State v. Ford

275 So. 3d 404
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 19, 2019
DocketNO. 18-KA-362
StatusPublished

This text of 275 So. 3d 404 (State v. Ford) 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. Ford, 275 So. 3d 404 (La. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

WINDHORST, J.

Defendant, Derrick A. Ford, Jr., appeals his convictions, habitual offender adjudication, and enhanced sentences. For the reasons that follow, we affirm defendant's conviction, habitual offender adjudication as a fourth-felony offender, and enhanced sentence on count two, attempted simple robbery. Based on our error patent review, we vacate defendant's conviction, habitual offender adjudication as a fourth-felony offender, and enhanced sentence on count one, simple kidnapping. We further remand this case for the trial court to enter a post-verdict judgment of acquittal on count one.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On March 4, 2016, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Derrick A. Ford, Jr., with second degree kidnapping in violation of La. R.S. 14:44.1 (count one), and attempted armed robbery in violation of La. R.S. 14:27 and La. R.S. 14:64 (count two).1 On March 7, 2016, defendant pled not guilty. On May 9, 2017, the State amended the bill of information to also charge defendant with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1 (count four). Defendant pled not guilty.

*408On July 27, 2017, a twelve-person jury found defendant guilty of the responsive verdicts of simple kidnapping in violation of La. R.S. 14:45 (count one), and attempted simple robbery in violation of La. R.S. 14:27 and La. R.S. 14:65 (count two). Defendant was found not guilty on count four, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On September 13, 2017, the trial court sentenced defendant to five years in the Department of Corrections2 on count one and three and one-half years in the Department of Corrections on count two to run concurrently with each other and with any other sentence defendant was serving.

After sentencing, the State filed a habitual offender bill of information, alleging defendant was a fourth-felony offender under La. R.S. 15:529.1 on counts one and two, to which defendant filed objections. On October 12, 2017, after denying defendant's objections, the trial court found that defendant was a fourth-felony offender on counts one and two. The trial court vacated defendant's sentences on counts one and two, and resentenced defendant to twenty years imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of probation or suspension of sentence on each count to run concurrently with each other and with any other sentence he was serving.

On October 30, 2017, defendant filed a motion to reconsider his enhanced sentences, which the trial court denied. This appeal followed.

FACTS

Approximately 7:00 P.M. on the evening of January 3, 2016, Heather Bourgeois testified that her friend, Charles Willis, drove her to Nahkee DeJean's house located at 5144 Mt. Matterhorn Avenue in Marrero, Louisiana, to buy heroin from DeJean.3

Willis and Bourgeois called DeJean immediately prior to their arrival. After they pulled into DeJean's driveway, DeJean walked to Willis's truck and gave Bourgeois the heroin. Before they could leave, "Bootsy,"4 later identified as defendant, came out of DeJean's house, saw Bourgeois in the truck with Willis, and became upset. Bourgeois testified that she "begged" Willis to leave, but that he shut off the truck. Defendant, with a gun in his hand, went to the passenger side of the truck where she was sitting and started punching her through the partially opened window. Bourgeois testified that she put her hand over the truck door's lock in an attempt to keep defendant from opening the door, however, she eventually gave up and defendant was able to get her out of the truck.5 Defendant dragged her into DeJean's house by her hair. Bourgeois testified that she did not want to go into the house with defendant.

Once inside, defendant hit Bourgeois and screamed at her that he wanted his money. Defendant pointed his gun at her, *409hit her with the gun, and ordered her to take off her clothes. DeJean, Tanisha Johnson, "Chopper," (later identified as Steven Shallerhorn, Jr.) and Willis were in the house during the incident. When she refused to take off her clothes, Johnson stripped her of her clothes, while "Chopper" stood over her with a gun. Bourgeois testified that at the time, defendant was telling everyone in the house what to do because he was in charge.6

Vivian Varney lived next door to DeJean and heard the disturbance outside involving Bourgeois, and called her sister, which led to the police being called. Deputy Andre Nelson, Jr., Deputy Blaine Howard, and Deputy Gavin Wallace with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a 9-1-1 call at 5144 Mt. Matterhorn Avenue. Dispatch informed the officers that a black male was striking a white female in the driveway of the residence with a handgun present. Upon arrival, the officers encountered a black male, later identified as Steven Shallerhorn, coming out of the residence, and he was ordered to the ground for officer safety.7

As the officers took Shallerhorn into custody, Johnson opened the door of the residence, saw the officers, then closed and locked the door. Believing that someone inside could be in danger, the officers went to the rear of the residence to prevent anyone from escaping. Once in the backyard, officers observed DeJean sitting next to the back door crying and Johnson was exiting the residence. Both DeJean and Johnson were separated, placed under arrest, and subsequently gave statements. Officers went inside the house and found Bourgeois crying hysterically. Bourgeois was placed in custody while the officers cleared the remainder of the residence.8 The officers subsequently learned that two other individuals, defendant and Willis, were in the residence prior to the officers going into the backyard and that they had fled out the back door, jumping over several fences to escape.9

As a result of the officers' investigation and statements made by Bourgeois and the other individuals arrested, the officers *410determined that defendant, "Bootsy," exited DeJean's house after Bourgeois pulled into DeJean's driveway, attacked Bourgeois while she was still in the truck, physically forced Bourgeois into DeJean's residence at 5144 Mt. Matterhorn Avenue by dragging her by the hair at gun point, ordered Bourgeois to strip inside the residence, and when she did not comply, ordered Johnson to strip Bourgeois of her clothing while looking for money.10 Based on the investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for defendant.

On January 15, 2016, defendant was arrested on unrelated charges and brought to the detective bureau where he was interviewed by Detective Francis.11 In his interview, defendant claimed that he was at DeJean's house earlier on January 3, 2016, but he left around 5:30 P.M. He stated that a friend picked him up from DeJean's house.12 He stated that his "Uncle Mark" then picked him up and he went to his uncle's house.13 Defendant stated that he was not at DeJean's at the time of the incident or when police arrived.14

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
275 So. 3d 404, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ford-lactapp-2019.