State v. Fraley

499 So. 2d 1304
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 9, 1986
DocketKA-3880
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 499 So. 2d 1304 (State v. Fraley) 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. Fraley, 499 So. 2d 1304 (La. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

499 So.2d 1304 (1986)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Alvin J. FRALEY.

No. KA-3880.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

December 9, 1986.

*1306 William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Pamela S. Moran, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellee.

Stegeman & Marrero, Russell Stegeman, Gretna, for defendant-appellant.

Before WARD and ARMSTRONG, JJ., and PRESTON H. HUFFT, J., Pro Tem.

ARMSTRONG, Judge.

The defendant, Alvin Fraley, was charged with and convicted of one count of illegal possession of stolen property valued at $500.00 or more, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:69, three counts of forgery, violations of LSA-R.S. 14:72, and one count of injuring public documents, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:132. On January 16, 1985 defendant's motion for a new trial was denied, and he was sentenced to serve four ten-year sentences at hard labor as to counts one through four and one five year sentence at hard labor as to count five. Sentences were to run concurrently. The defendant filed a motion for appeal which was granted by the trial court. On February 14, 1985 the state filed a multiple bill of information against the defendant. On April 16, 1985 the trial court set aside defendant's original sentence and sentenced him as a fourth offender to serve twenty years at hard labor. On April 24, 1985 defendant filed a motion for appeal. The trial court granted the motion, consolidating it with the previous appeal filed on January 16, 1985. Defense counsel asserts eight assignments of error. Additionally, the defendant has filed a pro se brief in which he assigns three errors.

We have reviewed the record for errors patent and have found one. The record reflects that the trial court did not wait twenty-four hours after denying the defendant's motion for a new trial before imposing sentence. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 873. The defendant does not assign this as error nor allege any prejudice. We do not find any prejudice flowing from this error and therefore find the error to be harmless. State v. Brogdon, 426 So.2d 158 (La.1983); State v. Dixon, 471 So.2d 282 (La.App. 4th Cir.1985).

By his assignments of error numbers seven and eight, and in his pro se brief the defendant submits several challenges to his adjudication and sentence as a multiple offender pursuant to LSA-R.S. 15:529.1. We pretermit review of those assignments of error as we find that the trial court was without jurisdiction to impose sentence.

In the instant case, the order of appeal was signed by the trial court on January 16, 1985. The defendant was resentenced as a multiple offender on April 16, 1985. Under the provisions of LSA-C. Cr.P. Art. 916 as it read at the time of the multiple bill proceeding in this case, the trial court was divested of jurisdiction when the order of appeal was entered. Because *1307 the order of appeal in this case was entered prior to resentencing on the multiple bill the trial court was without jurisdiction to impose the enhanced sentence. State ex rel Tuesno v. Maggio, 441 So.2d 1226 (La.1983); State v. Felton, 482 So.2d 191 (La.App. 4th Cir.1986); State v. Garland, 482 So.2d 133 (La.App. 4th Cir.1986).

We note that the Louisiana Legislature recently amended LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 916 to specifically allow the trial court to retain jurisdiction for sentencing purposes under the Habitual Offender Law. Acts 1986, No. 851; LSA-C.Cr.P. 916(8). Because this amendment is a change in criminal procedure, it applies only to proceedings subsequent to its effective date. State v. Martin, 351 So.2d 92 (La.1977). Hence, because Fraley was charged and convicted under the multiple bill before August 30, 1986, the effective date of the amendment, it does not apply to his case, and the trial court was without jurisdiction to impose the enchanced sentence.

By assignments of error numbers two through six, defendant contends that insufficient evidence exists to support his convictions.

In reviewing the sufficiency of evidence to support a conviction, the appellate court must determine whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Dauzart, 461 So.2d 382 (La.App. 4th Cir.1984).

When the State's case is based on circumstantial evidence, the statutory rule of R.S. 15:438 provides that, assuming every fact to be proved that the evidence tends to prove, in order to convict, it must exclude every reasonable hypothesis of innocence. This rule is not a purely separate test from the Jackson standard, but rather an evidentiary guideline for the jury when considering circumstantial evidence. It is, therefore, a component of the more comprehensive reasonable doubt standard. State v. Nealy, 450 So.2d 634 (La.1984). Ultimately, it is the Jackson standard which is the objective standard for testing the overall evidence, direct and circumstantial. State v. Porretto, 468 So.2d 1142 (La.1985); Nealy, supra; State v. Wright, 445 So.2d 1198 (La.1984).

Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, these are salient facts:

Sometime in May of 1984, a brown 1984 Thunderbird automobile was stolen from the lot of Interstate Ford. Mr. Ritter, assistant manager of Interstate Ford, testified that the value of the Thunderbird was $10,800.00 and that Interstate Ford did not consent to the taking of the car from the dealership lot.

On June 10, 1984, Lieutenant John Ruth was driving in his patrol car on Downman Road. He stopped at a red light at the intersection of Downman Road and Chef Menteur Highway. The defendant, driving a 1984 brown Thunderbird, stopped in the lane next to him. Ruth looked over and noticed that the defendant was wearing a wig. The defendant saw Ruth looking at him. The defendant jerked his head and stared straight ahead. When Ruth saw that the defendant's car did not have a brake tag, he started to follow the defendant. Ruth noticed that although the car was a brand new Thunderbird, the license plate was from Arizona and was several years old. He then stopped the defendant and requested identification. The defendant produced a driver's license which had been issued three days prior to this stop. The name on the driver's license was James Wallace Simpson. The defendant's picture was on the license. Ruth was unable to see the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the dash board of the car. Ruth asked the defendant who owned the car, the defendant replied that it was his. When defendant could not find the registration papers to the car, he told Ruth they were at his home. Ruth asked the defendant what the address on the driver's license was but the defendant was unable to tell him. The defendant then told Ruth that the car belonged to another person. When the defendant *1308 opened the trunk of the car to search for the registration papers, Ruth saw two license plates in the trunk.

While the defendant was stopped, Ruth radioed for reinforcements. Officer Blanque responded to the call. When he looked at the dashboard of the car, he discovered that paper had been taped over the VIN. Blanque called in the VIN and discovered that the car had been stolen from Interstate Ford. Blanque also saw the license plates in the trunk. In addition he saw a tablet of blank baptismal certificates.

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Bluebook (online)
499 So. 2d 1304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fraley-lactapp-1986.