State v. Jenkins

45 So. 3d 173, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1551, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1020, 2010 WL 2615798
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 2010
Docket2009-KA-1551
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 45 So. 3d 173 (State v. Jenkins) 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. Jenkins, 45 So. 3d 173, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1551, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1020, 2010 WL 2615798 (La. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

ROLAND L. BELSOME, Judge.

| Defendant-Appellant Richard Jenkins appeals his convictions and sentences for Aggravated Battery and Attempted Aggravated Assault upon a Police Officer with a Firearm. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

FACTS

On September 6, 2008, Sheila Jenkins and Deadric Freeman, Jr., were at home when Sheila’s brother, Ronnie Jenkins, entered the home and a physical altercation ensued between Ronnie and Sheila. Dead-ric testified that he overheard the altercation, entered the room and struck a blow to Ronnie, knocking out one of his teeth. Although Anthony Jenkins, Sheila’s older brother, separated the two and diffused the situation, Ronnie returned to the house shortly thereafter with his brother, Defendant Richard Jenkins. Both Defendant and Ronnie Jenkins became engaged in an altercation with Deadric, and Sheila called the police.

Before the police arrived at the home, Defendant left the scene, but returned as the police were interviewing Sheila and *175 Deadric. 1 Upon seeing Defendant, the officers directed Defendant to come towards them, but he fled, leaping over a chain link fence. Officers Quincy Jones and Joshua Hunt pursued Defendant on foot, |2and Officer Jonathan Rivet joined the pursuit in his police cruiser. Both Officer Jones and Officer Rivet testified that Defendant held his waistband as he ran. 2

Officer Rivet caught up to Defendant between Lamarque and Socrates Streets and observed Defendant jumping onto the roof of a shed attached to an abandoned house. As Officer Rivet exited his vehicle, Defendant was attempting to enter through a window feet first, and the officer said, “Let me see your hands! Stop!” After Defendant initially complied, holding up his hands, Officer Rivet approached him and asked Defendant to continue showing his hands. Defendant then “went down, came back out” with a semi-automatic handgun, at which time Officer Rivet drew his gun and fired a single shot, immediately seeking cover. 3 Realizing that Defendant might attempt to exit through the opposite side of the abandoned house, Officer Rivet continued proceeding toward the house. As Officer Rivet approached the house, Defendant exited and continued to flee, running past a police car and jumping over fences.

Deadric testified that several hours later, he was sitting on the front steps of his home, talking to Anthony and his friends, Larry, Paul and Joseph. Suddenly, Dead-ric felt a blow to the left side of his face from an unseen assailant. He realized that Defendant had approached him from behind and struck him in the face with a gun. Deadric further testified that, after seeing Defendant with the gun, the clip of the gun fell out onto his front steps when Defendant delivered the blow |ato his face. Anthony then grabbed Defendant and told Deadric to bring the dog inside. Anthony, Joseph and Defendant subsequently walked to the corner and talked. Because Defendant discovered that the clip had fallen out of his gun when he struck Dead-ric, he returned to Deadric’s house to search for his clip. 4 After going back inside the house, Deadric sought Sheila’s assistance in being transported to the hospital so that his facial wound could be treated. Deadric showed the scar on his face to the jury.

Defendant testified on his own behalf at trial. Defendant admitted to punching Deadric in the face at his home, but denied having a gun on September 6, 2008. Defendant also admitted to fleeing from the police, and expressed remorse for fleeing and for punching Deadric in the face and injuring him. Defendant further testified *176 that he initially ran from the police because he knew he had done something wrong when he punched Deadric the first time. 5

PROCEDURAL HISTORY 6

On November 10, 2008, Defendant Richard Jenkins was charged by bill of information with one count of Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer With a Firearm, a felony in violation of La. R.S. 14:37.2 (Count 1) and one count of Aggravated Battery, a felony in violation of La. R.S. 14:34 (Count 2).

On April 9, 2009, a six-person jury found Defendant guilty of the lesser and included offense of Attempted Aggravated Assault upon a Police Officer with a | ^Firearm, and also found Defendant guilty of Aggravated Battery. On May 21, 2009, the trial court sentenced Defendant to five years at hard labor for Count 1, and five years and a day at hard labor for Count 2, with credit for time served. The court ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. This appeal followed.

ERRORS PATENT

A review of the record reveals no errors patent.

DISCUSSION

Defendant assigns as error that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a motion to reconsider sentence. The failure to file this motion, Defendant argues, resulted in prejudice to him because his two five-year consecutive sentences were excessive.

To establish an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, a defendant must demonstrate that 1) counsel’s performance was deficient and 2) that this deficiency prejudiced the defendant. Strickland, v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Counsel’s performance is considered ineffective when it can be shown that he made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the “counsel” guaranteed to the defendant by the Sixth Amendment. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 686, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. Likewise, counsel’s deficient performance will have prejudiced the defendant if the errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial. Id. To carry this burden, a defendant “must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 693, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome. Id. This Court has recognized that a defendant must make both showings to establish that counsel was so ineffective as |sto require reversal. State v. Sparrow, 612 So.2d 191, 199 (La.App. 4th Cir.1992).

With regard to Defendant’s claim that his sentences were excessive, it is well-settled that the failure to file a motion to reconsider sentence prohibits appellate review of a sentence. State v. Rodriguez, 2000-0519, p. 9 (La.App. 4 Cir. 2/14/01), 781 So.2d 640, 647. Accordingly, in order to determine whether an ineffective assistance of counsel claim for failure to timely file a motion to reconsider sentence claim has merit, this Court must first determine *177 whether the sentence is excessive. Rodriguez, 2000-0519 at p. 10, 781 So.2d at 647; State v. Batiste, 2006-0875, p. 17 (La.App. 4 Cir.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Louisiana v. Donald J. Reaux
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024
State v. Brazell
245 So. 3d 15 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Barbain
179 So. 3d 770 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Bernard
171 So. 3d 1063 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Spencer
151 So. 3d 816 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State v. Laneheart
135 So. 3d 1221 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State v. Carter
131 So. 3d 153 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. Mills
120 So. 3d 802 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. Barnett
118 So. 3d 1156 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. Veal
116 So. 3d 779 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. McCarthy
112 So. 3d 394 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. Winston
100 So. 3d 332 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 So. 3d 173, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1551, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1020, 2010 WL 2615798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jenkins-lactapp-2010.