State v. Brown

115 So. 3d 564, 2012 La.App. 4 Cir. 0626, 2013 WL 1460157, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 739
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided April 10, 2013·No. No. 2012-KA-0626·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

ROSEMARY LEDET, Judge.

Lin this criminal case, the defendant, Ron Brown, appeals his conviction and sentence for simple burglary, a violation of La. R.S. 14:62. For the reasons that follow, we affirm his conviction and his sentence of six years. However, we remand this matter to the trial court for the imposition of the statutorily required mandatory fine.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On June 8, 2011, the State charged Mr. Brown with one count of simple burglary. On June 14, 2011, he was arraigned and pled not guilty plea. On August 23, 2011, the district court denied Mr. Brown’s motion to suppress the statement and the evidence. On September 29, 2011, a six-member jury found Mr. Brown guilty as charged. On the same day, Mr. Brown filed motions for new trial and for post-verdict judgment of acquittal, which the district court denied. On October 20, 2011, the district court denied Mr. Brown’s re-urged motions for new |2trial and post-verdict of acquittal and sentenced him to six years at hard labor with credit for time served. This appeal followed.1

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

This underlying crime in this case — simple burglary of a storage shed — occurred at about noon — between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. — on April 29, 2011, at the rear of the building in which the Blue Dot Donut Shop on Canal Street is located. At the time of the offense, the Blue Dot had been in business for only for a short time. Brandon Singleton, one of the Blue Dot’s owners, explained the physical layout of the building in which the Blue Dot was located. The tenants in the building included not only the Blue Dot, but also a law office. Because the donut shop itself was small, he explained that they used an outside storage shed, located in the rear of the building, to warehouse dry goods and supplies — items such as napkins, paper products, soft drinks, and bottled water. The rear shed was not visible from Canal Street; however, the rear shed was visible from the entry to the law office. At trial, Mr. Singleton identified photographs of the gate securing the storage shed area, the door to the shed, the contents of the shed, and the locations of adjacent businesses.2

According to Mr. Singleton, on the morning of the incident he unloaded supplies, including several eases of soft drinks and bottled water, from his vehicle into the shed. After placing the items in the shed, he closed the door and went into 13the Blue Dot. About five to ten minutes later, he returned to the shed and found the soft drinks and bottled water (valued at approximately $130.00) were missing. He reported the incident to the police.3

[569] Detective Ryan Vaught testified that he and his partner, Detective Amony Ruffins, investigated the burglary at the Blue Dot on the day that it occurred. The detectives met with Mr. Singleton. They were informed that the missing goods were stolen that day between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. They also were informed of the quantity and the value of the missing goods. After viewing the Blue Dot’s layout and the rear shed, the detectives canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses. They went to the law office and asked the administrative assistant if any clients visited the law office between 12:00 and 12:80 p.m. on that date. Based upon the information they received from the administrative assistant — Mr. Brown’s name, the time he visited the office that day, and his telephone number — the detectives returned to the station and searched the data bases for information on Mr. Brown.

The detectives relocated to Mr. Brown’s residence on Wayside Drive. Although Mr. Brown was not at home, a young boy on a bicycle directed the detectives to his mother, Ms. Anika Butler, who was down the street. The detectives were informed that Ms. Butler was Mr. Brown’s live-in girlfriend. Detective Vaught gave Ms. Butler his business card and asked her to have Mr. Brown call him. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Brown called and spoke with Detective RRuffins. Detective Ruffins asked him to come into the station to speak with her and Detective Vaught. Mr. Brown told her that he could not because he did not have transportation. Detective Ruf-fins offered to provide him with transportation, and he accepted the offer.

When the detectives picked up Mr. Brown from the location that he suggested, Detective Vaught confirmed with Mr. Brown that he was accompanying them on his own free will and further advised Mr. Brown that he could leave at any time. Mr. Brown agreed to accompany the detectives and to give a statement. At the police station, Detective Vaught again confirmed that Mr. Brown understood he was under no obligation to speak to the detectives and that he understood that he could leave the station whenever he wanted to. Mr. Brown related that on April 29, 2011, he received a call from his attorney advising him that a settlement check from his civil suit was ready for him to pick up at the law office. According to Mr. Brown, he rode a bus from his residence to the law office, which was located in the same building as the Blue Dot. He arrived there at approximately 12:30 p.m. He walked directly into his attorney’s office; he denied ever walking to the rear of the building. When Detective Vaught asked him if there was any reason the surveillance camera would show him walking into the rear of the building, Mr. Brown changed his story.4 He admitted that he walked to the rear of building. He explained that he accidentally walked the wrong way when he exited the law office. When he realized his mistake, he turned around and walked to Canal Street |fito take the bus. At that point, Detective Vaught left the interview room to consult with Detective Ruffins.

Upon returning to the interview room, Detective Vaught advised Mr. Brown of his rights. Mr. Brown signed a waiver of rights form and gave a recorded state[570] ment.5 After receiving Mr. Brown’s statement, Detective Vaught advised Mr. Brown that he was under arrest for simple burglary and illegal possession of stolen things. Detective Vaught then prepared search warrants for Mr. Brown’s Wayside Drive residence and for his cousin’s residence on Salem Drive. Detective Vaught first executed the warrant on the Salem Drive residence. The residents at that address denied knowing Mr. Brown, and the search of that residence produced no relevant evidence. The subsequent search of Mr. Brown’s Wayside Drive residence produced some of the stolen items—cases of soft drinks and bottled water. Detective Vaught identified photographs of the stolen items as they were located in Mr. Brown’s residence.6

On cross-examination, Detective Vaught testified that when he arrived at the scene, the door to the rear shed was ajar, and there was no sign of forced entry.

ERRORS PATENT

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State v. Brown, 115 So. 3d 564, 2012 La.App. 4 Cir. 0626, 2013 WL 1460157, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 739 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

115 So. 3d 564 (State v. Brown) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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