State v. Barroso

762 So. 2d 206, 2000 WL 635120
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 17, 2000
Docket99-KA-1297
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 762 So. 2d 206 (State v. Barroso) 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. Barroso, 762 So. 2d 206, 2000 WL 635120 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

762 So.2d 206 (2000)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Armando BARROSO.

No. 99-KA-1297.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

May 17, 2000.

*208 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Thomas J. Butler, Terry M. Boudreaux, Nancy Miller, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, Counsel for appellee State of Louisiana.

Katherine M. Franks, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Counsel for defendant-appellant.

Court Composed of Judges CHARLES GRISBAUM, Jr., THOMAS F. DALEY and CLARENCE E. McMANUS.

McMANUS, Judge.

Defendant, Armando Barroso, appeals his conviction and sentence of two counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:62.2. For the following reasons, we affirm the conviction and sentence, and remand with instructions.

Defendant was charged on November 25, 1997, with three counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:62.2. Trial was held on November 11, 1998, following which, defendant was found guilty as charged of two counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling by a twelve person jury.

On November 16, 1998, the State filed a multiple bill of information alleging that defendant was a second felony offender. On November 19, 1998, the trial court sentenced the defendant to ten years at hard labor on each count to be served *209 concurrently. On March 3, 1999, the trial court held a multiple bill hearing and subsequently found that the State failed to prove that defendant was a multiple offender. The State filed a second multiple offender bill of information alleging that defendant was a second felony offender. On August 19, 1999, following a hearing, the trial court adjudicated defendant a second felony offender and vacated defendant's prior sentence on count one. The trial court then sentenced defendant to 20 years at hard labor to be served without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. The defendant filed a motion to reconsider the sentence, which was subsequently denied by the trial court. On August 25, 1999, defendant filed a timely motion for appeal.

FACTS

At trial, the State presented the testimony of Dwayne Bryant, the groundskeeper for Sawmill Creek Apartments on October 16, 1997. Mr. Bryant testified that at about 1:00 A.M. on October 16, 1997, he noticed two suspicious men, one short and one tall, standing in front of building 16. Mr. Bryant saw the tall man, later identified as defendant's accomplice, Raymond Gil, jump the patio fence of apartment 102 in building 16. Mr. Bryant further testified that the short man, later identified as the defendant, was waiting in the sidewalk area and later entered apartment 102. Defendant and Mr. Gil were in the apartment for about fifteen to twenty minutes. When they exited the apartment, they had a paper bag with them and they were walking to a dark green car. Mr. Bryant saw defendant enter the passenger side of the dark green car. As the defendant and Mr. Gil were leaving the complex, the police officers arrived on the scene.

Mark Jacobs, a former resident at Sawmill Creek Apartments, testified that he lived in building 24, apartment 202, which is on the second floor, right across the alley from building 16, apartment 102. Mr. Jacobs went home for lunch on October 16, 1997, and was at home between 1:00-2:00 P.M. As he was eating his lunch, Mr. Jacobs looked outside his patio window and noticed a short man, Mr. Gil, crossing the alley and walking toward his apartment building. Mr. Jacobs saw Mr. Gil proceed toward the stairs leading to his apartment so he went to his door and looked through the peephole.

Mr. Gil went to Mr. Jacobs's apartment and placed his ear against Mr. Jacobs's door. Mr. Gil then looked underneath Mr. Jacobs's door. Afterwards, Mr. Gil went to Mr. Jacobs's neighbor's apartment and put his ear on his neighbor's door. Mr. Jacobs observed Mr. Gil leave his landing, proceed down the stairs, and cross the alley back to building 16. Mr. Gil looked at the apartment on the ground floor and jumped over the wooden fence. Mr. Jacobs called 911. Mr. Jacobs saw Mr. Gil and defendant carrying items while leaving the breezeway. The two men walked to a parked green car. When he saw the men heading toward the car, Mr. Bryant went down the landing. As the defendant and Mr. Gil left the apartment complex, the police arrived on the scene and Mr. Jacobs pointed to the departing car. Mr. Jacobs identified the defendant after he was apprehended.

Lieutenant Mike Guillory was employed with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on October 16, 1997. Lt. Guillory testified that he was dispatched to the Sawmill Creek Apartments when he responded to a suspicious person call that two Spanish men were attempting to break into apartments. Lt. Guillory testified that he pulled into Sawmill Road and noticed several people standing outside pointing to a dark green vehicle that was departing. After the green car was pointed out to Lt. Guillory, he radioed other units and advised them that the suspects vehicle had just sped by him. Lt. Guillory then proceeded to give chase and two other police units assisted him. While Lt. Guillory was giving chase, he saw a plastic milk carton discarded from the passenger side of the *210 car. The defendant was apprehended at the end of Hickory Avenue at the dead end by the railroad tracks. Lt. Guillory testified that the officers saw a screwdriver, knives, watches, jewelry, and other items in the vehicle.

Deputy Steven Caravella was employed with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department on October 16, 1997. Deputy Caravella heard a suspicious person dispatch at Sawmill Creek Apartments. Deputy Caravella and his partner, Harold Bourgeois, proceeded to the scene. As Deputy Caravella arrived at the apartment complex, Lt. Guillory got on the radio and informed the other units that the two individuals entered a dark green car and were leaving the complex at a high rate of speed. Deputy Bourgeois gave chase and followed directly after the fleeing vehicle. Deputy Bourgeois turned his overhead lights on and blocked the street, but the dark green vehicle went around his police car. As the deputies gave chase, Deputy Caravella noticed a white object discarded from the driver's side of the vehicle. The chase ended at Hickory Avenue at the dead end by the railroad tracks because the green car got a flat tire after it hit a storm drainage ditch. Inside the car, the deputies found jewelry, two or three pagers, a cell phone, a large screwdriver, and a woman's purse on the floor.

Deputy Michael Cook was employed at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on October 16, 1997. Deputy Cook was dispatched to the Sawmill Creek Apartments to investigate a burglary call. Upon arriving at the apartment complex, he met with a witness, later identified as Mr. Bryant, who related that he saw two males by the rear yard of the fence line by apartment 102. Deputy Cook found the door of apartment 102 partially ajar. When Deputy Cook entered the residence, it was in complete disarray. Items had been strewn on the floor and areas of the house had been ransacked.

The sliding glass door was ajar and showed signs of pry marks. Deputy Cook found a small dog, whimpering and hiding underneath a futon type couch in the front of the apartment. Deputy Cook remained on the scene until a relative of the occupant came and took custody of the apartment.

Linda Van Arsdall testified that on October 16, 1997, she resided at building 16, apartment 102 of the Sawmill Creek Apartments. She was in New York when the burglary occurred.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
762 So. 2d 206, 2000 WL 635120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-barroso-lactapp-2000.