State v. Ferguson

176 So. 3d 449, 2015 WL 5158479
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 2, 2015
DocketNos. 2014-KA-1305, 2014-K-1321, 2014-K-1334
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 176 So. 3d 449 (State v. Ferguson) 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. Ferguson, 176 So. 3d 449, 2015 WL 5158479 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinions

TERRI F. LOVE, Judge.

| ¾ This appeal arises from the alleged battery of a juvenile in custody at the New Orleans Youth Study Center juvenile correctional facility. Two male correctional officers were charged with malfeasance in office in conjunction with the battery. Both defendants filed motions to quash the bill of particulars alleging that the bills lacked sufficient information to substantiate the charges. The trial court granted one defendant’s motion, and denied the other. The trial court also granted one defendant’s motion to sever.

The State sought an appeal from the trial court judgment granting one of the defendants’ motions to quash the bill of particulars. We find that the trial court erred in granting the defendant’s motion to quash because the bill of particulars advised the defendant of the actions leading to the charges and the duties allegedly violated. The other defendant sought supervisory review from the trial court denying his motion to quash the bill of particulars. However, we find that the trial court did not err by denying the motion, and deny the writ. Lastly, the State sought supervisory review of the trial court’s judgment granting the defendant’s motion to sever. We grant the State’s writ because there was no evidence of antagonistic defenses, reverse the trial court, and remand for further proceedings consistent with 12this opinion.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Charles Ferguson and Alonzo Horton1 (collectively “Defendants”) were charged with malfeasance in office in connection with the alleged beating of C.P.,2 a male juvenile inmate at the New Orleans Youth Study Center (“YSC”) juvenile correctional facility. Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Horton were both correctional officers at the YSC.

At the probable cause hearing, the State presented the testimony of New Orleans Police Officer Teron Ray, who investigated the case. Officer Ray’s testimony was based on (1) her interview of YSC Superintendent Glen Holt about the incident; (2) her interview of C.P.; (3) her review of a handwritten YSC staff investigation report prepared by Correctional Officer Kenisha Waker, who was present when the incident occurred; and (4) her conversation with Mr. Horton prior to placing him under arrest.

Officer Ray testified extensively to the content of CO Waker’s report. CO Waker wrote that on August 5, 2012, at approximately 7:15 a.m., Mr. Horton “came down” [452]*452to Unit 4 and knocked on the door. CO Waker opened the door for Mr. Horton, and he entered. Mr. Horton asked CO Waker what room was C.P.’s. She told him, and opened the door to the room, not knowing Mr. Horton’s intentions. C.P. was sleeping. C.P.’s room was in a heightened, security area of the |3YSC, and it had an observation window. As CO Waker was standing at her desk recording an entry in a log book, she heard “a beating noise” and C.P. yelling: “Ah! Man what you doing?!” CO Waker said Mr. Horton was responding: “So you [sic] disrespecting women huh?!” . CO Waker wrote that she walked over to the window of C.P.’s room and observed .Mr. Horton hitting C.P. with what appeared to be a white sock containing an unknown object. CO Waker stated that the unit phone rang, whereupon she walked over to the counter to answer it. It was a supervisor requesting CO Waker’s assistance dealing with an irate female juvenile inmate in the facility’s female unit. CO Waker said she heard a lot of rumbling and noise in C.P.’s room, which sounded like a fight.

Further, CO Waker wrote that she hung up the phone and asked Mr. Ferguson to let her out of the unit to assist the supervisor. She said: “Before CO Ferguson could let [her] off the unit, CO Horton exited C.P.’s room. Youth C.P. attempted to run after CO Horton and CO Ferguson stopped and pushed youth C.P. back inside his room. Youth C.P. then reached over CO. Ferguson’s shoulder and hit CO Horton in the face and said, ‘nah b-!’” Mr. Horton then entered C.P.’s room and began to “physically assault youth C.P. again.” CO Waker said C.P. was crying and yelling. “CO Ferguson walked away from the youth C.P.’s door and proceeded to. open the unit door for [her] to exit.”

Officer Ray testified at the probable cause hearing that Superintendent Holt informed her that a few of his correctional officers observed Mr. Horton beating an inmate. When testifying as to what CO Waker wrote in her report, Officer Ray was asked by the prosecutor: “And after the physical altercation occurred, Mr. Ferguson allowed both of the people to be in the room alone and then walked away?” Officer Ráy replied: ‘Yes, according to the ’statements.” ''

^Officer Ray further testified that during her on-scene investigation at the YSC, she telephoned Mr. Horton, advised him of her investigation, and requested that he come to the YSC. When Mr. Horton arrived,. Officer Ray advised him of the pending charge and informed him of his rights. She testified that Mr. Horton stated that he was very good with kids .and denied the allegations. She said Mr. Horton noted that he .was very strict with the inmates, and he said that sometimes they can get a little rowdy. He denied beating C.P. She believed that when she asked him about “the socks,” Mr. Horton told her “something like” he was bringing in some socks, and there was nothing in the socks. He again denied the allegations.

Officer Ray interviewed C.P. ten days after the incident, the same day she interviewed Superintendent Holt and arrested Mr. Horton. She did not notice any bruising on C.P. Officer Ray said she was advised that C.P. had been taken to thé nurses’ station ‘with a swollen upper lip and injuries to his’ inner right foot, a thumb, and an index finger. Officer Ray did hot investigate whether C.P. had any injuries preexisting the alleged beating by Mr. Horton..

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Mr. Horton and Mr. Ferguson were jointly charged in a bill of information with malfeasance in office, a violation of La. [453]*453R,S. 14:134.3 Both Mr. Horton and | BMr, Ferguson filed Motions to Quash the Bill of Particulars. Mr. Horton also filed a Motion to Sever .alleging that he and Mr. Ferguson had antagonistic defenses. The trial court granted Mr. Horton’s Motion to Sever; denied Mr. Horton’s Motion to Quash; and granted Mr. Ferguson’s Motion to Quash. The State filed a timely appeal of the trial court’s! grant of Mr. Ferguson’s Motion to Quash the Bill of Particulars, 2015-KA-1305. The State also filed an application for supervisory review of the grant of Mr. Horton’s Motion to Sever, 2014-K-1334. Mr. Horton filed an application for supervisory review of the denial of his Motion to Quash the Bill of Particulars, 2014-K-1321. This Court consolidated all three cases by order.

STATE APPEAL: 2014-KA-1305

The State asserts that the trial' court erred in granting Mr. Ferguson’s Motion to Quash because Mr. Ferguson was. lawfully notified which acts constituted malfeasance in office. Mr. Ferguson filed three motions to quash. The first and third motions were based on La, C.Cr.P. art. 532(1). The second motion was based on La. C.Cr. P. art. 532(2).4 In the third motion to quash, Mr. Ferguson acknowledged that the State filed a modified/amended bill of particulars, but contended that- the State failed to inform him of the acts he committed that supported the malfeasance charge. Mr. Ferguson’s third and last motion to quash is the sub-, ject of the present appeal.

|fiLa. C.Cr.P. art.

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Bluebook (online)
176 So. 3d 449, 2015 WL 5158479, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ferguson-lactapp-2015.