State v. Gage

113 So. 3d 483, 2013 WL 1442052, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 702
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 10, 2013
DocketNo. 47,976-KA
StatusPublished

This text of 113 So. 3d 483 (State v. Gage) 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. Gage, 113 So. 3d 483, 2013 WL 1442052, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 702 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

PITMAN, J.

|! Defendant Brandon Lee Gage was charged with battery of a police officer, a violation of La. R.S. 14:34.2(B)(2). A jury found Defendant guilty as charged. A motion for post-judgment verdict of acquittal was filed, but was denied. Defendant was adjudicated as a second felony offender and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence, and was ordered to pay court costs through the inmate banking system. Defendant filed a timely motion to reconsider sentence, which, was denied. This appeal followed. For the following reasons, Defendant’s conviction and sentence, as amended, are affirmed.

FACTS

On March 29, 2012, Defendant was in jail at the Caddo Correctional Center (“CCC”). Detective Michael Escude (“Es-cude”) was working as the lone security deputy in housing unit Alpha when he heard disruptive noises coming from one of the top cell areas in the housing unit. Escude determined the noise was coming from Defendant’s cell and could see Defendant standing at the door of the cell yelling to someone in the day room on the level below. Escude went to Defendant’s cell to tell him to stop causing the disturbance and to tell him that he had lost his recreation period privileges that evening because of his actions.

Defendant began cursing Escude and denied that he was misbehaving. Defendant spat on the floor in front of Escude, who told Defendant to get dressed to go to lockdown. Defendant used profane language, but eventually walked out of his cell and headed toward the lockdown cell with | ^Escude following approximately 10-15 feet behind him. When they reached the lockdown cell, Escude had the Defendant step aside in order to unlock the cell. As he did, Defendant lunged at him in an aggressive manner. A fight ensued and Defendant made several attempts to hit Escude, landing one blow to the right side of Escude’s face. A camera on that tier of the housing unit recorded the incident from approximately 150 feet away.

Defendant was charged with violating La. R.S. 14:34.2(B)(2), battery of a police officer. A jury trial was held on June 26, 2012, and Escude testified for the state. The video of the event was played at the trial, narrated by Escude. Defendant took the stand in his own defense and claimed that he was acting in self-defense when the incident occurred. No other witnesses testified. The jury rendered a verdict of guilty as charged.

Defendant filed a motion for post-verdict judgment of acquittal, which was denied. The state then filed a habitual offender bill of information against Defendant. On July 20, 2012, he was adjudicated as a second felony offender and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence. He filed a timely motion to reconsider sentence, which was denied. This appeal ensued.

DISCUSSION

Assignment of Error Number One (verbatim): There was insufficient evidence to prove that Brandon Lee Gage was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of battery of a police officer.

Defendant argues that the state failed to prove that he had the intent to commit a battery on Escude and claims that he was defending himself against Escude by using reasonable force to end Escude’s battery.

[487]*487|sThe state responds that Defendant failed to show that his actions were necessary or in self-defense.

The standard of appellate review for a sufficiency of the evidence claim is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Tate, 01-1658 (La.5/20/03), 851 So.2d 921, cert, denied, 541 U.S. 905, 124 S.Ct. 1604, 158 L.Ed.2d 248 (2004); State v. Carter, 42,894 (La. App.2d Cir.1/9/08), 974 So.2d 181, tvrit denied, 08-0499 (La.11/14/08), 996 So.2d 1086. This standard, now legislatively embodied in La. C. Cr. P. art. 821, does not provide the appellate court with a vehicle to substitute its own appreciation of the evidence for that of the fact finder. State v. Pigford, 05-0477 (La.2/22/06), 922 So.2d 517; State v. Dotie, 43,819 (La.App.2d Cir.1/14/09), 1 So.3d 833, writ denied, 09-0310 (La.11/6/09), 21 So.3d 297. The appellate court does not assess the credibility of witnesses or reweigh evidence. State v. Smith, 94-3116 (La.10/16/95), 661 So.2d 442. A reviewing court accords great deference to a jury’s decision to accept or reject the testimony of a witness in whole or in part. State v. Eason, 43,788 (La. App.2d Cir.2/25/09), 3 So.3d 685, writ denied, 09-0725 (La.12/11/09), 23 So.3d 913.

Where there is conflicting testimony about factual matters, the resolution of which depends upon a determination of the credibility of the witnesses, the matter is one of the weight of the evidence, not its 14sufficiency. State v. Speed, 43,786 (La. App.2d Cir.1/14/09), 2 So.3d 582, writ denied, 09-0372 (La.11/6/09), 21 So.3d 299.

In the absence of internal contradiction or irreconcilable conflict with physical evidence, one witness’s testimony, if believed by the trier of fact,- is sufficient support for a requisite factual conclusion. State v. Gullette, 43,032 .(La.App.2d Cir.2/13/08), 975 So.2d 753; State v. Burd, 40,480 (La.App.2d Cir.1/27/06), 921 So'.2d 219, writ denied, 06-1083 (La.11/9/06), 941 So.2d 35.

The trier of fact is charged to make a credibility determination and may, within the bounds of rationality, accept or reject the testimony of any witness; the reviewing court may impinge on that discretion only to the extent necessary to guarantee the fundamental due process of law. State v. Casey, 99-0023 (La.1/26/00), 775 So.2d 1022, cert, denied, 531 U.S. 840, 121 S.Ct. 104,148 L.Ed.2d 62 (2000).

An appellate court reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence must resolve any conflict in the direct evidence by viewing that evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution. When the direct evidence is thus viewed, the facts established by the direct evidence and inferred from the circumstantial evidence must be sufficient for a rational juror to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant was guilty of every essential element of the crime. State v. Jacobs, 504 So.2d 817 (La.1987); State v. Adkins, 39,724 (La.App.2d Cir.6/29/05), 907 So.2d 232, writ denied, 06-2514 (La.5/4/07), 956 So.2d 607.

|,^Battery is defined as the intentional use of foree or violence upon the person of another; or the intentional administration of a poison or other noxious liquid or substance to another. La. R.S. 14:33.

La. R.S. 14:34.2 defines the crime of battery of a police officer and states in pertinent part as follows:

A. (1) Battery of a police officer is a battery committed without the consent of the victim when the offender has reasonable grounds to believe the victim is [488]*488a police officer acting in the performance of his duty.

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State v. Casey
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State v. Weaver
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State v. Pigford
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113 So. 3d 483, 2013 WL 1442052, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 702, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gage-lactapp-2013.