State v. Leavitt

625 A.2d 302, 1993 Me. LEXIS 177
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedMay 5, 1993
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 625 A.2d 302 (State v. Leavitt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Leavitt, 625 A.2d 302, 1993 Me. LEXIS 177 (Me. 1993).

Opinion

COLLINS, Justice.

Richard A. Leavitt, Jr. appeals from the judgments entered on his convictions of aggravated trafficking in marijuana, 17-A M.R.S.A. §§ 1103 and 1105 (1983 & Supp. 1992),1 and conspiracy to traffic marijuana,2 17-A M.R.S.A. §§ 151, 1103 (1983),3 following a jury trial in the Superior Court (Cumberland County, Perkins, J). Leavitt challenges the trial court’s refusal to sanction the State for alleged discovery violations; its jury instructions; its denial of his motion for a mistrial; the variance between the indictment and the proof in evidence; and the State’s efforts to prove that he had previously been convicted. Leavitt finally argues that the trial court erred in designating the conspiracy charge as a Class C rather than a Class D crime when the jury found that the conspiracy involved more than two pounds but not more than 20 pounds of marijuana. We affirm Leavitt’s convictions; but because we agree that the trial court improperly classified the conspiracy charge, we remand for resentencing.

On January 25, 1990, Allan Snowdeal sold approximately one-quarter pound of marijuana to a police informant. Several days later, on January 29, 1990, Snowdeal sold about five pounds of marijuana to police informants for $10,000 at a motel in Westbrook.4 At that time, Snowdeal was [304]*304arrested. Snowdeal then agreed to cooperate with the police by leading them to his supplier, Richard Leavitt.

Following a plan devised by police, Snow-deal called Leavitt at his home to arrange the delivery of the $10,000 he received from the sale and to obtain another five pounds of marijuana. Snowdeal, accompanied by a number of police officers went to Leavitt’s home. Snowdeal entered Leav-itt’s home with the $10,000 in marked bills and left a short time later with a paper bag containing five plastic bags of marijuana.5 After Snowdeal left Leavitt’s home, the police entered Leavitt’s home and observed Leavitt counting a large amount of money later determined to be the $10,000 delivered by Snowdeal. The police arrested Leavitt. After obtaining a warrant, police searched Leavitt’s home and discovered substantial quantities of marijuana.6

Leavitt was indicted on three counts: Count I — aggravated trafficking in marijuana on or about January 24, 1990; Count II — aggravated trafficking in more than two pounds of marijuana on January 29, 1990; Count III — participating in a conspiracy to traffick in more than 20 pounds of marijuana from 1987 to 1990. The jury returned verdicts of not guilty on Count I and guilty on Counts II and III.

I.

At the trial, Scott Durst, an agent with the Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement (BIDE), testified that during the search of Leavitt’s home, BIDE agents seized what they believed to be marijuana. This substance was delivered to Demers Laboratory for analysis. The State then attempted to introduce a certificate of drug analysis from Demers Laboratory which confirmed the substance was, in fact, marijuana. Leavitt objected and the following colloquy ensued:

[Defense Counsel]: Your Honor, I object to any reference to this evidence. I have not been provided with a drug analysis regarding this marijuana. Clearly I can’t ask for the chemist if I don’t know there’s a drug analysis and, therefore, there’s something to request, ... So I ask it not to be referred to, ask for a continuance so I can get appropriate materials that should have been provided and I can look into it and—
[State’s Attorney]: Your Honor, I did not receive a copy of the lab analysis, that was an oversight. It’s — I can give him a copy right now.
[Defense Counsel]: ... I never received this [certificate].
THE COURT: Well I will give you the time to take a look at it. If you can set forth on the record some basis of prejudice to your client as a result of not having that chemical analysis then we’ll deal with it.

After a fifteen-minute recess, the State proceeded with its case and Leavitt made no mention of the certificate until the State again attempted to introduce the certificate. At that time, Leavitt stated, “Your honor, I would reserve my objection at this time pending further cross-examination.” Leavitt made no mention of the certificate during cross-examination or at any other time.

Leavitt contends, and the State concedes,7 that the State’s failure to provide the certificate prior to trial was a violation of the automatic discovery provisions of M.R.Crim.P. 16(a) requiring the attorney for the State to automatically furnish to the defendant within a reasonable time “[a] [305]*305statement describing any ... evidence intended to be used against the defendant which ... [w]as obtained as a result of a search and seizure.” M.R.Crim.P. 16(a)(l)(A)(i). Although it is not clear when the attorney obtained the certificate, it is troubling that the results of tests performed on February 8, 1990 were not provided to or requested by the State until some time at or immediately prior to the trial which began on August 16, 1990. “We have held repeatedly that Rule 16(a) requires a diligent inquiry by prosecutors to discover whether automatically discoverable information exists.” State v. Rich, 592 A.2d 1085, 1088 (Me.1991). We are further concerned that the State could as “an oversight” neglect to provide the certificate to Leavitt immediately after obtaining it. Failure to comply with Rule 16(a) may result in the trial court’s excluding the specified evidence from evidence. See M.R.Crim.P. 16(d).

A trial court’s decision, however, not to impose sanctions for discovery violations cannot be characterized as either an abuse of discretion or an error of law unless the defendant has “show[n] that he was in fact prejudiced by the discovery violation despite the court’s effort to nullify or minimize its consequences ... and that the prejudice rose to the level of depriving him of a fair trial.” State v. Caulk, 543 A.2d 1366, 1370 (Me.1988) (quoting State v. Reeves, 499 A.2d 130, 133 (Me.1985)).

Leavitt now argues that he was prejudiced by the State’s late disclosure of the certificate because he was not able to request a qualified expert ten days prior to trial.8 Despite the trial court’s express invitation to “set forth on the record some basis of prejudice,” Leavitt failed to articulate any prejudice suffered because of the State’s noncompliance. Leavitt neither suggested that he would have called his own expert had he known about the certificate in advance nor did he express the need for a continuance in order to do so. See State v. Tibbetts, 604 A.2d 20, 23 (Me.1992). Leavitt also failed to request that the State be required to produce a qualified witness.9 Based on the record before us, we find that Leavitt failed to establish that he suffered any prejudice to the level of depriving him of a fair trial by the trial court’s refusal to exclude the certificate as a discovery sanction.

II.

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Bluebook (online)
625 A.2d 302, 1993 Me. LEXIS 177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-leavitt-me-1993.