State v. Lucero

1999 NMCA 102, 986 P.2d 468, 127 N.M. 672
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 7, 1999
Docket19,168, 19,169, 19,170
StatusPublished
Cited by48 cases

This text of 1999 NMCA 102 (State v. Lucero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Lucero, 1999 NMCA 102, 986 P.2d 468, 127 N.M. 672 (N.M. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSTAMANTE, J.

{1} Vincent Lucero, Anita Guilez, and Gilbert Salcido (referred to collectively as Defendants) each appeal their convictions for one count of receiving stolen property over $2500, in violation of NMSA 1978, § 30-16-11(G) (1987). Defendants were tried jointly in a second trial, after the first proceeding ended in a mistrial. Defendants’ appeals were consolidated by this Court. Defendants raise the following issues on appeal: (1) whether double jeopardy barred a retrial after the mistrial; (2) whether the trial court erred in failing to grant a mistrial as a result of the prosecutor’s attempt to introduce evidence of an unrelated crime; (3) whether the trial court erred in refusing to allow Defendants to cross-examine the prosecutor’s informant about an alleged forgery; (4) whether the trial court’s comment on Defendants’ admission of a photograph exhibit deprived Defendants of a fair and impartial trial; and (5) whether the trial court erred in ordering Defendants to pay restitution in an amount representing the full retail value of the merchandise recovered. We affirm.

I. FACTS

{2} Randall Matlock, manager of J.C. Penney in Roswell, initiated an investigation after he noticed that shipments to his store were consistently missing merchandise. About the same time, Detective Clifton Frosch of the Roswell police department received information from an anonymous caller that Kenneth Alison, a delivery truck driver for Merchant’s Freight Company, was making frequent deliveries to a Roswell residence belonging to Defendants Guilez and Salcido. Detective Frosch and other officers followed Alison’s truck to this residence and observed Alison unloading several boxes. After Alison drove away, he was stopped and arrested. The police determined that Allison had been embezzling J.C. Penney merchandise from his employer. During a search incident to the arrest, officers also found cocaine in Alison’s hat band.

{3} Detective Frosch obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Guilez’s and Salcido’s residence, seizing several boxes of clothing. Lucero was Guilez’s third cousin and occasionally stayed with Guilez and Salcido. A1 three Defendants were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property over $2500. Matlock participated in cataloging the seized items and identified most of the seized property as the missing J.C. Penney merchandise.

{4} Detective Frosch and the prosecutor agreed to reduce Allison’s sentence if he informed them about Defendants’ participation in receiving the J.C. Penney merchandise. According to Allison, in exchange for his testimony he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor, one petty misdemeanor, twelve fourth-degree felonies and six third-degree felonies. He received a six-year sentence, with all but 364 days suspended, and an agreement that the sentence could be served on work release. Ultimately, Detective Frosch decided the State would not prosecute Allison for any crimes arising out of the distribution of stolen J.C. Penney merchandise to persons other than Defendants.

{5} The case was first brought to trial on October 15, 1997. At the beginning of the trial, defense counsel received a report from the Dexter police, indicating that Yolanda Alvarez had delivered two boxes of clothing to the police on October 9, 1996, which she claimed she received from Allison. The prosecutor stated that he had not seen the Dexter police report prior to that morning of trial. Defendants moved for a continuance to subpoena and interview Alvarez. The motion was to be heard during the noon recess of the first day of trial, outside the presence of thé jury.

{6} Prior to the motion hearing, Dexter Police Chief Carlos Barela and Detective Frosch both testified. Chief Barela testified that he participated in a consent search of Alvarez’s home and a warrant search of Allison’s mother’s home in Dexter. He'stated that he received other property from Antonio Salaz, who claimed to have received the property from Allison. He indicated that all of the property was turned over to Detective Frosch at the Roswell police department in October 1996.

{7} During Detective Frosch’s testimony, defense counsel discovered that there were two search warrants that had not been disclosed which were executed in an attempt to locate other missing merchandise in the Dexter area. The search warrants revealed witnesses who potentially knew of other criminal conduct by Allison. Detective Frosch testified that he provided the warrant, its return, and the inventory to the district attorney’s office. Apparently, the prosecutor had approved the affidavits filed in support of the search warrants. Detective Frosch stated that he did not disclose this evidence because he did not believe it pertained to Defendants’ case.

{8} Defendants moved for a mistrial as a result of the State’s failure to disclose the search warrants and returns. Defendants asserted that both situations involved Allison’s embezzlement of J.C. Penney merchandise from his employer and his disposal of that merchandise. Defendants also argued that this information bore on Allison’s credibility because it rebutted Allison’s claim that only Defendants had received stolen property from him. The trial court continued the trial to allow defense counsel to interview and subpoena these potential witnesses. Because of Matlock’s unavailability the following day, the trial court allowed him to testify before the jury was excused.

{9} When the trial resumed the following day, October 16, 1997, the State disclosed that during the overnight continuance it discovered a second statement in Allison’s file at the district attorney’s office. The statement had been taken on October 31, 1996, by Detective Frosch. Defendants moved for a mistrial due to the late disclosure. Defendants argued that the statement was inconsistent with Allison’s other statements concerning who originated the idea of trading merchandise for cocaine, and to whom else Lucero gave or sold merchandise. It also included for the first time, the name of another Dexter resident, Irma Medrano, who allegedly purchased merchandise from Allison. The trial court read Allison’s statement, noting that it was the statement upon which his plea was based, and granted Defendants’ motion for a mistrial.

{10} Prior to the retrial, Defendants moved to dismiss the charges on double jeopardy grounds. The trial court denied the motion, finding that although it could not condone the discovery violation, it did not rise to the level of bad faith and was not calculated to put the State in a better position to convict. The case proceeded to a second trial. At the second trial, Lucero testified that he gave Allison permission to store his personal property at the house because Allison claimed he was getting a divorce. Guilez and Salcido testified that they gave both Lucero and Allison permission to store their personal property at their home. All three Defendants denied any knowledge that Allison was storing stolen property at the house. Defendants were convicted of receiving stolen property over $2500. We summarize additional facts as we address the specific issues on appeal.

II. DISCUSSION

A. DOUBLE JEOPARDY

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

Related

State v. Lerma
New Mexico Supreme Court, 2024
State v. Castaldi
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2023
State v. Johnson
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2023
State v. Quarles
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Chavarria
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2021
State v. Clark
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. May
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Soto
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. West
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Sanders
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Cain
450 P.3d 452 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Garcia
450 P.3d 418 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Parra
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Siqueiros-Valenzuela
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2017
State v. Salas
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2017
State v. Lindsey
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2017
State v. Hernandez
2017 NMCA 20 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016)
State v. Robertson-Little
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016
State v. Ortiz-Castillo
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016
State v. Vasquez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2015

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1999 NMCA 102, 986 P.2d 468, 127 N.M. 672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lucero-nmctapp-1999.