State v. Kisack

190 So. 3d 806, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0083, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 591, 2016 WL 1248964
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 30, 2016
DocketNo. 2015-KA-0083
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 190 So. 3d 806 (State v. Kisack) 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. Kisack, 190 So. 3d 806, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0083, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 591, 2016 WL 1248964 (La. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

DANIEL L. DYSART, Judge.

| ¶ Keith Kisack was charged by bill of information with possession of contraband while in a penal institution, a violation of La. R.S. 14:402 E(7). Following a jury trial, he was found guilty as charged. The State filed a multiple bill of information, alleging Kisack to be a fourth felony offender. Kisack moved for a new trial and to quash the multiple bill of information, both of which were denied by the trial court. The trial court adjudicated Kisack to be a fourth felony offender, and sentenced him to life imprisonment'without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Kisack now appeals both pro se and through appellate counsel.

For the reasons that follow, we affirm the conviction and sentence, as amended.

BACKGROUND:

On December 27, 2011, an employee of the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office, while conducting a search of Tier C2, discovered a cell phone in a crevice of -the wall of the day' room. Michael Martin, the officer who discovered the phone, |2testified that he pulled a black sock out of the crevice [809]*809and discovered a cell phone and charger concealed inside. Martin turned over the phone and charger to his ranking officer.

It was established through, testimony that Kisack was housed on Tier C2t, and had access to the day room. Corporal Walters testified that he was trained in unlocking cell phones and retrieving the information on the phone. He identified text messages and- photographs; some of which were “selfies,” found on the phone. Some of the text messages indicated that Keith or K.K. was the sender.

Deputy Ernest Newman, a member of the Sheriffs Special Operations Division, conducted an investigation to determine the cell phone’s owner. He testified that the pictures indicated that they were taken in both the House of Detention and in Orleans Parish Prison. Some of the photographs show Kisack in the day room of Tier C2. Deputy Newman testified that Keith Kisack was the only “Keith” on Tier C2 at that time, and that he used the nickname of K.K.

Jason Williams, who was Kisack’s attorney at the time the phone was found, was called to testify as there were texts to and from him on the phone. Williams denied knowing that the texts were being sent from a phone inside the prison, although he admitted that he knew his client was in prison at the time he received and responded to the text messages. While still representing Kisack, he learned that the phone had been found and that Kisack had been charged with possession of contraband.

J^DISCUSSION:

Error Patent and Counsel’s Assignment of Error No. 2:

Our review of the record reveals that the trial court sentenced Kisack. on. the same date that it denied his motion-for new trial. Kisack argues that because he did not waive the delay for sentencing, his sentence should be vacated and the matter remanded for resentencing.

Kisack filed a motion for new trial at the sentencing and multiple bill hearing on October 2, 2014. The trial court denied the motion for new trial, and defense counsel objected. Kisack then sought to quash the multiple bill, which the trial court also denied. The court immediately commenced a hearing on the multiple bill, and adjudicated Kisack to be a fourth felony offender. Argument as to sentencing was heard, and the trial court sentenced Kisack to life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

We find that defense counsel’s argument at the sentencing hearing constituted an implicit waiver of the delay. See State v. Canales, 14-0663 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/10/14), 166 So.3d 1183, writ denied, 15-0048 (La.11/6/15), 180 So.3d 306 (Defense counsel presented character evidence after trial court denied motion for new trial.); State v. Celestain, 13-1262 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/30/14), 146 So.3d 874 (Trial court denied motions for new trial . and post-verdict judgment of acquittal, then considered cor respondence from defendant’s family concerning leniency. When asked, the defense stated it was ready for sentencing.); State v. Jackson, 04-293 (La.App. 5 Cir. 7/27/04), 880 So.2d 69 (Defendant-implicitly 14waived twenty-four hour delay by proceeding with argument after trial court denied motion foi* néw trial.)'.

Our review of the record reveals that, the trial court did err in prohibiting Kisack’s eligibility for parole. Neither La. R.S. 14:402 or La. R.S. 15:529.1 A(4)(a) preclude his eligibility for parole. Thus, we amend the sentence to delete the prohibition of parole. See State v. Ladd, 13-[810]*8101663 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/2/14), 146 So.3d 642.1

Counsel’s Assignment of Error No. 1:

Kisack argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the photographs and text; messages obtained from the cell phone. It is argued that a search warrant was required before downloading the photographs and text messages;

Wé review motions to suppress efe novo. State v. Wells, 08-2262, pp. 4-5 (La.7/6/10), 45 So.3d 577, 580-81. Further, we will not upset a trial court’s decision absent an abuse of discretion. Wells, supra; State v. Cureaux, 12-0335, p. 6 (La.App. 4 Cir. 5/1/13), 116 So.3d 833, 837.

Kisack’s counsel relies on the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Riley v. California, — U.S. -, 134 S.Ct. 2473, 189 L.Ed.2d 430 (2014), in which the Court held that police officers must generally secure a search warrant before conducting a search of data contained in a defendant’s cell phone. However, we do not find | ¡Riley applicable as it did not involve a defendant who was incarcerated. In this case, Kisack was an inmate in Orleans Parish Prison at the time of the discovery of the cell phone, and was therefore not entitled to the full expectation of privacy afforded by the Fourth Amendment.

In Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U.S. 517, 104 S.Ct. 3194, 82 L.Ed.2d 393. (1984), the Supreme Court h¡eld that prisoners had limited expectations of privacy. While acknowledging that prisons “are not beyond the. reach of the Constitution,” ... “imprisonment carries with it the circumscription or loss of many significant rights.” Id., 468 U.S. at 523, 524, 104 S.Ct. at 3198-99.

Notwithstanding bur caution in approaching claims that the Fourth Amendment is inapplicable in a given context, we hold that society is not prepared to recognize as legitimate any subjective expectation of privacy that a prisoner might -have in his prison cell and that, accordingly, -the Fourth Amendment proscription against unreasonable searches does not apply within the confines of the prison cell. ' The recognition of. privacy rights for prisoners in their individual cells simply cannot be reconciled, with the concept of incarceration and the needs and objectives of penal institutions, .

Id., 468 U.S. at 525-26, 104 S.Ct. at 3200; also see State v. Draughter, 13-0914, pp. 14-15 (La.12/10/13), 130 So.3d 855, 866-67; State v. Dauzat, 364 So.2d 1000, 1003 (La.1978).

Here, Kisack had no reasonable expectation of privacy as to a, cell phone hidden in a crevice in the day room wall. As explained in Hudson, supra,

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Bluebook (online)
190 So. 3d 806, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0083, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 591, 2016 WL 1248964, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kisack-lactapp-2016.