State v. Ates

989 So. 2d 259, 2008 WL 3399286
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 13, 2008
Docket43,327-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by173 cases

This text of 989 So. 2d 259 (State v. Ates) 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 v. Ates, 989 So. 2d 259, 2008 WL 3399286 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

989 So.2d 259 (2008)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee
v.
Edward Eugene ATES, Jr., Appellant.

No. 43,327-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

August 13, 2008.

*260 Lavalle B. Salomon, Monroe, for Appellant.

Robert W. Levy, District Attorney, Paul R. Knight, Emma J. Devillier, Assistant District Attorneys, Terri R. Lacy, Office of Attorney General, for Appellee.

*261 Before WILLIAMS, STEWART and LOLLEY, JJ.

LOLLEY, J.

This criminal appeal arises from the Third Judicial District Court, Parish of Union, State of Louisiana. Edward Eugene Ates, Jr. was convicted as charged by a jury for the illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities by discharging a firearm while committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, a violation of La. R.S. 14:94(A) and (F). He was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment at hard labor without benefits, along with a fine of $10,000.00, costs and restitution. Ates now appeals. For the following reasons, his conviction and sentence are affirmed.

FACTS

In the early evening of December 20, 2004, in Union Parish, Louisiana, Linda Baldwin was driving her family-owned pickup truck which was normally driven by her teen-aged son. She stopped the truck across from a trailer park, where she observed the defendant, Edward Ates, and his cousin, Tommy Ates, talking. After pulling onto the highway, Baldwin heard an "explosion," smelled gun powder, and felt stinging in her leg. She pulled over to determine what had happened, and from inspecting the rear of the truck and its contents, she quickly deduced that Edward Ates had shot at her, thinking that her son was driving the truck.[1] Baldwin, both scared and furious, drove into Bernice, Louisiana where she reported the incident, after confronting both Edward Ates and Tommy Ates regarding the matter.

Edward Ates was questioned at the Bernice Police Department the following day. After being advised of and waiving his Miranda rights, he gave statements to the police. Edward Ates was arrested and subsequently indicted for illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities by discharging a firearm while committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence. After a jury trial, at which the defense presented no evidence or witnesses, the 12-person jury unanimously found Ates guilty as charged. This appeal ensued.

DISCUSSION

Sufficiency of the Evidence

In his first assignment of error, Ates argues that the evidence presented against him was insufficient to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Specifically, Ates argues that the state failed to show that he intentionally endangered human life, noting that in his taped statement, he stated that he merely shot into the air and never intended to strike the vehicle or its occupant. Ates also contends that the element of the crime of violence, aggravated assault, was not proved, noting that the victim did not realize that a shot had been fired until after the incident. Because there was no contemporaneous knowledge of an aggravated assault by the victim, Ates contends that the state failed to prove one of the essential elements of the crime.

Although the record does not reflect that Ates filed a motion for post verdict judgment of acquittal pursuant to La. C. Cr. P. art. 821, this court will consider sufficiency arguments in the absence of such a motion. State v. Henson, 38,820 (La.App. 2d Cir.09/22/04), 882 So.2d 670.

The standard of appellate review for a sufficiency of the evidence claim is whether, *262 after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Tate, XXXX-XXXX (La.05/20/03), 851 So.2d 921, cert. denied, 541 U.S. 905, 124 S.Ct. 1604, 158 L.Ed.2d 248 (2004). This standard, now legislatively embodied in La. C. Cr. P. art. 821, does not provide the appellate court with a vehicle to substitute its own appreciation of the evidence for that of the fact finder. State v. Pigford, XXXX-XXXX (La.02/22/06), 922 So.2d 517. The appellate court does not assess the credibility of witnesses or reweigh evidence. State v. Smith, XXXX-XXXX (La.10/16/95), 661 So.2d 442; State v. Linn, 43,006 (La.App. 2d Cir.02/13/08), 975 So.2d 771. A reviewing court accords great deference to a jury's decision to accept or reject the testimony of a witness in whole or in part. State v. Gilliam, 36,118 (La.App. 2d Cir.08/30/02), 827 So.2d 508, writ denied, XXXX-XXXX (La.11/14/03), 858 So.2d 422.

The Jackson standard is applicable in cases involving both direct and circumstantial evidence. An appellate court reviewing the sufficiency of evidence in such cases must resolve any conflict in the direct evidence by viewing that evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution. When the direct evidence is thus viewed, the facts established by the direct evidence and inferred from the circumstances established by that evidence must be sufficient for a rational trier of fact to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant was guilty of every essential element of the crime. State v. Sutton, 436 So.2d 471 (La.1983); State v. Parker, 42,311 (La.App. 2d Cir.08/15/07), 963 So.2d 497.

Where there is conflicting testimony about factual matters, the resolution of which depends upon a determination of the credibility of the witnesses, the matter is one of the weight of the evidence, not its sufficiency. State v. Allen, 36,180 (La. App. 2d Cir.09/18/02), 828 So.2d 622, writs denied, 2002-2595 (La.03/28/03), 840 So.2d 566, 2002-2997 (La.06/27/03), 847 So.2d 1255, cert. denied, 540 U.S. 1185, 124 S.Ct. 1404, 158 L.Ed.2d 90 (2004). In the absence of internal contradiction or irreconcilable conflict with physical evidence, one witness's testimony, if believed by the trier of fact, is sufficient support for a requisite factual conclusion. State v. Wiltcher, 41,981 (La.App. 2d Cir.05/09/07), 956 So.2d 769.

Initially, our review of the record shows that the indictment cited the charge against Ates as a violation of La. R.S. 14:94(F) and not the general offense provision of the statute contained in subsection (A). Whereas we observe that the indictment informed Ates of the statutory basis of the offense and otherwise adequately set forth the offense, we note, however, that Subsection (F) of the statute pertains only to the enhanced penalty that may be imposed upon whoever commits the crime of illegal use of a weapon or dangerous instrumentality by discharging a firearm while committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence. Here, the sufficiency of the indictment was not questioned by Ates prior to or at trial nor on appeal, and we note that the indictment was not so defective as to be insufficient. See State v. Held, 32,610 (La.App. 2nd Cir.12/10/99), 748 So.2d 608. So considering, we conclude that this error patent in the indictment was immaterial and certainly not prejudicial to this defendant.

Louisiana R.S. 14:94(A) and (F), regarding illegal use of weapons or dangerous *263 instrumentalities, provides in pertinent part:

A.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Louisiana v. Rustin Randall Middleton
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024
State of Louisiana v. Flenory Frazier, III
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024
State of Louisiana v. Sirdetrick Samuels
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2019
State v. Harris
266 So. 3d 953 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2019)
State v. Brooks
256 So. 3d 524 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Liker
250 So. 3d 1105 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Blake
247 So. 3d 1026 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Carman
247 So. 3d 141 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Townsend
246 So. 3d 766 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Jack
224 So. 3d 492 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Nixon
222 So. 3d 123 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Fleming
219 So. 3d 499 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Lee
216 So. 3d 205 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Breedlove
213 So. 3d 1195 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Tucker
170 So. 3d 394 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Mitchell
163 So. 3d 858 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Baham
169 So. 3d 558 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Reeves
162 So. 3d 658 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Hooter
162 So. 3d 532 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Dixon
81 So. 3d 251 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
989 So. 2d 259, 2008 WL 3399286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ates-lactapp-2008.