State v. Kalathakis

543 So. 2d 1004, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 704, 1989 WL 36997
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 19, 1989
DocketNo. CR 88-686
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 543 So. 2d 1004 (State v. Kalathakis) 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. Kalathakis, 543 So. 2d 1004, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 704, 1989 WL 36997 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

DOMENGEAUX, Judge.

Anita Kalathakis, the defendant, was indicted on February 19, 1987 by a grand jury with two counts of intentional manufacturing or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance in violation of La.R.S. 14:27 and La.R.S. 40:967(A)(1). Kalathakis was also indicted for manslaughter, in violation of La.R.S. 14:31(2)(a) and attempted first degree murder in violation of La.R.S. 14:27 and La.R.S. 14:30.

The defendant pled not guilty to all charges and was tried by a jury on January 27, 28 and 29, 1988. The jury returned a verdict on one count of attempted manufacturing or possession with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The jury also found the defendant guilty of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.

On February 3, 1988, Kalathakis was sentenced to serve five years at hard labor for the drug-related offense, four years at hard labor for the manslaughter conviction and two years at hard labor for the attempted manslaughter conviction. The defendant now appeals her convictions and sentences assigning nine errors.

FACTS

Kalathakis’ convictions stem from a police raid on the mobile home in which she resided with Patrick Langley and Langley’s two children. The raid occurred on February 8, 1987, and involved Drug Enforcement Administration agents, state police officers, Calcasieu Parish narcotics deputies, and Calcasieu Parish police officers. The officers suspected that the mobile home served as a laboratory for the production of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance. The raid resulted in the arrest of Kalathakis and Langley, but did not end before one of the officers was wounded and one of the suspects, Larry Calhoun, was killed.

The mobile home and the operations therein were the subject of a police investigation which began in 1986. In February, 1986, Langley was arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine in the trailer. He pled guilty to the charge. Langley was the target of this subsequent investigation.

On February 7, 1987, a controlled narcotics transaction transpired between a confidential police informant and Langley. On the following night, fourteen law enforcement officers drove to the mobile home which was located between DeQuincy and Sulphur. Once the officers arrived, they divided into two assault teams. The first team approached the trailer on foot and the second team approached in vehicles.

The first team brought two trained police dogs. After they positioned themselves around the trailer, they noticed a heavily-armed person leaving the trailer and walking toward a shed behind it. This person, later identified as Larry Calhoun, had dogs with him as he walked to the shed. Calhoun’s animals apparently sensed the police dogs and began barking. Calhoun directed his flashlight towards the police officers. At this point the officers stood up and identified themselves.

Calhoun began to run down the driveway just as the second team approached in their vehicles. Three officers and two of the police dogs pursued Calhoun. Just after this chase began, the other officers rushed the mobile home.

Three of the officers entered the mobile home. State Trooper Daughtery entered first, shouting, “Police coming in. Police.” Daughtery was familiar with the floor plan of the trailer because he had previously conducted an undercover purchase there.

He continued to shout, “Police!” as he made his way through the trailer. He heard glass breaking and a policeman shout, “Drop the gun!” He ran toward the sound, kicked in the bedroom door and confronted the defendant.

[1007]*1007Deputy Folds was outside the trailer looking through the bedroom window and saw the defendant with a pistol in a holster raised above her head. He believed the defendant had positioned herself in a “combat stance” in order to shoot whoever entered the room. He testified that the defendant had her finger on the trigger and that her “trigger finger” was on her right hand. Knowing officers were inside the trailer, he broke the bedroom window and ordered the defendant to drop the weapon. The defendant complied.

Once Daughtery entered the bedroom, Folds alerted him that the gun had fallen by the defendant’s feet. The weapon was a .44 magnum. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Gioganti followed Daugh-tery into the bedroom and handcuffed the defendant.

Daughtery then heard noises coming from the bathroom. He kicked in the bathroom door and saw Langley attempting to empty a dark brown liquid down the bathtub drain. He noticed a heavy chemical odor that he knew was produced during the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Chief Detective Frayar also entered the bathroom and noticed that one-fourth of the tub was still filled with the brown liquid. He could not find a drain stopper, however, and his attempts to prevent the substance from draining with a towel were unsuccessful.

In addition to drug paraphernalia, a police radio scanner was found in the trailer. This scanner monitered transmissions on police radios. As the officers in the trailer arrested Langley, they heard over the scanner that a deputy who had followed Calhoun had been shot and that an ambulance was needed.

During the pursuit of Calhoun, approximately one-quarter of a mile from the trailer, Calhoun turned quickly and fired a sawed-off shotgun hitting Sheriff’s Deputy Bobby Stolsteimer. The officers returned the fire, wounding Calhoun. Calhoun died before an ambulance could arrive.

Kalathakis was charged with manufacturing methamphetamine in 1986 and 1987, attempted first degree murder of a police officer, and the manslaughter of Calhoun. At trial, the defendant called only one witness, Langley. Langley had been charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and had pled guilty. He admitted producing narcotics in the trailer, but said that the defendant neither knew of the operation nor assisted him in any fashion.

Langley testified that the substance seen by the police was methamphetamine, but he disputed the quantity which the police said was in the bathtub. He claimed a person named Wiley Anderson brought the drug to him in a crystallized form on January 4, 1987. Anderson had not prepared the drug correctly and took it to the mobile home so that Langley could “reclaim” the drug. He testified that the defendant was upset when she learned Langley agreed to produce the narcotics and threatened to leave him.

On cross-examination, Langley admitted that the defendant may have “had an idea” that items she had purchased for him at a store might be used in producing methamphetamine. These items included denatured alcohol, coffee filters, acetone, and distilled water.

Lastly, Langley attempted to rebut the State’s witness who testified that he saw the defendant hold the trigger of the .44 magnum with her “trigger finger”. Langley testified that he had seen the defendant shoot a gun, that she was left-handed and that she would have used her left hand had she intended to pull the trigger.

The jury acquitted the defendant on the 1986 drug related offense, but convicted her on other charges. A guilty verdict was returned convicting the defendant of the attempted manufacture of methamphetamine, attempted manslaughter, and the manslaughter of Calhoun.

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

Related

State v. Small
100 So. 3d 797 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2012)
State v. Kalathakis
563 So. 2d 228 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1990)
State v. Alexis
562 So. 2d 957 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
543 So. 2d 1004, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 704, 1989 WL 36997, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kalathakis-lactapp-1989.