State v. Guilbeau

838 So. 2d 160, 2003 WL 253113
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 5, 2003
Docket02-0972
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 838 So. 2d 160 (State v. Guilbeau) 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. Guilbeau, 838 So. 2d 160, 2003 WL 253113 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

838 So.2d 160 (2003)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Anthony GUILBEAU, Jr.

No. 02-0972.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

February 5, 2003.

*161 Earl B. Taylor, District Attorney, Alisa Ardoin Gothreaux, Opelousas, LA, for Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Edward Kelly Bauman, Louisiana Appellate Project, Lake Charles, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Anthony Guilbeau, Jr.

Court composed of NED E. DOUCET, JR., Chief Judge, OSWALD A. DECUIR and MARC T. AMY, Judges.

AMY, Judge.

The defendant was convicted of one count of possession of cocaine, weighing more than twenty-eight grams but less than two hundred grams, and one count of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. He was sentenced to two concurrent sentences of five years at hard labor. The defendant appeals. He contends that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance and that the trial court erred in denying his motion to withdraw his guilty pleas. For the following reasons, we affirm the defendant's convictions. However, we vacate the sentence imposed for possession of cocaine finding it to be illegally lenient and we remand for resentencing.

Factual and Procedural Background

The record indicates that, in January 1999, police officers were called to the home of the parents of the defendant, Anthony Guilbeau, Jr. The call related to a domestic disturbance. While officers were at the scene, in excess of three hundred and fifteen grams of cocaine and four pounds of marijuana were found. In March 1999, the defendant was charged by bill of information with one count of possession of cocaine, in excess of two hundred grams, but less than four hundred grams, a violation of La.R.S. 40:967 and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a violation of La.R.S. 40:966(A)(1).

At a plea hearing on May 17, 2001, and pursuant to a plea agreement, the defendant entered guilty pleas to the charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and the reduced charge of possession of cocaine, in excess of twenty-eight grams but less than two hundred grams, a violation of La.R.S. 40:967. The defendant subsequently filed a motion to withdraw his plea of guilty on the possession of cocaine charge. Following a hearing, the motion was denied.

On May 24, 2002, the trial court sentenced the defendant to five years at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence on the possession of cocaine charge and five years at hard labor on the possession of marijuana with intent to distribute charge. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently to one another.

The defendant appeals, assigning the following as error:

1. Anthony Guilbeau received ineffective assistance of counsel.
2. The trial court erred in refusing to allow Anthony Guilbeau to withdraw his pleas of guilty.

Discussion

Errors Patent

As is required by La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, we have reviewed this matter for errors patent on the face of the record. Our review reveals a single patent error.

*162 For the offense of possession of cocaine, twenty-eight grams or more, but less than two hundred grams, the trial court sentenced the defendant to five years at hard labor without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. However, in 1999, at the time the offense was committed, the sentencing range for the offense was ten to sixty years at hard labor and a fine of fifty thousand to one hundred fifty thousand dollars.[1]

Pursuant to Acts 2001, No. 403, § 4, the sentencing provisions related to La. R.S. 40:967 were amended, with the penalty provision for possession of twenty-eight grams or more, but less than two hundred grams of cocaine changed to a range of five to thirty years at hard labor.[2] The amount of the fine required by La.R.S. 40:967(F)(1)(a) was not altered by the legislation. The amendment became effective prior to the imposition of the defendant's sentence on May 24, 2002. The trial court noted that it was sentencing the defendant in accord with the new sentencing statutes.

However, we note that Section 6 of Act 403 specifically provides that the provisions of the Act "shall only have prospective effect." Furthermore, in State v. Sugasti, 01-3407 (La.6/21/02); 820 So.2d 518, the Louisiana Supreme Court referenced the legislative pronouncement of Section 6 of Act 403 and observed that, while the trial court should consider the new sentencing provision in imposing sentence, "the trial judge should not derogate from the penalty provision in effect at the time of the commission of the offense." Id. at p. 5; 521. The supreme court states that if the legislature intended for the more lenient sentencing provisions of Act 403 to take effect immediately, "language signifying that intent could have easily been incorporated into the act." Id.[3]

Due to the supreme court's discussion in Sugasti, we conclude that the trial court erred in sentencing the defendant under the revised sentencing range of La. R.S. 40:967, resulting in an illegally lenient sentence. Further, in State v. Williams, 00-1725 (La.11/28/01); 800 So.2d 790, the Louisiana Supreme Court considered whether an appellate court could recognize *163 a trial court's failure to impose sentence without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence when the trial court was required to do so by the statute. The supreme court observed that a defendant has neither a constitutional nor a statutory right to an illegally lenient sentence and concluded that an appellate court may recognize an illegally lenient sentence on patent error review. Addressing constitutional concerns over such a recognition, the supreme court explained: "[W]hen a court complies with a nondiscretionary sentencing requirement, i.e., a mandatory minimum term or special parole provision(s), no due process violation is implicated because neither actual retaliation nor vindictiveness exists." Id. at p. 10; 798. The appellate court's ability to recognize the illegally lenient sentence was found to be authorized, in part, by La.Code Crim.P. art. 882, Subsection A of which provides: "An illegal sentence may be corrected at any time by the court that imposed the sentence or by an appellate court on review." Williams, 00-1725; 800 So.2d 790. Accordingly, we recognize the defendant's sentence as illegally lenient and vacate the defendant's sentence for possession of cocaine, in excess of twenty-eight grams, but less than two hundred grams, and remand for resentencing in accordance with La.R.S. 40:967(F) as it existed at the time of the commission of the offense.

Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

In his first assignment of error, the defendant argues that his trial counsel was ineffective for allowing him to enter his guilty pleas without first having the trial court conduct a hearing on a pending motion to suppress. Further, he asserts that he should have then been advised by counsel to enter his plea pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), reserving his right to review the motion to suppress on appeal. Finally, he contends that his attorney was ineffective in failing to communicate with him prior to the day of trial.

With regard to a defendant's claim that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance, the Louisiana Supreme Court has explained:

A criminal defendant is guaranteed the effective assistance of counsel. United States Sixth Amendment; La. Const. art.

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838 So. 2d 160, 2003 WL 253113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-guilbeau-lactapp-2003.