State v. Hopkins

649 So. 2d 673, 1994 WL 597696
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 2, 1994
Docket94-337
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 649 So. 2d 673 (State v. Hopkins) 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. Hopkins, 649 So. 2d 673, 1994 WL 597696 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

649 So.2d 673 (1994)

STATE of Louisiana,
v.
Craig HOPKINS, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 94-337.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

November 2, 1994.

*674 Mark H. Kramar, for plaintiff appellee.

Jack L. Simms Jr., for defendant appellant.

Before DOUCET, PETERS and BERTRAND[*], JJ.

DOUCET, Judge.

Defendant, Craig O. Hopkins, was charged by a bill of information dated October 7, 1993, with unlawful distribution of cocaine, a Schedule II drug under La.R.S. 40:964, in violation of La.R.S. 40:967(A)(1). Defendant waived jury trial, was tried by Judge Roy B. Tuck, Jr. on November 17, 1993, and found guilty as charged. On January 28, 1994, defendant was sentenced to 210 months at hard labor with credit for time served. From the ruling of the trial court, defendant now appeals, alleging four assignments of error.

FACTS:

During the late night/early morning hours of June 18-19, 1993, Leesville police officers and three agents from the Fort Polk Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D.) and a confidential informant (C.I.) met at the Country Inn, located in Vernon Parish. The group planned "making buys" of controlled dangerous substances from various persons in a portion of Leesville known as "the crossing area." One of the C.I.D. personnel (U.S. Army Special Agent Jackson) and the informant drove a pickup truck through the area in an attempt to make the "buys." The truck was equipped with a video camera aimed at the passenger window, for the purpose of recording events during the buys. [Agent *675 Jackson explained at trial that he conducts transactions through the passenger window, so that persons selling drugs cannot reach the ignition.] The truck was also equipped with an audio system which was monitored by a surveillance team that remained within a few blocks of Agent Jackson and the informant.

As the truck passed through the area, they made contact with an individual whom the informant initially identified as "Craig," and later identified as Craig Hopkins. According to Agent Jackson's testimony, "Craig" approached the truck, whereupon he and the C.I. asked to buy a "twenty," which is the slang term for $20 worth of crack or rock cocaine.

Agent Jackson and the defendant agreed that the truck would make the block while defendant obtained the crack from an undisclosed location. After making the block, Agent Jackson received the crack from Hopkins and paid him $20 in unmarked bills. The videotape recorded by the truck's camera shows the seller of the crack to be the defendant. Further, Agent Jackson described defendant in his testimony and identified him in court as the seller. After the transaction, Hopkins and the buyers each left the area.

Jackson returned to the command post at the Country Inn, and delivered the crack to the officer in charge, Sergeant Gore of the Leesville Police Department. Agent Jackson and Sgt. Gore took steps to secure the crack and initiated the record of the chain of custody. (Also see, infra, discussion of lab certificate.) Defendant objected to introduction of the videotape and of the crime lab certificate as each was introduced.

At the close of the State's case, the defense moved for a "directed verdict," citing La. C.Cr.P. art. 778 "Motion for Acquittal." The court denied the motion, and the defense put on its case, producing two alibi witnesses who placed defendant in another location at the time of the drug "buy." Both testified that defendant was asleep on a couch at the time. One witness was a family friend; the other was defendant's mother.

ERRORS PATENT:

La.C.Cr.P. art. 920 provides the scope of review on appeal, as follows:

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.

A review of the record reveals no errors patent.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR:

The defendant-appellant assigns four errors. He claims the trial court erred in the following:

1) In reaching a verdict of guilty, as the State did not produce evidence proving defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

2) In allowing the State to introduce a videotape of the transaction involving the sale of crack cocaine, when parts of the tape had not been shown to defense counsel until about one hour prior to the beginning of the trial.

3) In allowing the introduction into evidence of the certificate from the crime laboratory, over the objection of defendant.

4) In not granting a "directed verdict" of acquittal at the conclusion of the State's case in chief, which caused the defendant to have to put on witnesses and testimony, allowing the State to then call rebuttal witnesses, which it would have otherwise been unable to do.

Because Assignments # 1 and # 4 concern the sufficiency of the State's overall evidence, Assignments # 2 and # 3 (which deal with particular pieces of evidence) will be considered first.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2:

By his second assignment of error, defendant contends that a portion of the police videotape of the drug transaction between investigators and defendant should not have been allowed into evidence. The defense had not seen the entire tape until approximately one hour before trial, apparently due to a *676 mistake by Sgt. Gore of the Leesville Police Department.

In its answers to defendant's discovery requests, the State had declared that defense counsel could view the tape at any time. Defendant and his counsel viewed the videotape on November 15, 1994, two days before trial was actually held, with Sgt. Gore running the videotape player. Defendant viewed the portion of the video showing the actual transaction five or six times, but saw only a portion because Sgt. Gore mistakenly believed that segment to be the entirety of the videotape involving defendant. However, another part of the tape showed the initial contact between the defendant and Agent Jackson and the confidential informant.

On the morning of the trial, Sgt. Gore discovered his mistake and immediately contacted the D.A.'s office to notify prosecutors of the error. The State in turn notified the defense, who viewed the remainder of the videotape approximately one hour before trial.

At the opening of trial, defendant timely objected to the introduction of the part of the videotape not shown him until that morning. The court did not rule immediately, electing to rule later when the tape was actually introduced.

Later, after hearing the full testimony of Sgt. Gore and the direct examination of Agent Jackson, the court overruled defendant's objection. The trial court observed that the trial had originally been set for November 15, 1993, yet defendant apparently made no attempt to view the tape until that date. Thus, the defendant's position on the actual trial date, November 17, was no different than if the trial had opened on the date originally set (i.e., going to trial having just seen the police videotape).

The trial court specifically found no bad faith actions by the State and no prejudice to the defendant.

Pretrial discovery of documents and tangible objects is governed by La.C.Cr.P. art. 718, which states:

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Related

State v. Cunningham
903 So. 2d 1110 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2005)
State v. Owens
719 So. 2d 610 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Hopkins
663 So. 2d 54 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
649 So. 2d 673, 1994 WL 597696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hopkins-lactapp-1994.