State v. Course

809 So. 2d 488, 2001 La.App. 4 Cir. 1812, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 182, 2002 WL 307726
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 30, 2002
DocketNo. 2001-KA-1812
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 809 So. 2d 488 (State v. Course) 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. Course, 809 So. 2d 488, 2001 La.App. 4 Cir. 1812, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 182, 2002 WL 307726 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

I,WILLIAM H. BYRNES, III, Chief Judge.

Robert E. Course appeals his conviction and sentence under State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), for which he pleaded guilty of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of La. R.S. 40:966(A)(2), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1. We affirm.

In the hearing on the motion to suppress on May 16 and May 18, 2001, Sergeant Steven Gaudet testified that he learned from a confidential informant that a man named Robert was selling marijuana from a residence at 3119 Pine Street. The sergeant set up a controlled purchase and then prepared a search warrant for the house.

Detective Robert J. Ferrier, Jr., testified that as part of the investigation on November 3, 2000, he stood about forty feet from the front door at 3119 Pine Street with an unobstructed view. About 2:00 p.m., he saw a man knock on the door. The defendant Course answered, and a drug transaction appeared to occur. Then Course and the other man got into a car and drove out of the officer’s view. Detective Ferrier contacted other officers in the area to have the car stopped. Course was detained and the other man was searched and found to have marijuana.

| ¡.Detective David Christopher Waite testified that he executed the search warrant at the Pine Street residence. The detective found two large bags of marijuana in the bedroom. He also found scales, a box of bags, a marijuana flag, and mail addressed to the defendant. Detective Raymond Veit testified that he took part in the search of the residence, and he found a fully loaded 9mm handgun and a box of 9mm ammunition under a couch in the living room. Course’s arrest and arraignment followed.

[490]*490After the May 16 and 18, 2001 hearing, the trial court found probable cause and denied Course’ motion to suppress. On June 26, 2001, Course withdrew his earlier pleas, entered a guilty plea as charged to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute on count one and a guilty plea of attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on count two. The state agreed not to file a habitual offender bill against Course. On the same day, the trial court sentenced Course to serve five years on each count; the sentence on the second count being imposed without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The sentences are to be served concurrently. Course’s Crosby appeal followed.

Statute Provides No Minimum Amount for Imposition of a Fine

On a review for errors patent, we note that Course was sentenced for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute under La. R.S. 40:966(B)(2),1 which imposes a sentence of five to thirty years (five years of which are to be served without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, as well as 13payment of a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars). The trial court did not impose a fine.

Pursuant to La.C.Cr.P. art. 882A, a illegally lenient sentence can be noticed or recognized by the appellate court sua sponte without the issue being raised by the State in State v. Williams, 2000-1725 (La.11/29/01), 800 So.2d 790. Williams retroactively overrules State v. Jackson, 452 So.2d 682 (La.1984) and its progeny, including State v. Fraser, 484 So.2d 122 (La.1986).2 In reference to La. R.S. 15:301.1,3 the Louisiana Supreme Court stated that: “When an illegal sentence is corrected, even though the corrected sen[491]*491tence is more onerous, there is no violation |4of the defendant’s constitutional rights.” Id., 800 So.2d at 798. The Louisiana Supreme Court found that:

Viewing these statutory provisions in light of the defendant’s due process rights and his recognized right in Louisiana to seek appellate review of his conviction, we find no impediment to the Legislature’s statement that La.Rev. Stat. Ann. 15:301.1 was enacted to change the law in State v. Jackson and its progeny. No portion of La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 15:301.1 conflicts with a constitutional principle to which the legislative enactment must yield. Paragraphs A, B, and C of La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 15:301.1 simply provide for correction of illegally lenient sentences and neither increase a defendant’s sentencing exposure nor increase a legal sentence. Accordingly, we find that the provisions of this legislative enactment do not impede the defendant’s constitutional right to appeal.

Id., 800 So.2d at 799-800.

The Louisiana Supreme Court stated:

[T]his paragraph ' [La.R.S. 15:301.1(A) ] self-activates the correction and eliminates the need to remand for a ministerial correction of an illegally lenient sentence which may result from the failure of the sentencing court to impose punishment in conformity with that provided in the statute.

Id., 800 So.2d at 799.

However, the Supreme Court explained:

... As noted earlier, we recognized that this provision [La. R.S. 15:301.1] directs that sentences that require statutory restrictions on parole, or suspension of sentence are “deemed to contain [those] provisions,” ... whether or not the sentencing court pronounces those restrictions at the time of initial sentencing. It is clear from the statutory language that this proviso is self-activated, eliminates the remand for ministerial correction of sentence, and requires no notice to the defendant. Simply stated, the provisions of Paragraphs A and C [of La. R.S. 15:301.1] do not call for amendment as no correction is required. Rather, that which was legislatively mandated at the time of sentencing is recognized as having existed statutorily without pronouncement being necessary. Accordingly, Lwe find it was appropriate for the appellate court in the present case to so note that “[a]t least six months of the [defendant’s] sentence of imprisonment imposed shall be with or without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.” La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 14:98(D)(1). However, because of the complete failure of the sentencing court to abide by any of the sentencing requirements of La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 14:98(D)(1) and because an element of sentencing discretion existed as re[492]*492gards the length of sentence served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, it was necessary for the appellate court to remand the matter to the trial court for re-sentencing. [Emphasis added.]

Id., 800 So.2d at 801.

Also, the Louisiana Supreme Court noted:

... the authority of the appellate court to recognize sentencing error arises in part from the self-activating provisions of La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 15:301.1

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Bluebook (online)
809 So. 2d 488, 2001 La.App. 4 Cir. 1812, 2002 La. App. LEXIS 182, 2002 WL 307726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-course-lactapp-2002.