State v. Guffey

649 So. 2d 1169, 1995 WL 36269
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 1, 1995
DocketCR94-797
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 649 So. 2d 1169 (State v. Guffey) 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. Guffey, 649 So. 2d 1169, 1995 WL 36269 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

649 So.2d 1169 (1995)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Ralph GUFFEY, Defendant-Appellant.

No. CR94-797.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

February 1, 1995.
Rehearing Denied March 17, 1995.

*1170 James Lewis, Asst. Dist. Atty., Edward Lacy Tarpley Jr., Colfax, for State.

Richard V. Burnes, Alexandria, George Lewis Higgins III, Pineville, for Ralph Guffey.

Before KNOLL, SAUNDERS and AMY, JJ.

SAUNDERS, Judge.

The state charged defendant, Ralph Guffey, by bill of information with five counts of molestation of a juvenile, in violation of Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:81.2(A). The offenses occurred at various times from June of 1989 until February of 1991. On February 24, 1994, the defendant withdrew his plea of not guilty and entered a plea of nolo contendere to five counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile in violation of Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:80, which the trial court accepted. The trial court ordered a presentence investigation, and on February 24, 1994, sentenced the defendant to three (3) years at hard labor on counts one, two, and three to run consecutively. On counts four and five, the trial court sentenced the defendant to five (5) years at hard labor. The five year sentence was suspended and the defendant was placed on five years supervised probation to run concurrently with each other but, consecutive to the sentences imposed in counts one, two, *1171 and three. On the day of sentencing, the defendant requested to withdraw his plea of nolo contendere, which the trial court denied.

The defendant filed a motion to reconsider sentence on May 20, 1994, which the trial court denied.

The defendant has timely perfected this appeal alleging seven assignments of error.

FACTS

Defendant, Ralph Guffey (hereafter Guffey), was accused of having sexual intercourse with his step-daughter. At the time of the first alleged act of sexual intercourse, the victim was fifteen years old. Guffey allegedly had intercourse with the victim at various times from June, 1989 until February, 1991. During the alleged acts of intercourse, the victim was under the age of seventeen and Guffey was over the age of seventeen, there was at all times an age difference of greater than two years between them.

ERRORS PATENT

Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 920 provides the scope of this court's review on appeal:

The following matters and no others shall be considered on appeal:
(1) An error designated in the assignment of errors; and
(2) An error that is discoverable by a mere inspection of the pleadings and proceedings and without inspection of the evidence.

In accordance with that article, all appeals are reviewed on the face of the record for errors patent. After reviewing the record, we find no errors patent.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

Guffey asserts that the trial court erred in allowing him to enter pleas of nolo contendere to five counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile when the original bill of information charged him with five counts of molestation of a juvenile. Guffey argues that his plea was invalid because a plea to carnal knowledge of a juvenile is not responsive to a charge of molestation of a juvenile. Guffey also contends that the District Attorney had not made a written amendment to the bill of information before he entered his plea.

A review of Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 814 indicates that there are no statutorily listed responsive verdicts to molestation of a juvenile. Therefore, we must determine whether carnal knowledge of a juvenile is a lesser and included offense of molestation of a juvenile. La.Code Crim. P.Art. 815(2)[1].

The Louisiana Supreme Court set forth the test which must be used to determine if a crime is a lesser and included offense of the offense charged under article 815(2). The court stated:

"[T]he test is whether the definition of the greater offense necessarily includes all the elements of the lesser. Stated in another way for practical application, this merely means that, if any reasonable state of facts can be imagined wherein the greater offense is committed without perpetration of the lesser offense, a verdict for the lesser cannot be responsive."

State v. Simmons, 422 So.2d 138, 142 (La. 1982) (emphasis added) (italics deleted) (citations omitted).

Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:81.2 provides:

A. Molestation of a juvenile is the commission by anyone over the age of seventeen of any lewd or lascivious act upon the person or in the presence of any child under the age of seventeen, where there is an age difference of greater than two years between the two persons, with the intention of arousing or gratifying the sexual desires of either person, by the use of force, violence, duress, menace, psychological intimidation, threat of great bodily *1172 harm, or by the use of influence by virtue of a position of control or supervision over the juvenile. Lack of knowledge of the juvenile's age shall not be a defense.

Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:80 provides:

A. Carnal knowledge of a juvenile is committed when:

(1) A male over the age of seventeen has sexual intercourse, with consent, with any unmarried female of the age of twelve years or more, but under the age of seventeen years, when there is an age difference of greater than two years between the two persons; or
(2) A person over the age of seventeen has anal or oral sexual intercourse, with consent, with a person of the age of twelve years or more, but under the age of seventeen years, when there is an age difference of greater than two years between the two persons.
B. Lack of knowledge of the juvenile's age shall not be a defense. Emission is not necessary; and penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the crime.

We find from our reading of the two statutes that there are circumstances wherein acts proscribed by 14:81.2 could be committed without committing acts proscribed by 14:80, e.g., female over the age of seventeen (17) having sexual intercourse with an unmarried male age twelve or older. Consequently, we find that 14:80 is nonresponsive to 14:81.2.

We find, however, even though Guffey pled nolo contendere to a charge which was nonresponsive to the original bill of information this is not reversible error. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 487(B) provides:

B. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit the defendant from entering a plea of guilty to a crime nonresponsive to the original indictment when such a plea is acceptable to the district attorney, and in such case, the district attorney shall not be required to file a new indictment to charge the crime to which the plea is offered.

If a defendant does plead guilty to a nonresponsive crime, the district attorney is only required to amend the indictment rather than file a new one. State v. Cook, 372 So.2d 1202, 1205 (La.1979). Since Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 461 makes Article 487 applicable to bills of information, the Cook holding applies in this case.

Guffey further contends that the requirements of Article 487(B) were not met because the district attorney did not amend the proper bill of information.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
649 So. 2d 1169, 1995 WL 36269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-guffey-lactapp-1995.