State v. Jones

902 So. 2d 426, 2005 WL 954852
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided April 26, 2005·No. 04-KA-1258·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinion

902 So.2d 426 (2005)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Connell R. JONES.

No. 04-KA-1258.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

April 26, 2005.

*428 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Thomas J. Butler, William C. Credo, III, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Bruce G. Whittaker, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges EDWARD A. DUFRESNE, JR., JAMES L. CANNELLA, and SUSAN M. CHEHARDY.

JAMES L. CANNELLA, Judge.

The Defendant, Connell Jones, appeals from his conviction of attempted possession of cocaine. We affirm the conviction and sentence.

The Defendant was charged on September 17, 2003 with possession of cocaine in violation of La.R.S. 40:967(C).[1] He pled not guilty at his arraignment on December 12, 2003, was tried on May 11, 2004 before a six person jury, and found guilty of the lesser charge of attempted possession of cocaine, La. R.S. 40:967(c) and La. R.S.14:27. He was sentenced to two and one-half years in parish prison, suspended, and two and one-half years of active probation and was charged the same day as a habitual offender. The Defendant stipulated to the habitual offender bill of information. After vacating the original sentence, the trial judge sentenced the Defendant to imprisonment at hard labor for one year and three months. He subsequently appealed.

On August 20, 2003, Detective Elvin Modica of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's *429 Office (JPSO), obtained a search warrant for a residence on Third Street, a high crime area in Kenner. He later learned that Ross resided at that address. After obtaining the warrant, Detective Modica set up surveillance of the apartment. On August 28, 2003, the investigating officers decided to execute the search warrant, but because of the type of doors on the apartment, they waited until someone exited the apartment before attempting to enter.[2] While they were waiting, a woman, later identified as Shelia Butler, entered the apartment. As she was leaving, the officers detained her, identified themselves and entered the residence. Inside, they encountered Ross, Edmund Russell (Russell), and the Defendant. Russell was in the front room and Ross ran out the back door when he saw them and was chased down. The detective explained that Ross ran because he either had drugs on him or the officers saw him discard drugs. Detective Modica testified that, during the surveillance, he did not see Ross, Russell, or the Defendant enter the house through the Third Street side of the residence.

Detective David Angelica with the JPSO was also at the scene. During his hour-long surveillance on August 28, 2003, he did not see anyone go in or come out of the back door. When he and the other officers entered the apartment, Detective Angelica saw the Defendant sitting on a bed in the bedroom. No one else was in the room. Detective Angelica removed the Defendant from the bed, patted him down, and handcuffed him for safety reasons. Then, he ordered the Defendant to lie down on the floor, but the Defendant refused to obey verbal commands. Detective Angelica then placed the Defendant in the prone position on the floor, on the side of the bed where he had been sitting. Detective Angelica then observed two off-white colored rocks on the bed where the Defendant had been sitting. Detective Modica testified that cocaine rocks were not normally left on places like bed sheets, but usually kept in places that are not accessible to everyone.

Other items seized during the search of the apartment were: one white off-colored rock contained in half of a Sugar Babies bag, two clear plastic bags containing off-white colored powder, and a gray Nokia cellular phone. Ross claimed ownership of the Sugar Babies bag and the cell phone. The State and the Defendant stipulated that the substances recovered contained cocaine and had a gross weight of .20 grams.

Russell, the Defendant's long-time friend, testified that he was out in the courtyard of the apartment complex when the Defendant and his girlfriend walked up. The Defendant said that he needed to use the phone and asked Russell to walk to Ross' apartment with him. Russell and the Defendant went into Ross' apartment through the front door and into Ross' bedroom where the phone was located. Russell claimed that he sat at the foot of the bed, while the Defendant sat in a chair by the phone and made a phone call. Russell claimed that the Defendant never sat on the bed. Russell stated that the officers arrived approximately five minutes later.

According to Russell, when the officers entered the bedroom, they told Russell and the Defendant to get on the floor. One officer made Russell lay on the floor next to the bed and the Defendant was placed on the floor next to the table. Russell *430 sell testified that the Defendant did not sit on the bed until the officers handcuffed him, picked him up, and placed him there. Russell further testified that neither he nor the Defendant had cocaine on them. He said that he never saw cocaine on the bed or anywhere that night. Russell admitted to having felony convictions for possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen car between 1995 and 1996.

On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence was insufficient to convict him of the crime and that the trial judge erred in not allowing the jury to view the videotape of the crime scene during deliberations. He further asks for an error patent review.

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict of attempted possession of cocaine because, although he was found sitting on two rocks of cocaine, the rocks were so small that they could have been easily overlooked by anyone innocently entering the bedroom to use the telephone. He notes that the bed was unmade and unkempt and that anyone might sit on the small rocks and not even notice them, especially in the excitement of the police entry. Additionally, he asserts that the fact that he did not attempt to flee or conceal his identity suggests the mindset of an innocent man. Finally, he submits that the fact that no contraband or drug paraphernalia was recovered from him likewise undermines the suggestion that the two small rocks on the bed belonged to him.

The standard for appellate review of the sufficiency of evidence is "whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt." Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573 (1979); State v. Bailey, 04-85, p. 4 (La.App. 5th Cir.5/26/04), 875 So.2d 949, 954-955, writ denied, 04-1605 (La.11/15/04), 887 So.2d 476. When the trier-of-fact is confronted by conflicting testimony, the determination of that fact rests solely with that judge or jury, who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witness. Bailey, 04-85 at 4, 875 So.2d at 955. It is not the function of the appellate court to assess the credibility of witnesses or to re-weigh the evidence. State v. Marcantel, 00-1629, p. 9 (La.4/3/02), 815 So.2d 50, 56; Bailey, 04-85 at 5, 875 So.2d at 955.

Evidence may be either direct or circumstantial. Circumstantial evidence consists of proof of collateral facts and circumstances from which the existenc

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State v. Jones, 902 So. 2d 426, 2005 WL 954852 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

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