State v. Cooks

108 So. 3d 1257, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 237, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 149, 2013 WL 336663
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 30, 2013
DocketNo. 12-KA-237
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 108 So. 3d 1257 (State v. Cooks) 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. Cooks, 108 So. 3d 1257, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 237, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 149, 2013 WL 336663 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

ROBERTA. CHAISSON, Judge.

^Defendant, Glenetraveronesse Cooks, appeals her convictions for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. For the reasons that follow, we affirm defendant’s conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana but vacate her conviction and sentence for possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On January 11, 2007, the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, in count one, with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:966(A)(1), and in count two, with possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance, in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:95(E).1 At her March 19, 2007 [.¡arraignment, defendant pled not guilty. Defendant thereafter filed several pre-trial motions, including motions to suppress the statement and the evidence, which were heard and denied by the trial court.

The matter proceeded to trial before a twelve-person jury. After considering the evidence presented, the jury, on May 26, 2011, found defendant guilty as charged. On September 19, 2011, the trial court sentenced defendant, on count one, to eight years imprisonment in the Department of Corrections, suspended three of the eight years, and placed defendant on [1261]*1261probation for three years. In addition, the trial court imposed an eight thousand dollar fine. With regard to count two, the trial court sentenced defendant to five years imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence and imposed a fine of one thousand dollars.2 The trial court ordered these sentences to run concurrently. Defendant now appeals.

FACTS

Shortly after midnight on September 11, 2006, Sergeant Victor Sehilleci of the Louisiana State Police, was traveling east down Interstate 10 towards U.S. 51 when he encountered a 2006 Dodge Stratus in the left lane traveling at a slow rate of speed, approximately forty-five miles per hour, and impeding the flow of traffic. Sergeant Sehilleci observed the vehicle weave and cross the fog line by about six inches on several occasions. Believing the driver to be either intoxicated or fatigued, Sergeant Sehilleci conducted a traffic stop to assess the condition of the driver.

Upon stopping the vehicle, Sergeant Sehilleci asked the driver, Kewana Drew-ery, to exit the vehicle and to produce her driver’s license and the vehicle registration. As she handed the officer her driver’s license, he noticed that her |4hand was shaking and that she appeared to be nervous. Drewery was unable to produce the vehicle registration, but rather provided the officer with a rental agreement for the vehicle. Upon reviewing the rental agreement, Sergeant Sehilleci noted that the vehicle had been rented on September 10, 2006, at approximately 1:45 p.m., that a third party who was not present at the scene was named as the renter on the agreement, and that Drewery was not listed as an authorized driver. Sergeant Sehilleci further learned that the renter of the vehicle was Jacques Rivers and that Drewery’s trip was a “quick and short turn-around trip” based on the time and date referenced in the rental agreement. When Sergeant Sehilleci then inquired into the nature of their trip, Drewery advised him that they had come from Houston, Texas, where they had been checking on her apartment.

Based on the information gained from the rental agreement as well as his conversation with Drewery, Sergeant Sehilleci decided to speak to defendant, the passenger in the vehicle. When Sergeant Sehille-ci approached the passenger side of the vehicle, defendant was speaking to an unidentified male on the phone. Sergeant Sehilleci asked her to hang up the phone and then proceeded to ask defendant about their trip. Defendant told him that they had been in Baytown, Texas, visiting family. During his conversation with defendant, Sergeant Sehilleci began to “detect the overwhelming odor of green marijuana coming from within the vehicle.” Sergeant Sehilleci then asked defendant if there were any weapons in the vehicle, and she advised him that there was a handgun underneath her seat, which the officer secured for safety purposes.3 Additionally, upon illuminating the interior of the vehicle with his flashlight, Sergeant Sehilleci noticed an odor neutralizer, four cell phones, and three juveniles sitting in the back seat. After ^securing the weapon in his vehicle, Sergeant Sehilleci spoke to Drewery who again told him that they had gone to her apartment in Houston and did [1262]*1262not visit family members. Sergeant Schil-leci then advised Drewery of her Miranda4 rights and asked her whether there was anything illegal inside the vehicle and whether there was any luggage inside the trunk. According to Sergeant Schilleci, Drewery advised him that there was nothing illegal inside the vehicle and that she had a bag inside the trunk.

Pursuant to the officer’s request, Drew-ery gave her verbal consent to search the vehicle. Upon opening the trunk, Sergeant Schilleci observed “two separate black garbage bags” which contained bales of marijuana. According to the officer, “one of the green bricks had fallen out” and was visible. Further, there were two Ziploc bags containing marijuana, one of which had opened and spilled marijuana inside the trunk.5

Sergeant Schilleci then placed defendant and Drewery under arrest and transported them to the St. John the Baptist Parish lockup. While being taken into custody, Sergeant Schilleci heard defendant and Drewery make statements to each other to the effect of “we’re not going to take this charge for him, this is going to be his charge.” Once at the lockup, Sergeant Len Marie of the Louisiana State Police took possession of the evidence, advised defendant and Drewery of their rights, and conducted a brief interview with them. Before interviewing the two women, Sergeant Marie also heard them say, “I’m not taking this charge, I’m not taking his charge.” Both defendant and Drewery denied possession and knowledge of the marijuana. They advised Sergeant Marie that they knew Jacques Rivers, who was listed on the vehicle rental agreement, and further told him about the Lblack truck belonging to Jacques Rivers that was traveling with them. In addition, defendant and Drewery provided Sergeant Marie with a potential address where the black truck could be located.

Sergeant Marie traveled to the address provided by defendant and Drewery, which was an apartment complex near Lapalco Boulevard, in an attempt to locate the black truck. At that time, Sergeant Marie did not see a black truck; however, he returned later in the day and observed a black truck in the parking lot. Sergeant Marie then went to speak to the apartment complex manager who advised him that Jacques Rivers was not renting an apartment at the complex. Sergeant Marie went back to the parking lot to wait by the truck, but it was gone. Sergeant Marie subsequently called Rivers, using the phone number listed on the vehicle rental agreement. Sergeant Marie asked Rivers to come in for an interview, but Rivers refused and hung up the phone. Sergeant Marie was unable to contact Rivers again.

At trial, both defendant and Drewery testified as to the events that occurred on their trip.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 So. 3d 1257, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 237, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 149, 2013 WL 336663, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cooks-lactapp-2013.