State v. Brown

314 S.W.3d 487, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 3653, 2010 WL 1931101
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 14, 2010
Docket06-09-00212-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 314 S.W.3d 487 (State v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Brown, 314 S.W.3d 487, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 3653, 2010 WL 1931101 (Tex. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinions

OPINION

Opinion by Chief Justice MORRISS.

In its indictment, the State alleged that, on or about July 26, 2009, Christopher Charles Brown fled from Officer Ronnica Blake in a motor vehicle — a violation of Section 38.04 of the Texas Penal Code1— and that, in the process, Brown used or displayed a deadly weapon, that is, the motor vehicle. The deadly weapon allegation, if proven, would make the offense punishable as a third-degree felony. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 12.35 (Vernon Supp. 2009).

[489]*489Brown presented a two-fold attack on the indictment in the trial court, and the trial court quashed the indictment. On appeal, both issues are addressed by the State and by Brown. We therefore address both issues. We reverse the order quashing the indictment because (1) the indictment’s deadly weapon allegation is appropriate, and (2) the indictment provides sufficient notice of the offense.

(1) The Indictment’s Deadly-Weapon Allegation Is Appropriate

The State contends it was improper to quash the deadly-weapon allegation in the indictment because the offense of evading arrest with a vehicle is susceptible to an affirmative deadly-weapon finding.2

We initially determine the appropriate standard of review to be employed when reviewing a trial court’s decision to quash an indictment. The amount of deference appellate courts afford a trial court’s rulings depends on which “judicial actor” is better positioned to decide the issue. Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). The sufficiency of an indictment is a question of law. State v. Moff, 154 S.W.3d 599, 601 (Tex.Crim.App.2004). Here, the decision of the trial court was based solely on the indictment, the motion to quash, and the argument of counsel. “When the resolution of a question of law does not turn on an evaluation of the credibility and demeanor of a witness, then the trial court is not in a better position to make the determination, so appellate courts should conduct a de novo review of the issue.” Id. We therefore apply a de novo standard in our review of the trial court’s decision to quash the indictment.

Brown emphasizes the fact that the indictment fails to allege either of the contingencies permitting enhancement of the base offense under Section 88.04 to a third-degree felony.3 Instead, Brown asserts, the language of the indictment attempts to enhance a state-jail felony to a third-degree felony by the “verbal trick” of using the same essential allegation — use of a vehicle — to upgrade the base class B misdemeanor to a state-jail felony. Brown claims this amounts to an impermissible double enhancement.

In support of his position that a deadly weapon allegation cannot be appended to an offense charged under Section 38.04, Brown notes that Section 38.04 does not include an enhancement provision based on the use of a deadly weapon. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 38.04. Brown further relies on the language of Section 38.03, which specifically includes a provision for enhancement based on the use of a deadly weapon.4 Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 38.03 (Vernon 2003). Brown therefore contends that, in light of the inclusion of a deadly weapon enhancement in the preceding section of the statute, the Legislature did not intend such an enhancement to apply to Section 38.04.5 See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 38.04.

[490]*490When we interpret a statute, we look to the literal text for its meaning, and we ordinarily give effect to that plain meaning, unless the plain language is ambiguous or the application of the statute’s plain language would lead to absurd consequences that the Legislature could not possibly have intended. State v. Webb, 12 S.W.3d 808, 811 (Tex.Crim.App.2000); Bunton v. State, 136 S.W.3d 355, 363 (Tex.App.-Austin 2004, pet. ref'd). Section 38.04 of the Texas Penal Code does not contain language prohibiting a finding that a vehicle used by an individual while in flight is a deadly weapon. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 38.04. Moreover, Section 12.35(c)(1) refers generally to an individual adjudged guilty of a state-jail felony who uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense or during immediate flight thereafter, making no exceptions for felonies where the use of a deadly weapon is an essential element of the offense. The language of Section 12.35 is not permissive; rather, it is mandatory. “An individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony shall be punished for a third degree felony if it is shown at trial” that a deadly weapon was used or exhibited during the commission of the offense or immediate flight therefrom. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 12.35(c)(1) (emphasis added).

The plain language of Section 12.35(c)(1) is neither ambiguous, nor does its application to the state-jail felony of evading arrest or detention by fleeing in a vehicle lead to absurd consequences that the Legislature could not have envisioned. Further, Texas caselaw supports the proposition that an affirmative finding of a deadly weapon is permitted even where the use of the instrumentality characterized as a deadly weapon is an essential element of the committed offense.

Our sister court in Fort Worth addressed a similar issue. See Martinez v. State, 883 S.W.2d 771 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1994, pet. ref'd). Martinez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for causing the victim’s death as a result of driving while intoxicated. The jury found that Martinez used a deadly weapon — a vehicle — during commission of the offense. On appeal, Martinez argued that the deadly weapon finding violated his double jeopardy rights because the action constituting the use of the deadly weapon (driving a vehicle while intoxicated) was also an essential element of the charged offense. In rejecting this argument, the Martinez court recognized that the relevant statute made no exception for enhancement of felonies when the use of a deadly weapon is an essential element of the offense. The court concluded, “We see nothing that would lead us to any other conclusion but that the Legislature intended for the deadly-weapon provisions to apply in every felony case as the context of the law suggests.” Id. at 774; cf. Tyra v. State, 897 S.W.2d 796

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State v. Brown
314 S.W.3d 487 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
314 S.W.3d 487, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 3653, 2010 WL 1931101, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brown-texapp-2010.