State v. Cargo

593 So. 2d 811, 1992 WL 5568
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 16, 1992
Docket90-KA-1557
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 593 So. 2d 811 (State v. Cargo) 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. Cargo, 593 So. 2d 811, 1992 WL 5568 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

593 So.2d 811 (1992)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Terryl CARGO.

No. 90-KA-1557.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

January 16, 1992.

*813 Gregory S. Duhy, Chalmette, for defendant.

Before BYRNES, CIACCIO and ARMSTRONG, JJ.

ARMSTRONG, Judge.

The defendant, Terryl Cargo, was charged by bill of information with distribution of cocaine, a violation of R.S. 40:967A(1). His motion to suppress the evidence was denied. Following a trial by jury the defendant was found guilty as charged. On appeal, he raises four assignments of error.

In the fall of 1987, the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office conducted an undercover narcotics investigation in the southern half of the west bank of the parish. On October 30, 1987, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Harris Farlough, an undercover agent, went to J.U.'s Bar in Sunrise to purchase drugs. Farlough was accompanied by a confidential informant.

Farlough and the informant met two men outside the bar towards the rear of the building. Farlough asked them where he could get some "rocks," meaning crack cocaine. The shorter of the two men, whom Farlough identified in court as the defendant, produced a medicine bottle and poured some "rocks" into his hand. Farlough and the defendant discussed the price of the drugs; and Farlough selected the largest "rock" and paid the defendant $25.00. The defendant and his companion left, and Farlough and the informant left to meet the surveillance team.

When Farlough met with Agent Charles Young of the surveillance team, Farlough put the "rock" in a manilla envelope on which he wrote the defendant's name and the date, time, and location of the purchase. Young field-tested the "rock" and found it positive for cocaine. Sometime later, Young returned the envelope to Farlough. Farlough placed the envelope in a file drawer where it remained until November 25, 1987. On that date, Farlough gave the envelope to Deputy Marry McClendon who then placed it in a safe. On March 18, 1988, she handed over the envelope to John Palm, a criminalist for the New Orleans Police Department. Palm analyzed the "rock" and found it positive for cocaine. Palm returned the envelope containing the cocaine to Deputy McClendon who kept it in the safe until trial.

The defendant denied being at JU's that night and denied ever having been in Plaquemines Parish.

A review of the record reveals no errors patent.

In his first assignment of error, the defendant complains that the trial court erred in denying his motions for mistrial. He argues that the State made an impermissible reference to "other crimes" evidence during cross-examination of defendant and during closing argument.

During the cross-examination of defendant about his job as a truck driver, the following transpired:

Q And when you do this do you come across individuals sometimes that are in the narcotics business?
A No, sir.

MR. NOBLE:

We are going to object to this line of questioning and ask that the jury be instructed to disregard the prior questioning.

MR. BALLAY:

This is a case of course of distribution of cocaine. One of the points the State is able to bring out is where in fact the cocaine is obtained from, and what is this defendant's ability and access to cocaine.

*814 THE COURT:

Just a moment. Mr. Penton, retire the jury a moment please.
Read back the last two questions before the objection. (At the time the court reporter read back the two previous questions before the objection.)
Your Honor, at this time we are going to move for a mistrial. The inflammatory remarks made by the District Attorney has prejudiced this jury by talking about narcotic transactions across the country. But the Bill of Information charges that on October 30, 1987 the transaction occurred. The District Attorney has brought in highly inflammatory remarks and we would ask for a mistrial. We feel that any precautionary instructions to the jury is insufficient.

THE COURT:

Anything further, Mr. Ballay?
Just our same argument as before, Judge.
I am going to deny your motion for a mistrial. I am going to admonish the jury to disregard the last questions. I will sustain your objection to the question.
Later, during the State's closing argument, the following occurred:
Also the type of business that he is in, driving coast to coast an 18-wheeler and such. This allows easy access to the market like this—
Your Honor, we will object to this line of argument, again he is talking about the coast to coast narcotics operation. This is highly inflammatory and I move for a mistrial.
This mistrial is denied.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I remind you that the argument of Counsel is just that, it is argument, it is not evidence. You will decide what has been proven or not proven based on the evidence and testimony that you have seen and heard from the witness stand in the courtroom.
In the alternative, Your Honor, we would ask that the jury be given a cautionary instruction to disregard the Prosecutor's prior statement and to admonish him from refraining from such line of arguing.
I have done all the instructing I am going to do on this issue. Proceed, Mr. Ballay.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I think, and as we note today, people have access to drugs in many different ways, occupations, professions, whatever.

C.Cr.P. art. 770 provided, in part:

Upon motion of a defendant, a mistrial shall be ordered when a remark or comment, made within the hearing of the jury by the judge, district attorney, or a court official, during the trial or in argument, refers directly or indirectly to:
2) another crime committed or alleged to have been committed by the defendant as to which evidence is not admissible;
An admonition to the jury to disregard the remark or comment shall not be sufficient to prevent a mistrial. If the defendant, however, requests that only an admonition be given, the court shall admonish the jury to disregard the remark or comment but shall not declare a mistrial.

The prosecutor's comments cannot be construed as a reference to other crimes allegedly committed by the defendant. The comments did not directly or indirectly accuse or implicate the defendant in other unrelated criminal activity. Compare State v. Benton, 482 So.2d 94 (La.App. 4th Cir.1986); State v. Smith, 470 So.2d 128 (La.App. 4th Cir.1985), reversed on other grounds 491 So.2d 641 (La.1986). Thus, under C.Cr.P. art. 771, the admonition to the jury to disregard the question was sufficient.

This assignment of error is without merit.

In his second assignment of error, the defendant complains that the trial court *815 erred in admitting into evidence State's Exhibit 2 and State's Exhibit 5 which were a traffic citation issued to the defendant and the defendant's driver's license. The defendant argues that this evidence was irrelevant because neither piece of evidence had any bearing or substantial value as to the facts of the case.

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Related

State v. James
761 So. 2d 125 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
State v. Sias
706 So. 2d 650 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Richard
657 So. 2d 258 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
593 So. 2d 811, 1992 WL 5568, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cargo-lactapp-1992.