State v. Broussard

649 So. 2d 726, 94 La.App. 3 Cir. 40, 1994 La. App. LEXIS 3161, 1994 WL 659425
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided November 23, 1994·No. CR94-40·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

649 So.2d 726 (1994)

STATE, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Alex BROUSSARD, Defendant-Appellant.

No. CR94-40.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

November 23, 1994.

*727 Ronald E. Dauterive, Lafayette, for State.

G. Paul Marx, Lafayette, for Alex Broussard.

Before DOUCET, SAUNDERS and WOODARD, JJ.

SAUNDERS, Judge.

The Lafayette Parish Grand Jury charged Alex Broussard, defendant-appellant, with oral sexual battery, a violation of Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:43.3. Prior to trial the state filed a Prieur Motion, noticing its intent to introduce other crimes evidence. After a hearing on the matter, the trial court granted the state's request. Following a trial, the jury returned the responsive verdict of attempted oral sexual battery, a violation of Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:43.3 and 14:27.

The trial court sentenced the defendant-appellant to five (5) years at hard labor, of which all but eighteen (18) months were suspended. The trial court ordered that the defendant be placed on active and supervised probation for five years upon completion of the eighteen (18) months of incarceration. The trial court denied defendant's oral motion to reconsider his sentence. The defendant now appeals his conviction and sentence.

FACTS

On the afternoon of February 12, 1989, the defendant-appellant, Alex Broussard (hereafter BROUSSARD), drove by the thirteen year old victim, TL, as she walked along Fieldspan Road. BROUSSARD stopped his car and offered TL a ride. TL accepted the offer and entered the defendant's car.

*728 During the ride, BROUSSARD told TL that he needed someone to clean his home. TL offered to clean his home and BROUSSARD agreed to compensate her for the work.

BROUSSARD and TL entered the defendant's trailer located on Fieldspan Road. No one else was in the home at the time. BROUSSARD and TL began to wash dishes. While TL washed dishes, BROUSSARD began to touch and fondle TL and compliment her looks. TL asked BROUSSARD to stop, but he continued to touch and to rub on TL.

Later, BROUSSARD called out to TL from his bedroom that he wanted to show her something. After TL entered the bedroom, BROUSSARD played pornographic videotapes. BROUSSARD commented on the videotape and asked TL to have sex with him. When TL refused the request, BROUSSARD forced himself on her. During the course of the incident, BROUSSARD placed his finger and tongue in the victim's vagina, and then placed his penis in TL's mouth. TL estimated that the sexual assault lasted three (3) hours.

After the incident, BROUSSARD locked the victim in his bedroom and left the trailer. He returned to the trailer later with liquor he acquired from the neighboring bar that he managed. BROUSSARD made TL drink alcohol and also smoke marijuana. BROUSSARD continued to feel TL's body and again requested that she have sex with him in exchange for money. TL stated that she wanted to go home, but the defendant pressed her to stay longer.

BROUSSARD eventually allowed TL to leave. Before he released her, BROUSSARD told her to keep the incident a secret. He paid her approximately $50.00 and gave her a ride to a nearby grocery store. Before TL left the grocery store, she purchased two bags of groceries as a belated birthday gift for her mother. When TL arrived home, her mother questions her about the purchases. TL explained to her mother that she earned the money earlier in the day cleaning a lady's home. TL's mother doubted the truthfulness of the story and ordered TL to take her to the lady whose home she allegedly cleaned. TL, accompanied by her mother and aunt, directed them to BROUSSARD'S home. They entered the defendant's home and noted that except for the dishes, the home was untidy. They asked him about TL's story. BROUSSARD explained that he hired TL to clean his home and paid her. He stated that he gave TL an extra $20.00, when TL said that her mother recently celebrated a birthday. BROUSSARD also gave her a western necktie and a business card with his name and phone number written on the reverse side.

When they returned home, TL's mother detected an odor of alcohol on TL's breath. Still doubting TL'S and BROUSSARD's story about what occurred, TL's mother questioned her again about the time that she spent at BROUSSARD'S home. After pressing her for answers, TL broke down, cried, and explained that BROUSSARD sexually assaulted her. TL's aunt physically inspected TL and then called the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department.

Law enforcement officers subsequently arrested and questioned BROUSSARD concerning the alleged incident with TL. In his statement to the investigating officer, he admitted that he picked up TL, brought her home, and paid her to clean his home. He denied, however, sexually assaulting her, playing pornographic video tapes, or forcing her to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana.

ERRORS PATENT

Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 930.8 provides that at the time of sentencing the trial court shall inform the defendant of the prescriptive period for post-conviction relief. The record shows that the court did not so inform the defendant. This defect has no bearing on whether the sentence is excessive and this is not grounds to reverse the sentence or remand the case for resentencing. La.Code Crim.P. art. 921. The three year prescriptive period does not begin to run until the judgment is final under Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure articles 914 or 922, so prescription is not yet running. Apparently, the purpose of the notice of Article 930.8(C) is to inform defendant of the prescriptive period in advance. Consequently, *729 we order the trial court to inform the defendant of the provisions of Article 930.8 by sending appropriate written notice to the defendant within ten days of the rendition of this opinion and to file written proof that the defendant received the notice in the record of the proceedings. See, State v. Fontenot, 616 So.2d 1353 (La.App. 3d Cir.), writ denied, 623 So.2d 1334 (La.1993).

Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure art. 880 provides that when imposing sentence the trial court shall give the defendant credit toward service of his sentence for time spent in actual custody prior to the imposition of sentence. The record indicates that the trial court failed to do so. Thus, we order the district court to amend the sentence to reflect that the defendant is given credit for time served prior to the execution the sentence. See, La.Code Crim.P. art. 882(A). Although resentencing is not required; re order this case remanded to the trial court and order it to amend the commitment and minute entry of the sentence to reflect that the defendant is given credit for time served. State v. Jones, 607 So.2d 828 (La.App. 1st Cir.1992), writ denied, 612 So.2d 79 (1993).

Assignment of Error No. 1

The defendant-appellant contends that the trial court erred in allowing the state to use in its case in chief evidence of other crimes or bad acts of the defendant concerning: (1) two earlier episodes in which BROUSSARD sexually assaulted two other adolescent victims; and, (2) BROUSSARD'S payment to Lisha Prejean to lie on his behalf before the Lafayette Parish Grand Jury.

This court must first review the other crimes and bad acts evidence which the state offered in its case in chief and determine whether it was admissible pursuant to Louisiana Code of Evidence article 404(B) and current Louisiana jurisprudence. If we find that the evidence was not admissible, then this co

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State v. Broussard, 649 So. 2d 726, 94 La.App. 3 Cir. 40, 1994 La. App. LEXIS 3161, 1994 WL 659425 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

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