State v. Baptiste

759 So. 2d 173, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 0288, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 1073, 2000 WL 568496
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided March 29, 2000·No. No. 99-KA-0288·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinions

1 .KLEES, Chief Judge.

Defendant Vonda Baptiste was charged by bill of information on July 15, with distribution of cocaine, a violation of La. R.S. 40:967. She was arraigned and pled not guilty on July 28, 1998. On August 11, 1998, a motion to quash she had filed was denied. On August 19, 1998, she withdrew her former plea and pled guilty as charged pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976). She was sentenced to five .years at hard labor, suspended, with active probation. She filed a motion for appeal that day.

FACTS:

A police narrative establishes the underlying facts. In an undercover operation, the defendant approached the officer and asked if he was looking for rocks. As officers watched, she walked over to a man, gave him the money the officer had given her, and returned with a rock of crack that she gave to the officer. She was arrested for possession and found to be in possession of more drugs. The narrative explains:

It should be noted that the subjects were not arrested for the distribution charge at that time due to the fact that the investigation was ongoing. It should be further noted that at the conclusion of the investigation, Officer Veit prepared an arrest warrant and at which time a round up was conducted....
On 09-28-95, members of the task force executed the warrants and at which time they were unable to locate Mr. Nelson and Miss Baptiste. Officer Veit relocated to N.C.I.C. where he gave the warrants to be put on file for their arrest.

The docket master in case 379-913“A” states that the defendant was charged with two counts of possession of distribution of crack, and that a co-defendant Clifton Nelson was charged with one count of distribution of crack. However, the [2bill of information establishes that the defendant was charged with one count of distribution and one count of possession with intent to distribute. The defendant was at large until she apparently turned herself in on July 6, 1998. The docket master states that on July 13, 1998, she pled guilty as charged and was sentenced to five years at hard labor, suspended and three years active probation. The minute entry of July 13, 1998, states the same thing. The plea form states that she was pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR ONE:

The defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying her motion to quash which was based on double jeopardy. She argues that because the docket master and minute entry state that she pled guilty as charged in 379-913“A” she should not have been prosecuted again in this case since she has pled guilty to two counts. She also argues that double jeopardy was violated because the acts constituted one continuous transaction. This court recently reviewed the law on point in State v. Jones, 97-KA-2217, p. 6-9 (La.App. 4 Cir. 2/24/99), 731 So.2d 389, 393-395, writ denied 99-1702 (La.11/5/99), 751 So.2d 234:

Article 1, § 15 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, prohibit placing a person in jeopardy twice for the same offense. See also La.Code Crim. Proc. art. 591.
Article 596 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, in pertinent part, provides that double jeopardy exists in a second trial when the charge is “[b]ased on a part of a continuous offense for [175] which the defendant was in jeopardy in the first trial.”
When evaluating double jeopardy claims, Louisiana courts have recognized both the Blockbwrger test and the “same evidence” test; however, courts have mainly relied upon the “same evidence” test. See, e.g., State v. Vaughn, 431 So.2d 763 (La.1983). Nonetheless, the Louisiana Supreme Court has not adopted a “same transaction” test, which would prohibit, on double jeopardy grounds, prosecution for different crimes committed during one sequential and continuing course of conduct. City of Baton Rouge v. 3Jackson, 310 So.2d 596, 598 (La.1975); State v. Gaines, 96-1850, p. 9 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1/29/97), 688 So.2d 679, 684, writ denied, 97-0510 (La.9/5/97), 700 So.2d 503. Consequently, an accused who commits separate and distinct offenses during the same criminal episode or transaction may be prosecuted and convicted for each offense without violating the prohibition against double jeopardy. State v. Nichols, 337 So.2d 1074, 1076-78 (La.1976); Gaines, supra, p. 9; 688 So.2d at 684.
In State v. Watson, 97-0353 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1/23/98), 706 So.2d 1044, writ denied, 98-0461 (La.6/26/98), 719 So.2d 1055, the defendant was arrested in Jefferson Parish for possession with intent to distribute cocaine that was found in his car. That same evening, more cocaine was seized from the defendant’s apartment in Orleans Parish pursuant to a consensual search; the defendant was later arrested in Orleans Parish. After pleading guilty in Jefferson Parish to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, the defendant was charged in Orleans' Parish with the same offense, relative to the cocaine seized from his apartment. The defendant filed a motion to quash on the ground of double jeopardy, arguing that his convictions were for one continuous offense.

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State v. Baptiste, 759 So. 2d 173, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 0288, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 1073, 2000 WL 568496 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

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