State v. Harris

88 So. 3d 1223, 2011 La.App. 3 Cir. 0663, 2012 WL 1037920, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 430
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 28, 2012
DocketNo. 2011-KA-0663
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 88 So. 3d 1223 (State v. Harris) 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. Harris, 88 So. 3d 1223, 2011 La.App. 3 Cir. 0663, 2012 WL 1037920, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 430 (La. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

DANIEL L. DYSART, Judge.

[ i Charles Harris appeals his jury conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm (La. R.S. 14:95.1) and simple assault (La. R.S. 14:38). He contends that the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion for a new trial and that he had ineffective assistance of counsel. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the conviction and remand to the trial court for the imposition of the mandatory fine called for in count one of the bill of information.

Background

On April 22, 2010, the State filed a two count bill of information charging the defendant in count one with being a felon in possession of a firearm (La. R.S. 14:95.1) and in count two with aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon (La. R.S. 14:37.4). The defendant pled not guilty; after the trial court found probable cause and denied the defendant’s motion to suppress, the matter proceeded to trial on November 16, 2010. On the date of trial, the State amended count two of the bill of information to charge the defendant with aggravated assault by discharging a weapon.

12Puring the deliberations phase, the jury submitted a written question to the court regarding the sentencing provisions of one of the two charges. In response to the question, the trial court addressed the jury, and the jury returned to its deliberations. The jury then found the defendant guilty as charged on count one and guilty of the lesser included offense of simple assault on count two.

On December 3, 2010, the defendant filed a motion for new trial and for post-verdict judgment of acquittal, which the trial court denied. After the defendant waived all legal delays, the court sentenced him on count one to ten years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. As to count two, the court sentenced defendant to six months in parish prison. The two sentences were ordered to be served concurrently. The defendant filed a motion for appeal on the same day.

Because this appeal concerns a procedural, rather than factual issue, a recitation of the facts elicited at trial is not necessary. We focus, rather, on the specific issues at hand, concerning an exchange which took place during the jury’s deliberations. After receiving a written question from the jury regarding the applicable sentencing provision for count one of the bill of information, the trial judge seated the jury and the following exchange took place:

THE COURT:
All right. Let the record reflect that the jury is back with a question and everyone is present including the defendant. As I read the question — the question states as follows: Does attempted possession carry a lesser sentence? What is the sentence range? Sentencing is normally left up to me, and because it is, I cannot tell you if it’s a lesser sentence or not. You already know what| — the3 defense attorney has already told you what the sentence is as it is, but I cannot tell you or not. Yes?
THE JUROR:
[1225]*1225Does the ten-year sentence come with parole?
THE COURT:
Yes, it covers that also, yes. The ten-year sentence insofar as — tell me some more about that. You say whether or not it covers parole. What do you mean?
THE JUROR:
Wasn’t there a mandatory state ten-year sentence for aggravated — I mean, one of the charges?
THE COURT:
Yes, it is.
THE JUROR:
Does that come with parole?
THE COURT:
Oh, does that come with parole, parole eligibility?
THE JUROR:
Parole eligibility?
THE PROSECUTOR:
Actually, it does, Judge.
THE COURT:
I can’t tell you. Any other questions? That’s it?

It is this exchange, and more particularly, the statement of the prosecutor that the charge comes with parole eligibility, that forms the basis of this appeal.

ERRORS PATENT

A review for errors patent reveals an error in defendant’s sentence. The sentencing provisions of La. R.S. 14:95.1 provide that a person | ¿convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon “shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten nor more than twenty years without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence and be fined not less than one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars.” (Emphasis added).

We note that the district court failed to impose the mandatory fine as required. Accordingly, the defendant’s sentence is illegally lenient. In State v. Williams, 2003-0802 (La.App. 4 Cir. 10/6/03), 859 So.2d 751, this court held that a reviewing court must remand cases for the imposition of a mandatory fine where the trial court failed to do so. Accordingly, this matter shall be remanded to the trial court for the imposition of the mandatory fine for the felon in possession of a firearm conviction.

We further note that the record reflects that the defendant was not arraigned on the amended charge of aggravated assault by discharging a firearm. However, because the defendant did not object prior to trial, he is assumed to have plead not guilty to the charge. La.C.Cr. P. art. 555. Therefore, the failure of the record to show that he was arraigned on the charge warrants no relief. State v. Perez, 98-1407 (La.App. 4 Cir. 11/3/99), 745 So.2d 166.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBERS 1 & 2

As previously indicated, the defendant’s assignments of error, which he argues jointly, come solely from the prosecutor’s statement during deliberations that the sentence for count one provides for parole eligibility. The defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to grant the motion for new trial and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial.

IsThe defendant argues that he was prejudiced by the prosecutor’s statement, “[ajctually it does, judge” as the statement incorrectly conveyed to the jury that a conviction for attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon did not carry a prohibition against parole, as it does. The defendant argues that the questions submitted by the jury reflect that the jury [1226]*1226“wanted to make sure Mr. Harris would benefit from either an attempt conviction or be eligible for parole.” The defendant contends that the prosecutor’s statement caused the jury to render a different verdict than it would have had the statement not been made, as the jury would have found the defendant guilty of attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As such, the defendant contends that the trial, court erred in denying his motion for new trial and now submits that his attorney provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to take some action in response to the prosecutor’s statement. He argues that his lawyer’s ineffective assistance provides a basis for granting his motion for new trial and an independent basis for relief by this court on appeal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 So. 3d 1223, 2011 La.App. 3 Cir. 0663, 2012 WL 1037920, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-harris-lactapp-2012.