State v. Chauvin

945 So. 2d 752, 2006 WL 3093761
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 31, 2006
Docket06-KA-362
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 945 So. 2d 752 (State v. Chauvin) 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. Chauvin, 945 So. 2d 752, 2006 WL 3093761 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

945 So.2d 752 (2006)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Shane M. CHAUVIN.

No. 06-KA-362.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 31, 2006.

*754 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Twenty-Fourth Judicial District, Parish of Jefferson, Terry M. Boudreaux, Thomas J. Butler, Thomas Block, Churita S. Hansell, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

*755 Jane L. Beebe, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, Louisiana, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges MARION F. EDWARDS, CLARENCE E. McMANUS and GREG G. GUIDRY.

CLARENCE E. McMANUS, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On August 19, 2004, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office filed a bill of information charging the defendant, Shane M. Chauvin, with possession of cocaine, a violation of LSA-R.S. 40:967(C). At his arraignment, the defendant pled not guilty. The defendant filed an omnibus motion, which included a Motion to Suppress Confession, Identification, and Physical Evidence. In the motion, the defendant alleged that the evidence was unlawfully seized. After a hearing, the trial court denied the motion to suppress. On January 13, 2005, the defendant withdrew his not guilty plea, and entered a plea of guilty as charged pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), reserving his right to a review of the trial court's denial of his motion to suppress. The defendant was sentenced to two years at hard labor, which was suspended, and placed on two years active probation. As conditions of his probation, the defendant was ordered to pay court costs of $398.50, a fine of $300.00, a juror assessment of $20.00, a Crimestoppers fee of $2.00, a commissioner's fee of $100.00, a special fine of $150.00 to the "I Can Help" drug program, and a minimum supervision fee of $55.00 per month to the Department of Probation and Parole plus a $5.00 assessment. In addition to these general probation conditions on the Conditions of Probation-Felony form, the defendant was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service within 90 days and write a three-page hand-written essay entitled "Why I Should Not Commit A Crime" to be read in open court.

FACTS

The Supervisor of the City of Kenner Police Department's Narcotics Section, Sergeant Nicholas Huth, testified that, on July 28, 2004, he was working a narcotics operation, while parked in the lot at 2401 Veterans Boulevard, in Kenner. This location contains a pain management clinic and a pharmacy. Sergeant Huth testified that the narcotics unit received complaints of narcotics use and sales from business owners of the complex. Crimes have taken place at the complex involving individuals who come to the pharmacy to pick up pills and then to sell the pills in the parking lot. Sergeant Huth testified that there have been other related crimes at the complex involving weapons and many arrests. On the day in question, he observed Shane Chauvin, whom he identified in court as the defendant "racing around" the second floor of the parking lot approaching patrons of the businesses and handing them an object. He decided to investigate the defendant, because his actions were extremely suspicious, and his "loud" behavior alarmed the people he approached. Sergeant Huth continued to observe the defendant for eight or nine minutes as he approached people. During this time, Sergeant Huth had two employees of businesses approach him and point out the defendant. These employees informed him that the defendant's actions were causing alarm to them, as well as the businesses' patrons. Sergeant Huth approached the defendant, and informed him that he felt that his actions were extremely suspicious. The defendant was "extremely excitable or jumping [sic] moving back and forth. . . ." He talked to the defendant, whom he described as loud, excited, and boisterous. Sergeant Huth believed that *756 the defendant's behaviors were caused by the influence of narcotics. Sergeant Huth admitted that most people are nervous when they encounter the police. However, he claimed that he did not stop the defendant because of nervous behavior.

According to Sergeant Huth, he investigated and found out that the objects that the defendant was passing out were cards that could be used to obtain a discount at another Jefferson Parish pain management clinic. Later, Sergeant Huth admitted that when he observed the defendant approaching the patrons he saw that the defendant was handing out cards. Sergeant Huth conducted a Terry[1] pat down of the defendant. Initially, when asked if he conducted a Terry pat down for his safety and the safety of others in the vicinity, Officer Huth replied that he conducted a Terry pat down, because "a lot of people [officers] deal with around there have needles and other objects on them that could harm me or somebody else but specifically me. . . ." Later, Sergeant Huth testified that previously other individuals had pills, knives, and other weapons; therefore, he conducted the pat down for his safety and that of the public. The defendant was not handcuffed during the pat down. Sergeant Huth testified that during the pat down, he felt an object, in the defendant's right pocket, and it was "immediately apparent to [him] that it was possibly a joint, a marijuana joint, what felt like a marijuana joint." Sergeant Huth immediately knew the object was not a needle, knife, or other weapon when he patted the defendant down. Sergeant Huth admitted that when he removed the object it was not a marijuana joint. Rather, it was a folded or "wrapped up" dollar bill containing a piece of cellophane or plastic that contained a substance that was field-tested positive for cocaine. When questioned, Sergeant Huth testified that he initially thought the dollar bill contained a marijuana joint. Later, he agreed that he had encountered people, who concealed narcotics in money and other objects. Sergeant Huth admitted that when he took the dollar bill out of the defendant's pocket all he could see was the way it was folded. He did not know what was inside of the dollar bill after he removed it, because he could not see anything. However, he knew the folded dollar bill was not a knife, gun, or other weapon. The defendant was placed under arrest for the narcotics violation. Sergeant Huth claimed that he could have arrested the defendant prior to the pat down and drug discovery for disturbing the peace.

The defendant testified that, on July 28, 2004, he was passing out business cards to recruit patients, at 2401 Veterans Boulevard. On his way to the pharmacy located upstairs, he approached a woman fifty-five years or older, and asked if he could give her a card. She took off running for no apparent reason. Then, he spoke to a man about the Omni Pain Clinic. Next, he went into the pharmacy and handed out cards to five people, "did the speech thing," and left. The woman who ran off earlier was standing there, next to another woman in scrubs, who informed him that there was a pain management clinic right next door. As he was about to get into a car parked on a side street, Officer Huth ran up to him, and told him to freeze and to put his hands on top of his head. Officer Huth never told him why he was stopped. The defendant consented to a pat down search for safety reasons. He was not handcuffed during the search. The defendant admitted that he had a single dollar bill folded in the right watch pocket of his pants. However, he did not *757 know it contained cocaine, because he picked up the folded dollar bill off the ground and stuck it in his pocket.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
945 So. 2d 752, 2006 WL 3093761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-chauvin-lactapp-2006.