State v. Baker

729 So. 2d 167, 1999 WL 111592
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 3, 1999
Docket97-KA-2856
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 729 So. 2d 167 (State v. Baker) 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. Baker, 729 So. 2d 167, 1999 WL 111592 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

729 So.2d 167 (1999)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
James R. BAKER.

No. 97-KA-2856.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

March 3, 1999.

*168 Harry F. Connick, District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Susan Erlanger Talbot, Assistant District Attorney of Orleans Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana, Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee.

James C. Lawrence, Jr., New Orleans, Louisiana, Counsel for Defendant/Appellant.

Court composed of Judge STEVEN R. PLOTKIN, Judge JAMES F. McKAY III, Judge DENNIS R. BAGNERIS, Sr.

PLOTKIN, Judge.

On June 24, 1996, the defendant, James Baker, was charged by bill of information with one count of obscenity. La. R.S. 14:106. He was arraigned July 2, 1996 and pled not guilty. A six member jury found him guilty as charged November 19, 1996. On July 10, 1997, the defendant filed a motion for new trial. On July 25, 1997, the motion was denied. The defendant waived delays and was sentenced to one year at hard labor.

FACTS:

Officer Donald Juneau, Orleans Levee Board Police, testified he was on routine patrol on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans on the afternoon of March 21, 1996. At approximately 2:30 p.m., a white female flagged him down and reported that she had observed obscene conduct in the 1000 block of Lakeshore Drive. The woman said that she had been jogging and had seen a white male with brown hair and a beard masturbating in a red pickup truck. Officer Juneau radioed to fellow Officer Gavin Pagart who saw the truck. Juneau said that he ordered the defendant, who matched the description, out of the truck. He told him that a witness had seen him masturbating, that she had seen him with his hands on his erect penis, and that he was under investigation for obscene and lewd conduct. When the defendant stepped out of the truck, he had an obvious erection. The witness identified the defendant. Juneau seized a pair of binoculars and a bottle of "Wet" brand lubricant.

Officer Juneau said that there was another female witness to the crime, who had been jogging with the reporting witness, but that she did not want to get involved.

Officer Pagart testified that he responded to Officer Juneau's broadcast, and saw the red truck. He approached and asked the occupant, the defendant, who matched the broadcast description, to step out. When the defendant exited the truck, his erection was obvious. Officer Pagart saw the "Wet" lubricant on the dashboard of the truck. He said it was not in a prescription bottle, but looked like an over the counter product that could be purchased in a novelty store. He also saw the binoculars Officer Juneau found. The *169 witness identified the defendant as the perpetrator.

Elizabeth McGinnis Mavromatis testified that she was jogging with Jennifer Leonard; the two of them were in training for a road race. As they were running, Leonard asked her if she had seen the defendant masturbating. Mavromatis had seen the red truck, but had not seen the defendant masturbating. Leonard flagged down a police officer. Mavromatis explained to him that she had not noticed the masturbation, but that her three month old dog, with whom she had been running, might have diverted her attention. She said that she could not identify the defendant. Officer Juneau left with Leonard, and Mavromatis returned to her car.

Leonard said she first saw the defendant as she was jogging. He was walking around and did not look suspicious. She and Mavromatis ran down Lakeshore Drive, turned around, and on the way back, she saw the defendant in the truck, on the passenger side, with the door open, masturbating. He was "half in and half out of the truck." His penis was erect, and "his mouth seemed to be open like he was really enjoying himself." She said she did not think he was changing clothes or applying medication. She asked Mavromatis whether she had seen the activity, but she responded she had not. Leonard explained that Mavromatis was preoccupied with her dog. Leonard flagged down a police officer. He took her to the pickup truck where she identified the defendant.

The defense called Dr. Peter Galvan, an internal medicine doctor. He had never testified in court before. He described himself as a primary care physician, with four years in practice and two years with board certification. The court refused to qualify him as an expert in dermatology. Galvan testified that he treated the defendant for "jock itch", a fungal infection of the groin, on March 21, 1996 at a scheduled appointment. Galvan could not remember the exact time of day that he saw the defendant, but he placed the appointment sometime mid-day, and believed that it was before 4:00 p.m. He said that the defendant's condition was commonly seen in humid regions. He prescribed Lotrisone, an anti-inflammatory agent with a steroid added, and "pills" for systemic treatment. On cross, he said that scratching or itching the rash associated with the fungus might cause an erection. He said that he was not familiar with the lubricant found in the defendant's truck, although anything with a moisturizing property might alleviate the itch. He told the defendant to return to his office on April 4, but the defendant did not keep the appointment.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR ONE:

The defendant argues the evidence presented by the State was insufficient to support the conviction. In evaluating whether evidence is constitutionally sufficient to support a conviction, an appellate court must determine whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Green, 588 So.2d 757 (La.App. 4 Cir.1991). However, the reviewing court may not disregard this duty simply because the record contains evidence that tends to support each fact necessary to constitute the crime. State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305 (La.1988). The reviewing court is not permitted to consider just the evidence most favorable to the prosecution but must consider the record as a whole since that is what a rational trier of fact would do. If rational triers of fact could disagree as to the interpretation of the evidence, the rational trier's view of all the evidence most favorable to the prosecution must be adopted. The fact finder's discretion will be impinged upon only to the extent necessary to guarantee the fundamental protection of due process of law. Mussall; Green, supra. "[A] reviewing court is not called upon to decide whether it believes the witnesses or whether the conviction is contrary to the weight of the evidence." State v. Smith, 600 So.2d 1319, 1324 (La.1992).

In addition, when circumstantial evidence forms the basis of the conviction, such evidence must consist of proof of collateral facts and circumstances from which the existence of the main fact may be inferred according to reason and common experience. State v. Shapiro, 431 So.2d 372 (La.1982). *170 The elements must be proven such that every reasonable hypothesis of innocence is excluded. La. R.S. 15:438. This is not a separate test from Jackson v. Virginia, supra, but rather is an evidentiary guideline to facilitate appellate review of whether a rational juror could have found a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Wright, 445 So.2d 1198 (La.1984). All evidence, direct and circumstantial, must meet the Jackson reasonable doubt standard. State v. Jacobs,

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Bluebook (online)
729 So. 2d 167, 1999 WL 111592, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-baker-lactapp-1999.