State v. Jones

777 So. 2d 563, 0 La.App. 5 Cir. 1259, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 3354, 2000 WL 1828259
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 13, 2000·No. No. 00-KA-1259·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

| ^GOTHARD, Judge.

Defendant, Danny Jones, appeals his conviction of theft of an amount over $100.00 in violation of LSA 14:67, and sentence as a multiple offender. For reasons that follow, we affirm the conviction, set aside the adjudication as a multiple offender and enhanced sentence, and remand.

On February 1, 1999, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Danny Jones, with one count of theft of U.S. Currency, valued at $231.97, from Custom Bus Charter, Inc.,(Custom) in violation of LSA R.S. 14:67. Defendant was arraigned, on February 17, 1999, at which time he pled not [564]*564guilty. The case was tried on July 27, 1999 before a six-person jury, which unanimously found defendant guilty as charged. On September 9, 1999, the State filed a multiple offender bill of information, and defendant denied the allegations. Defendant stipulated to the multiple bill on September 16, 1999, and defendant was found to be a [¡¡second felony offender pursuant to LSA R.S.15:529.1. On September 16, 1999, the trial judge sentenced defendant to imprisonment at hard labor for a term of two years without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence, and he ordered the sentence to run consecutively with the sentence defendant had previously received in drug court. Defendant appeals.

FACTS

The State presented evidence at trial to show that defendant, while working at Custom, took a check in the amount of $231.97 made payable to a co-worker, Louis J. McMillion, from the dispatcher’s desk drawer, and cashed the check at Evergreen Grocery Store (Evergreen). The defense presented evidence to show that defendant did not take, nor cash, the check.

Louis McMillion testified for the State that he was employed part-time with Custom between December 14th and 28th, 1998. He would always get his payroll check from the dispatcher. The dispatcher would retrieve the checks from the desk drawer in the dispatcher’s office. McMil-lion did not recall whether the dispatcher had to unlock the drawer to get the check. Because McMillion only worked part-time, he did not know many of the Custom employees. At some time between December 14th and 28th, 1998, he asked the dispatcher for his check. The dispatcher gave him a cheek, but McMillion did not look at it at that time. During his shift, McMillion looked at the check and realized that it was not his payroll check, but a reimbursement check for the CPNC, the license that he gets from the city in order to pick up passengers from the hotels.

When McMillion realized he did not have his payroll check, he called the dispatcher and asked him what had happened. When the dispatcher was | ¿unable to find the check, he told McMillion to call someone in accounting. The accounting department investigated the situation, and about a week later, they told McMillion that the check had been cashed. When McMillion informed the accounting department that he had not cashed the check, he was told to wait until the canceled check was returned. At that time it would be apparent if the check was endorsed and cashed.

The State showed McMillion a check from Custom made payable to him, dated December 14, 1998, in the amount of $231.97, which he identified as his payroll check. McMillion looked at the signature on the back of the check and testified that it was his name, but not his signature. McMillion stated that he had never gone to Evergreen and did not know where it was located. He usually cashed his check at Bank One where he has had an account for many years. McMillion further testified he never gave defendant or anyone else permission to take his check and cash it, nor did he give defendant or anyone else permission to sign his name on the back of the check. McMillion did not know whether defendant had access to the dispatcher’s desk drawer.

Edward Johnson testified that he had been employed by Custom for approximately two years, and was employed on December 14, 1998, as Director of Operations. He was notified at some point that McMillion was missing his payroll check. Johnson contacted someone at the bank who told him that the check had been cashed at Evergreen. Johnson went to the Evergreen and spoke to Mr. Saber, who told Johnson that his (Saber’s) endorsement was on the back of the check. Saber told Johnson that he could get a photograph of the individual who cashed the check. Johnson obtained 15the photograph from Evergreen about a week later. He [565]*565identified State’s exhibit number 1 as McMillion’s missing payroll check in the amount of $231.97. Johnson identified State’s exhibit number 2 as the photograph he picked up from Evergreen. He recognized the person in the photograph as defendant, a detailer for Custom who cleans the buses at night.

Johnson stated that it was possible that defendant could have been in the building where the check was left in the desk drawer. Defendant did not have access to that desk on a normal basis. The desk drawer was not locked, but the office was manned by the dispatcher or supervisor on duty. However, Johnson testified that he was not there at night, and there was a high possibility that “policy gets lax at night.” After Johnson discovered who cashed the check, he consulted his supervisors, and called the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office to report the incident. He gave Deputy Lynch the check and the photograph. At the top of State’s exhibit number 2, there is a photograph of the check and at the bottom there is a photograph of defendant, which were taken at Evergreen. The check number in the photograph in State’s exhibit number 2 is 27142, which is the same check and check number as State’s exhibit number 1. The check belonged to McMillion, and not to defendant.

On cross-examination, Johnson testified that the dispatcher sits in a room with two work stations. The checks are in a drawer on one side, and the dispatch radio and telephones are on the other side. If the dispatcher was on the side of the room with the radio and telephones with his back to the door, he would not have heard someone come through the door if the door was open. If someone opened the door and then came through, the |fidispatcher would have heard him. Sometimes the door is open all the time. The desk drawer was closed, but it was not locked. Johnson stated that it was possible that someone could have entered the room where the dispatcher was and gotten the check from the drawer without the dispatcher seeing him. The same dispatcher worked when defendant worked. Defendant was not the only detailer who worked at night; there were about four or five others. No dispatcher ever told Johnson that defendant entered the room and went into the desk drawer. There were no fingerprints lifted from the desk drawer. During the daytime, the three regular dispatchers and Johnson had access to the desk drawer. There was more than one person who could have gone into the desk drawer. On redirect, Johnson testified that there are no dispatchers, detailers, or any other employees in the photograph with the check. Johnson also stated that the dispatchers work nine-hour shifts. When they go to the bathroom, no one is in the room with the desk where the checks are kept.

Deputy Dennis Lynch of the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office testified for the State that he responded to a call from Custom in December of 1998. Based on the complaint, the check, the photograph, and the fact that Custom wanted to press charges, Deputy Lynch found probable cause to arrest defendant. Deputy Lynch completed the report and was advised that defendant was scheduled to come into work at Custom at about 10:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

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State v. Jones, 777 So. 2d 563, 0 La.App. 5 Cir. 1259, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 3354, 2000 WL 1828259 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

777 So. 2d 563 (State v. Jones) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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