State v. Kibbe

887 So. 2d 565, 2004 WL 2387320
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 26, 2004
Docket04-KA-349
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 887 So. 2d 565 (State v. Kibbe) 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. Kibbe, 887 So. 2d 565, 2004 WL 2387320 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

887 So.2d 565 (2004)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Ronald F. KIBBE.

No. 04-KA-349.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 26, 2004.

*566 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Assistant District Attorney, Gretna, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Laura M. Pavy, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges MARION F. EDWARDS, SUSAN M. CHEHARDY and WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD.

MARION F. EDWARDS, Judge.

Defendant, Ronald F. Kibbe, appeals his conviction for violation of LSA-R.S. 14:67, theft of U.S. currency valued at $500. For the following reasons, defendant's conviction is affirmed and we remand to the trial court to correct errors patent on the face of the record.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On May 9, 2003, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Ronald F. Kibbe, with theft of U.S. currency valued at $500 in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:67. Kibbe was arraigned on May 19, 2003 and pled not guilty. On January 8, 2004, the case was tried before a six-person jury which found Kibbe guilty as charged. The trial court denied Kibbe's motion for new trial on January 23, 2004, and on that same date, Kibbe waived sentencing delays. The trial court sentenced Kibbe to imprisonment in the parish prison for six months suspended and placed him on "in-house court probation" for six months.[1] Kibbe thereafter filed a motion for appeal that was granted.

John E. Yaeger, II, director of security for Boomtown Casino, testified that, on March 27, 2003, he became aware that the casino was missing $500. In an attempt to recover the money, he viewed a videotape of the area at the time the money was lost. Mr. Yaeger observed "one of our female slot key people get some money from the cage." As she turned around to walk away, she dropped some money on the floor.

Mr. Yaeger noticed a white male, later identified as defendant, pick up the money, look around to see if anybody saw him, stay around a short while to see if anybody came back, then turn and go to the cage. After Mr. Yaeger looked at the videotape, he was able to ascertain the man's identity as that of Ronald Kibbe. Once he had the name, Mr. Yaeger checked to see if the casino had an address or telephone number for him through their "Player's Club" Department.

*567 Mr. Yaeger learned that Kibbe had a residence on Robert E. Lee Boulevard in New Orleans and obtained his telephone number. Mr. Yaeger called that number on several different occasions, but nobody answered the telephone. On the third or fourth try, a female answered the telephone. Mr. Yaeger advised who he was and asked if Kibbe was there. The female stated that he was not, and that sometimes he stayed at another residence. Mr. Yaeger asked for another telephone number, but the female would not provide one.

He subsequently advised the female that he was director of security for Boomtown Casino, that they had Kibbe on videotape finding some money, and that he would like Kibbe to call him so they could discuss the return of the money. The female told Mr. Yaeger that she would give him the message. Mr. Yaeger testified that, at that time, Boomtown just wanted their money back, and they wanted to do it the "easy way" and not embarrass anyone.

However, when Mr. Yaeger did not receive a call from Kibbe, he contacted the state and asked them to file charges. After charges were filed, Kibbe called Mr. Yaeger and asked him if they could "work it out." Mr. Yaeger advised Kibbe that they had already contacted the district attorney's office.

Louisiana State Trooper Saunders Craine testified that he was assigned to investigate the theft at Boomtown Casino. After obtaining the videotape and statements from the casino, he conducted a criminal background check on Kibbe, obtained a driver's license photograph, and learned that defendant was living at 630 Central Avenue, Apartment 112. Trooper Craine then prepared an arrest warrant for Kibbe.

On April 3 at 6:10 p.m., Trooper Craine went to the Central Avenue address. He asked Kibbe to step outside and arrested him. Trooper Craine subsequently handcuffed Kibbe, and another officer advised defendant of his rights which defendant indicated that he understood. Trooper Craine testified that when they brought Kibbe back into his house so he could put on his shoes, Kibbe said, "[I]s this about the Five Hundred Dollars?", and "that girl dropped that Five Hundred Dollars." When Trooper Craine asked Kibbe where the $500 was, defendant said he used it to pay back rent. The videotape was subsequently played for the jury.

In the videotape dated March 27, 2003 at approximately 2:50 a.m., a cashier behind a counter and glass counts money and hands it to a white female. The white female counts the money again. As she does so, a white male walks up and stands a few feet behind her. The white female turns to her right and walks away with the money in her hands. As she walks away, she drops some of the money on the floor and continues walking. The white male looks down, sees the money, and picks it up. He turns to his right, leans on the counter, and looks all around. The videotape shows an older woman standing at the counter a couple of feet down from the white male on his right conducting a transaction with another cashier. The white male turns back to the cashier where he conducts some type of transaction. He takes something from the cashier, looks to his right and around. He turns back to the cashier, but then turns around to look behind him and around again. The white male turns back to the cashier, takes something, and walks off. The videotape shows the white male leaving the casino immediately after.

Kibbe testified that he did not steal any money from anybody at the Boomtown Casino on March 27, 2003. He identified himself on the videotape as it was being played again for the jury. He testified *568 that, as he was waiting at the cashier's window to cash his nine dollar check, a woman passed him quickly. All of a sudden he looked down, saw the money on the floor, reached down and picked it up.

Kibbe looked around to see who might have dropped it. He claimed that he did not see anyone drop the money. He explained that he saw a woman standing to his right, so he approached her and asked if that was her money. The woman did not acknowledge him or say anything to him. Kibbe went back to the cashier's window and gave the cashier his ticket. He observed her staring off into space, so he looked around to see what she was staring at. The cashier gave him his ticket which he signed, and then he left the casino.

The next day, Kibbe's wife told him that somebody had called and wanted to talk to him regarding an incident that had happened the day before. Kibbe testified that the person who called did not identify himself as a Boomtown employee, nor did he mention any money. Kibbe claimed that he called the telephone number the person gave and left a message. He explained that if somebody had called back, his wife probably would not have answered the telephone because she was on oxygen and stayed in another bedroom, and that he was working the remainder of the week until 10:30 p.m. at Sams.

At a later date, two people banged on his door. He answered it and walked outside, and the officers told him they were there regarding the incident at Boomtown Casino. They arrested him, handcuffed him, and a third officer advised him of his rights.

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Related

State v. Joseph
30 So. 3d 157 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State v. Godbolt
950 So. 2d 727 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
887 So. 2d 565, 2004 WL 2387320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kibbe-lactapp-2004.