State v. Booth

448 So. 2d 1363
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 26, 1984
Docket15861-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 448 So. 2d 1363 (State v. Booth) 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. Booth, 448 So. 2d 1363 (La. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

448 So.2d 1363 (1984)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Vincent J. BOOTH, Appellant.

No. 15861-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

March 26, 1984.
Rehearing Denied May 2, 1984.

*1364 Kidd, Jones & Kidd by Jerry L. Jones, Monroe, for appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Baton Rouge, Johnny Parkerson, Dist. Atty., Joseph T. Mickel, Asst. Dist. Atty., Monroe, for appellee.

Before PRICE and MARVIN, JJ., and ENOS C. McCLENDON, J. Pro Tem. JJ.

*1365 PRICE, Judge.

The defendant, Vincent J. Booth, has appealed his conviction for Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, La.R.S. 40:966. We find no merit to the numerous assignments of error and affirm the conviction for the reasons assigned herein.

The charge against defendant followed a purchase made by an undercover police officer, James Kees, at defendant's dormitory room on the Northeast Louisiana University Campus on the evening of November 15, 1982. Officer Kees was accompanied by a confidential informant who was acquainted with defendant. The confidential informant informed defendant that Kees desired to purchase some marijuana. Defendant told Kees he had a one-half ounce sack which could be purchased for fifty-five dollars. Kees paid this amount and received the bag of marijuana from defendant. Subsequently, defendant was charged on December 15, 1982, by a bill of information with Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance.

After defendant's arrest, defense counsel filed pre-trial discovery motions pursuant to La.C.Cr.P. Art. 716. In the response to the motions the district attorney stated that defendant had made spontaneous oral statements to an undercover police officer on November 15, 1982. The first statement was stated to have been made at the Bleachers Lounge in Monroe at around 9:00 p.m. and the second at defendant's dormitory room at around 9:25 p.m.

Immediately prior to the commencement of the trial on April 4, 1983, the state orally moved to amend its previous answer to discovery to delete reference to the oral statement allegedly made by the defendant to the undercover police officer at 9:00 p.m. on November 15, 1982, at the Bleacher's Lounge. Defense counsel objected pursuant to La.C.Cr.P. Art. 729.5. Defense counsel argued that the deletion eliminated his defense of misidentification on the part of Officer Kees. Defense counsel contended that he was forced to change his defense to entrapment. He further contended that he did not prepare for the defense of entrapment because he relied on what appeared to be a misidentification on the part of Officer Kees in the state's discovery answer. The trial court found the defendant was not prejudiced by allowing the amendment to the state's discovery response and continued with the trial after overruling the defendant's objection.

On this appeal defendant has made the following assignments of error:

(1) The trial court erred when it ruled that the state of Louisiana could amend its answer to discovery subsequent to jury selection in 10 to 15 minutes prior to the start of the trial on the merits.
(2) The trial court erred when it ruled that the defense was not entitled to a continuance or a mistrial as requested by defense counsel after it allowed the state to amend its answer to discovery.
(3) The trial court erred when it ruled that the defendant suffered no prejudice from the state's untruthful answer to defendant's motion for discovery, notwithstanding the fact that defense counsel testified as to the detrimental reliance as it related to the identification of the defendant, on such answers.
(4) The defense counsel was rendered ineffective by the state's untruthful answer to discovery in that the viable defense of entrapment was virtually abandoned by the defense in favor of the defense of identification, all as a result of the aforementioned untruthful answer.
(5) The trial court erred when it curtailed cross-examination of the state's key witness, James Kees, on the subject of his knowledge of Kevin Newell, the alleged reliable confidential informant, involved in the drug transaction which forms the basis of the instant prosecution.
(6) The state of Louisiana failed to meet its burden of proof when it failed to rebut specific allegations of misconduct and entrapment raised by the defense.
(7) The trial court erred when it failed to give requested jury charges submitted on behalf of the defendant.

*1366 ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR 1, 2, 3, and 4:

The Louisiana Supreme Court has consistently held that where the defendant has been lulled into a misapprehension of the strength of the state's case by the failure to fully disclose, such a prejudice may constitute reversible error. State v. Ray, 423 So.2d 1116 (La.1982); State v. Strickland, 398 So.2d 1062 (La.1981); State v. Hatter, 350 So.2d 149 (La.1977). However, the failure of the state to comply with discovery procedure will not automatically require reversal. Rather, this court must review the record for a determination of whether any prejudice which may have resulted from the non-compliance caused the trier of fact to reach the wrong conclusion. State v. Ray, supra; State v. Mitchell, 412 So.2d 1042 (La.1982); State v. Davis, 399 So.2d 1168 (La.1981).

La.C.Cr.P. Art. 729.3 imposes a continuing duty upon a party prior to or during trial to promptly notify the other party and the court of the discovery of additional evidence previously requested by the other party and subject to discovery or inspection under the court order. State v. Vaccaro, 411 So.2d 415 (La.1982). Counsel for the state indicated to the court that the discrepancy in the discovery answer had just been made known to himself prior to trial. Therefore, it appears that the state complied with its continuing duty to disclose under La.C.Cr.P. Art. 729.3.

The real issue in this assignment of error is what prejudice, if any, the discrepancy in the discovery answer caused. Defense counsel contended that the amendment precluded him from using his planned defense of misidentification. In reality it did not prevent defendant from using the defense, it just made that particular defense unnecessary.

Defense counsel next contends that the discovery amendment prejudiced him because it forced him to change his defense to entrapment. Further, defense counsel contends that the discrepancy lulled him into a misapprehension of the state's case. As previously stated, where the defendant has been lulled into a misapprehension of the strength of the state's case by the failure to fully disclose, such a prejudice may constitute reversible error. State v. Strickland, supra; State v. Hatter, supra; State v. Boothe, 310 So.2d 826 (La.1975).

The record does not indicate that the erroneous answer regarding an oral statement made by defendant at the Bleacher Lounge on the night of the subject transaction was made with any intent to mislead defendant. The prosecuting attorney explained to the court that he had misinterpreted the police report in preparing the discovery answer and did not learn of the error until just before trial began, when it was called to his attention by the officer who was present to testify. The officer had actually made the contact at the Bleachers Lounge with defendant's brother who referred him to defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
448 So. 2d 1363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-booth-lactapp-1984.