State v. Cavazos

94 So. 3d 870, 2011 La.App. 4 Cir. 0733, 2012 WL 1744205, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 678
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 16, 2012
DocketNo. 2011-KA-0733
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 94 So. 3d 870 (State v. Cavazos) 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. Cavazos, 94 So. 3d 870, 2011 La.App. 4 Cir. 0733, 2012 WL 1744205, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 678 (La. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

ROLAND L. BELSOME, Judge.

| T Defendants, Augustine Cavazos and Celeste Schmitt, appeal their convictions and sentences on charges stemming from Cavazos’ sexual molestation of Schmitt’s eight-year old daughter, R.S. For the following reasons, the convictions and sentences of both defendants are affirmed.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

The State filed a bill of information charging Augustine Cavazos (Cavazos/de-fendant), with sexual battery of an eight-year old female, R.S. (count 1), a violation of La. R.S. 14:43.1 and with failure to register as a sex offender (count 2), a violation of La. R.S. 15:542(G)(2). The bill of information charged that the alleged offenses occurred during the period of December 30, 2007 through December 30, 2009.

At his arraignment, Cavazos entered a plea of not guilty. The trial court found [875]*875probable cause and bound Cavazos over for trial.

The State filed a notice of intent to offer evidence of another incident involving sexually assaultive behavior pursuant to La. C.E. art. 412.2. The incident was a sexual battery by the defendant upon a juvenile female victim in Florida in 1998, resulting in his conviction in 2000 for lewd and lascivious act/sexual battery |2on a child under sixteen years of age (the basis for his registration as a sex offender). Defendant filed a motion to sever the offenses and a motion to sever his case from that of his co-defendant, Celeste Schmitt. Both severance motions were denied.

Cavazo proceeded to trial, after which the jury returned a verdict of guilty on both counts. The court sentenced him to thirty-five years at hard labor, without benefits, with credit for time served, on count 1 and to ten years at hard labor, without benefits, with credit for time served on count 2. The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Cavazos filed a motion for new trial and a motion for post judgment verdict of acquittal, which were denied. The State multiple billed the defendant as a second felony offender, pursuant to his 2000 Florida conviction for sexual battery.1 Following a hearing on the multiple bill, the court adjudged Cavazos a second felony offender. The trial court vacated his prior sentence on the sexual battery count (count 1) and resentenced him as a second offender to sixty-five years at hard labor without benefits, to be served concurrently with the sentence on the failure to register as a sex offender count (count 2).

In separate counts of the bill of information, Celeste Schmitt (Schmitt/defendant) was charged with being an accessory to sexual battery (count 3),2 a violation of La. R.S. 14:25 and with cruelty to a juvenile (count 4), a violation of La. R.S. 14:93. At her arraignment, Schmitt entered a plea of not guilty. Following a hearing, the trial court found probable cause for both counts and bound Schmitt over for trial.

| ¡¡Schmitt waived her right to a jury and elected to be tried by the judge. At the conclusion of the bench trial, Schmitt was found guilty on both counts. Schmitt filed motions for new trial and post judgment verdict of acquittal, which were denied. Schmitt was sentenced on each count to five years’ incarceration, with four years suspended, and placed on four years active probation upon the completion of one year incarceration in Orleans Parish Prison, with the sentences to be served concurrently.

STATEMENT OF FACT

Defendant, Schmitt, and her co-defendant/live-in boyfriend, Cavazos (“Cava-zos”), were convicted on charges stemming from Cavazos’ sexual molestation of Schmitt’s eight-year old daughter, R.S.

Cavazos, also known as “Tito”, lived on Bodinger Street with Schmitt, the victim, and the victim’s sister, M.S., from December 2007 to December 2009. The victim testified that on more than one occasion when she was sleeping, “Tito” would come into her room and touch her chest and “vagiva”.3 She further testified that the defendant got up early and left for work hours before her mother and sister got up, [876]*876and that it was during this time frame that the defendant assaulted her.

At first, she did not tell anyone about “Tito’s” behavior because she was scared, feared no one would believe her, and knew that the revelation would make her mother sad. Ultimately, on December 30, 2009, while the victim and M.S., were visiting their father’s home, she gave M.S. a note which indicated that the defendant, Cava-zos, had molested her. The handwritten note reflected that he “rated” her. She begged M.S. not to tell their parents; however, M.S. told their |4father, he confronted the victim, and then notified Schmitt, who denied she had any knowledge of Cavazos’ background.

The following day, the family met with the victim’s pediatrician for an examination. The victim told her pediatrician that “Tito” touched her, whereupon the physician advised the family to report the crime to the police. The police instructed the family to go to the Child Advocacy Center where they met with Detective Merricks, who was assigned to the NOPD Sex Crimes Child Abuse Division. The CAC staff interviewed the victim alone while Detective Merricks monitored the session via video camera. During her forensic interview at the CAC, the victim said she could not remember when the incident occurred. Following the interview, the detective informed the family that the victim did not give the staff any information; consequently, he could not arrest “Tito.” When the Schmitt returned to her home, after staying in a hotel that night with her mother, she told Cavazos to leave, which he did, but he returned on January 2, 2010, telling Schmitt that he had no money and nowhere to go.

On January 5, 2010, during the victim’s medical interview, the CAC doctor was able to elicit information from the victim. Specifically, Dr. Atzemis, a child abuse pediatrician and professor of pediatrics, took an incident history from her during which the victim explained that “Tito” had touched her in a bad way and hurt her. The victim said she tried to move but “Tito” moved her back. Using a gender neutral diagram, the victim circled the genital area where “Tito” had hurt her. Dr. Atzemis’ review of this case led her to conclude that the victim had suffered sexual abuse.

Based upon this information, Detective Merricks investigated Cavazos’ background and learned that he was a sex offender, who had been arrested and [ ¡^convicted in Florida for sexually assaulting a twelve year old girl, S.C. Detective Merricks prepared an application for Ca-vazos’ arrest.

S.C. testified at trial that when she was twelve years old and living in Florida in September 1998, she was victimized by Cavazos. She related for the jury that at that time, she and her mother lived in the apartment above the one occupied by Ca-vazos and his son; she babysat for Cava-zos on occasion. While she was at home alone, the defendant went to her apartment and asked to use the telephone. After the call, Cavazos entered the living room, and he asked her if she had ever had an orgasm. When she replied negatively, he asked her if she wanted to have one. Again, she said “no” but the defendant removed her shorts, reached into her pants, and began to digitally penetrate her vagina. She cried and struggled with Ca-vazos; he carried her to her bedroom and placed her on the bed. She kicked the defendant, escaping his hold, and ran to the front door where she ordered him out of the apartment. She reported the incident to her mother, who contacted the police.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 So. 3d 870, 2011 La.App. 4 Cir. 0733, 2012 WL 1744205, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 678, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cavazos-lactapp-2012.