept personal belongings there.

The jury found Thomas guilty of the two misdemeanors: violation of a protection order and third degree DWLS. RCW 46.20.342(1 )(c); RCW 26.50.110(1). However, the jury could not reach a verdict on unlawful possession of a firearm. After polling the jury, the trial court declared a mistrial on that charge. The State immediately announced its intention to proceed to retrial. The court imposed a one year suspended sentence for the two misdemeanors.

On January 17, 2013, the State charged Thomas by amended information with first degree unlawful possession of a firearm (Count I) and unlawful possession of a cocaine (Count IV). Thomas was arraigned the same day.

On January 23, 2013, Thomas moved to dismiss the cocaine possession charge with prejudice under the mandatory joinder rule, CrR 4.3.1. Thomas argued that due process and speedy trial considerations prohibited the State from adding a new charge after the original trial. The trial court denied Thomas's motion to dismiss.

At Thomas's second trial, the jury heard recorded jail calls in which Thomas tells a woman that he does not want police to know where he lives, so he would give his mother's address and only come home late. He expressed concern about police tearing "our" room apart every week. In another call, the same woman says that she put Thomas's clothes away and discusses "when you come home." The jury also heard a call in which Thomas tells a friend that he was arrested at "my house." His friend asks him, "Your baby mama's house?" Thomas responds affirmatively. Thomas then repeatedly refers to "my house."

The jury found Thomas guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of cocaine. Thomas appeals.

DISCUSSION

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State Of Washington v. Derrick Lamont Thomas, (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

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