State v. Falls

508 So. 2d 1021
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 1, 1987
Docket87-KA-128
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 508 So. 2d 1021 (State v. Falls) 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. Falls, 508 So. 2d 1021 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

508 So.2d 1021 (1987)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Frank M. FALLS.

No. 87-KA-128.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

June 1, 1987.

*1022 Dorothy Pendergast, Asst. Dist. Atty., Research & Appeals, Gretna, for plaintiff/appellee.

Martha E. Sassone, Indigent Defender Bd., Gretna, for defendant/appellant.

Before BOWES, KLIEBERT and WICKER, JJ.

WICKER, Judge.

On July 17, 1986, the defendant, Frank M. Falls (Falls) was charged by bill of information with the unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling in violation of L.S.A.-R.S. 14:62.3. Falls entered a plea of not guilty, was tried by jury and found guilty as charged. The trial court sentenced him on December 11, 1986 to three years in parish prison with credit for time served.

The testimony at trial set out the following: Amy Roepcke (Roepcke), a resident of the Sunwood Apartments in Jefferson Parish, testified that she was walking her cat in the complex at approximately 10:00 a.m. on July 5, 1986. She saw Falls sitting by *1023 the pool. He approached her as she walked around the pool toward an alley and attempted to converse with her. Despite her negative reply to such conversation, he continued to talk to her.

Roepcke then headed for her apartment. She stopped and spoke with some of her neighbors in an attempt to discourage Falls. Shortly thereafter her cat ran off. When she followed her cat, Falls followed her as well.

Falls told her that he loved her. She replied that she did not think that he knew the meaning of love. Falls reacted by grabbing her arm and asking her what she meant.

Roepcke became frightened and ran to her ground-floor apartment, locking the door and closing the drapes. Shortly thereafter she saw the door handle turn twice.

Roepcke waited approximately fifteen minutes to one-half hour and then looked outside through the peephole in the door and through both windows. Since she did not see Falls she left her apartment to get her mail. While returning to the apartment, she was again approached by Falls. She ran to the door and entered her apartment. However, Falls was right behind her. He placed his foot in the doorway in order to stop her from closing it. He then moved so that his body was partially inside her apartment. Roepcke also stated that his other foot was halfway in as well. Roepcke screamed for help and Falls moved back, allowing her to shut the door. Roepcke called the apartment manager and the security guard.

At trial Roepcke identified Falls as the person who positioned his body inside her doorway. She also testified that at no time did she give Falls permission to enter her apartment. Sharon Coulon (Coulon), the apartment manager on that date, spoke to Roepcke; obtained a description of Falls, and walked through the apartment complex. Coulon testified that she knew who Roepcke had described. She identified that person as Falls. Coulon saw Falls leaning against one of the buildings. She went to the apartment of the complex's security guard, who had also been informed of the incident and who had called the police. Coulon and the security guard looked through the complex for Falls and found him in front of Roepcke's apartment. He was leaning his ear against the door, turning the door handle. The security guard detained Falls until the police arrived.

Emory Gordon (Gordon), who resided at the Sunwood apartments with Falls' sister on the date of the incident, testified that Falls was staying with him at the time. He stated that when he left for work on that date he saw Falls talking to a woman who was holding a small animal. The woman appeared calm. Gordon did not see Falls make any threatening gestures toward her. However, he only observed them for 10 or 15 seconds.

Falls also testified. He stated that he was seated at the pool of the apartment complex on that date. He saw Roepcke approach and they engaged in conversation lasting six or seven minutes. He walked her back to her apartment. Once there, she opened the door and stepped inside. When he asked if he could go inside the apartment, she said "no" and shut the door on his foot. She screamed, so he pushed on the door in order to get his foot out of the door and walked away. He denied grabbing her or threatening her. He also denied having any part of his body inside her apartment. He stated that his foot was not inside her apartment; it was only in a space "between the door". The security guard stopped him after he had returned to the pool.

Falls now assigns the following errors on appeal:[1]

1. That the evidence at trial was not sufficient to justify the verdict;
2. Any and all errors patent;
3. That the court erred in imposing an excessive sentence, and
*1024 4. That the trial judge erred in denying counsel's motion for a mistrial.

SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE

The State argues that this court should not examine the record to determine whether there has been sufficient evidence since no basis is given by appellant for the objection which was not raised in the trial court. However, whenever a case is "devoid of evidence of an essential element of the charged offense [the] conviction and sentence must be set aside [citations omitted] regardless of how the error is brought to the attention of the reviewing court." State v. Raymo, 419 So.2d 858, 861 (La. 1982). Therefore, since appellant raises the issue of sufficiency through his assignments of error, we are constrained to review the record in this regard in light of Raymo, supra.

In order to obtain a conviction in this case the State had to prove that: (1) Falls entered Roepcke's residence without authority; (2) that Roepcke's apartment was an inhabited dwelling used in whole or in part as a home or a place of abode by a person, and (3) that the apartment he entered belonged to someone other than himself. L.S.A.-R.S. 14:62.3.

In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence we must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, to determine if any rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of every element of the crime charged. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Williams, 490 So.2d 255 (La.1986).

In the instant case, Falls was convicted of an unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling in violation of L.S.A.-R.S. 14:62.3. The jury, must have found Roepcke to be the more credible witness and did not find that Falls was never inside her apartment as Falls asserted. The victim's testimony has been held to sufficiently establish the elements of the crime. State v. Johnson, 446 So.2d 1371 (La.App. 1st Cir.1984), writ denied 449 So.2d 1347 (La.1984); State v. Barnes, 491 So.2d 42 (La.App. 5th Cir. 1986).

The assessment of credibility of the witness is properly within the realm of the fact finder and an appellate court should not second-guess a credibility finding beyond the sufficiency evaluation under the Jackson, supra standard of review. State ex rel Graffagnino v. King, 436 So.2d 559 (La.1983); State v. Butler, 450 So.2d 764 (La.App. 5th Cir.1984); Barnes, supra.

The jury evidently believed Roepcke's testimony that Falls placed his foot and part of his body inside her apartment. Both Roepcke and Falls agree that Roepcke did not give Falls permission to enter her apartment.

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Bluebook (online)
508 So. 2d 1021, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-falls-lactapp-1987.