State v. Lamont Donnell Sholar

Court of Appeals of Wisconsin·Decided June 8, 2021·No. 2019AP001715-CR·Unpublished

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS DECISION NOTICE DATED AND FILED This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. June 8, 2021 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Sheila T. Reiff petition to review an adverse decision by the Clerk of Court of Appeals Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10 and RULE 809.62.

Appeal No. 2019AP1715-CR Cir. Ct. No. 2013CF210

STATE OF WISCONSIN IN COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT I

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,

V.

LAMONT DONNELL SHOLAR,

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

APPEAL from a judgment and orders of the circuit court for Milwaukee County: JONATHAN D. WATTS, MICHELLE ACKERMAN HAVAS, and T. CHRISTOPHER DEE, Judges. Affirmed.

Before Dugan, White and Graham, JJ.

Per curiam opinions may not be cited in any court of this state as precedent

or authority, except for the limited purposes specified in WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(3). No. 2019AP1715-CR

¶1 PER CURIAM. Lamont Donnell Sholar appeals from two orders denying his motions for postconviction relief and his judgment of conviction for one count of armed robbery by use of force as a party to a crime, contrary to WIS. STAT. §§ 943.32(1)(a) and (2), 939.50(3)(c), 939.05 (2019-20),1 and one count of burglary “while unarmed, but armed himself with a dangerous weapon while in the burglarized enclosure,” contrary to WIS. STAT. §§ 943.10(2)(b), 939.50(3)(e), 939.05. Sholar argues that under Carpenter v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 2206 (2018), the police searched his cell site location information (CSLI) in violation of the Fourth Amendment because the police obtained the data by subpoena and not a warrant. Additionally, Sholar argues that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct regarding his co-actor’s plea agreement, that his co-actor’s reduced prison sentence constitutes newly discovered evidence, and that trial counsel provided ineffective assistance of counsel. We reject all arguments and affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 The State filed a criminal complaint that alleged that Sholar and co- defendant Mario James committed an armed robbery and burglary on October 27, 2010.2 On that date, Village of Greendale Police Department officers were dispatched to an apartment where the resident, J.W., provided a statement that two

1 All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2019-20 version unless otherwise noted. 2 The criminal complaint was filed in January 2013. Sholar, James, and Anthony Santiago originally had been charged in November 2010. In September 2011, the Honorable Charles F. Kahn, Jr. granted Sholar’s motion to suppress his statements to police and the State’s motion to dismiss the charges against Sholar without prejudice. After Santiago entered a guilty plea in April 2012, he was debriefed by the Milwaukee Police Department in June 2012. Santiago agreed to testify against Sholar and James and the State proceeded on the instant complaint.

2 No. 2019AP1715-CR

men—a black man that the State later alleged was James and a white or Hispanic man, whom Anthony Santiago later admitted was him—forced their way into his apartment with a gun, forced J.W. into the kitchen, and threw him to the ground. J.W. had his hands tied behind his back with zip ties and duct tape was put over his mouth and around his ankles. Santiago rummaged around the apartment asking where he kept the guns and money. According to J.W., Santiago spoke with a third individual by telephone, whom Santiago later alleged was Sholar, and then the men left the apartment with J.W.’s belongings. J.W. was able to free himself and called police. J.W. reported stolen in the robbery: a .380 caliber handgun, a nine-millimeter handgun, a bolt-action rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 rifle with attached grenade launcher, a “holster, flare, utility knife, … range bag with ammunition, clips,” gaming equipment, a money clip, $200-$300 in cash, two bank cards in his name, and J.W.’s Wisconsin photo ID.

¶3 Later on October 27, 2010, City of Milwaukee Police Department officers went to Santiago’s residence to investigate reports of firearms being stored and sold there. Santiago was at the residence when the police arrived and the officers confirmed his identity by paperwork in his name which was found in a bedroom. The police recovered six firearms from the residence, including one that matched the AR-15 rifle stolen from J.W.’s apartment earlier that day. The police also recovered a firearm bag containing ammunition and firearm accessories that matched the description of the bag stolen from J.W.’s apartment, as well as J.W.’s Wisconsin photo ID, two bank cards in his name, and a black holster.

¶4 In August 2013, Sholar filed a motion to suppress all evidence discovered in the search of his residence on October 28, 2010, including but not

3 No. 2019AP1715-CR

limited to his cell phone.3 The trial court4 denied the motion, concluding that “the police [had] probable cause to believe the defendant was involved in a crime” and that the court found no problem with the police “entry, the arrest, the seizure of the cell phone, or any of the issues that are connected with the defendant’s motion.”

¶5 The case proceeded to a jury trial in October 2013. Here, we recite the testimony relevant to this appeal. The State called J.W., who identified Sholar in the courtroom. J.W. and Sholar had been employed at a Domino’s Pizza location at the same time. J.W. testified to the events of the robbery. Santiago knocked on his door three times. The first time Santiago claimed he was looking for someone; the second time J.W. noticed that Santiago was wearing purple latex gloves, which prompted J.W. to retrieve one of his firearms. J.W. testified that the third time Santiago knocked, he opened the door, another man5 carrying a handgun pushed his way in and pushed him into the kitchen. J.W. “fell backward” and the man with the gun was “standing above” him, pointing the gun at him. The men yelled at him to turn over, and despite trying to keep his firearm inside his hoodie, the “guy with the purple latex gloves pulled [his] arms from underneath [him] and the gun came out.” Then, one of the men zip-tied his hands behind his back and the other duct taped his legs together, forcing him to look down at the floor while on his stomach. Before his mouth was duct taped shut, the men asked where his

3 Also, in August 2013, Sholar filed a motion, pro se, to dismiss the action for constitutional violations and violations of the prompt disposition statute. Because this motion is not relevant to his appeal, we do not address it. 4 The Honorable Jonathan D. Watts presided over Sholar’s trial and sentencing; we refer to him as the trial court. Judge Watts also presided over Santiago’s sentencing. 5 J.W. did not identify James in the courtroom; however, the State alleged James was the second man. J.W. testified that he described the second man with the silver handgun as a “short man,” who was “wearing leather gloves” and a “black jacket.”

4 No. 2019AP1715-CR

money was. He overheard one of the men make a phone call and say, “Come get us or — something like that.” He heard them search the apartment and then gathering things before they pushed him out of the way and left.

¶6 The State called Santiago, who testified that he told his friend, James, that he was risking eviction and needed $300 quickly. James and Sholar picked up Santiago and the three of them discussed a plan in which they would rob someone. Santiago’s role was to try to get into the house because Sholar knew the proposed victim as “he used to work with him, and his brother currently worked with him.” Santiago did not know much about J.W.

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