State v. Maxwell

554 So. 2d 769, 1989 WL 155383
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 13, 1989
Docket89-KA-447
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 554 So. 2d 769 (State v. Maxwell) 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. Maxwell, 554 So. 2d 769, 1989 WL 155383 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

554 So.2d 769 (1989)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Quintin J. MAXWELL.

No. 89-KA-447.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

December 13, 1989.

*770 John M. Mamoulides, Dist. Atty., Denis Ganucheau and Dorothy A. Pendergast, Asst. Dist. Attys. (Louise Korns, of counsel), Gretna, for plaintiff-appellee.

Anderson Council, Kenner, for defendant-appellant.

Before KLIEBERT, BOWES and WICKER, JJ.

KLIEBERT, Judge.

Defendant Quintin J. Maxwell was arrested on January 22, 1988 and charged by bills of information with two counts. The first was for possession of marijuana in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:966. The second count charged "on or about the twenty-second day of January, 1988 the said Quintin J. Maxwell violated LSA-R.S. 14:95 [did] conceal on or about his person a dangerous weapon, to-wit: `a switchblade.'" On arraignment, he pled not guilty to both counts. After a bench trial he was found not guilty on the first charge of possession of marijuana and guilty on the second charge, i.e., illegal carrying of a weapon. Defendant was sentenced to three months in parish prison, which sentence was suspended on the condition that he serve thirty days in the parish prison and pay court costs. Defendant brings this appeal from that conviction and sentence.[1] We affirm the conviction but remand the case for resentencing.

The following uncontradicted facts were produced at trial:

Shortly after 11:00 p.m. on January 22, 1988, Deputy Sherman and Sergeant Bujole were patrolling a high crime area in Jefferson Parish when they observed a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass with three occupants (one of whom was defendant) run a stop sign while turning left at Momfort and Sias Streets. The officers, who were riding in their unmarked LTD police car,[2] activated their flashing lights and sirens, pursued, and eventually stopped the car. Sergeant Bujole testified that once they activated their lights and sirens, the officers noticed a great deal of quick bending movements in the Oldsmobile Cutlass by the three occupants, especially the defendant, who was alone in the back seat and who turned around several times to see the location of the police car.

Once the cars had stopped, the officers, fearing for their safety, immediately exited their vehicle and had the occupants of the Cutlass do the same. At this time, the officers detected a smell of marijuana. The suspects were immediately placed against the rear of their vehicle and patted down for weapons. While Deputy Sherman covered the three suspects, Sergeant Bujole checked the car to make sure there were no weapons accessible to the suspects, as they were not cuffed and were only two to three feet from the car door; in addition, there were only two officers and three suspects. Further, the officers needed the vehicle registration.

As soon as Sergeant Bujole entered the Cutlass he saw, in plain view, a plastic bag with hand-rolled cigarettes underneath the *771 armrest.[3] Because of the odor in the car and the fact that the cigarettes were hand-rolled, Sergeant Bujole believed them to be marijuana. At this point, he retrieved the plastic bag and advised Deputy Sherman of what he had found. As Deputy Sherman placed defendant and the other two suspects under arrest and advised them of their rights, Sergeant Bujole, continuing his search of the car's interior, observed a switchblade knife, positioned just to the left of where defendant had been sitting on the back seat and sticking out only about a half inch. The knife was retrieved by the officers, marked for identification, and was identified at trial as the knife found in the Oldsmobile Cutlass.

At trial in this matter, after the State called its witnesses, defense counsel orally moved to suppress the evidence and for directed verdict. After the court denied both of these motions, the defendant rested its case without calling any witnesses.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR ONE

The defendant argues the trial court committed prejudicial error in denying the defendant's motion to suppress the evidence.

It appears from the record that the defendant failed to timely move to suppress the evidence.[4] For an accused to invoke the rule excluding evidence obtained by an alleged illegal search and seizure, it is necessary for him to file a pre-trial motion to suppress the evidence under La.C. Cr.P. Article 703. The failure to do so, in the absence of a showing of surprise or lack of opportunity to file such a motion, operates as a waiver of any claimed violation of constitutional rights against searches and seizures. Accord State v. Quimby, 419 So.2d 951 (La.1982).

Defendant did not file a motion to suppress prior to trial. In fact, he waited until the State called its two witnesses before orally bringing his motion. Because defendant did not show surprise or lack of opportunity to file such a motion, he has waived his right to assert this claim. Moreover, defendant did not even object at trial to the admission of the switchblade knife. On the contrary, he stated that he had "no objection" to such introduction. See generally State v. Johnson, 519 So.2d 212 (5th Cir. 1988), writ denied, 523 So.2d 1334 (La.1988) (wherein this Court concluded that defense attorney waited too long to raise Fourth Amendment objection to introduction of incriminating evidence). See also La.C.Cr.P. Article 841.

In view of the foregoing we hold defendant has waived his right to now raise this issue, thus we will not rule on the validity of the trial court's ruling refusing to grant defendant's motion to suppress.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR TWO AND THREE

Under these assignments defense counsel urges that the trial court committed prejudicial error in (1) denying defendant's motion for directed verdict,[5] and (2) finding defendant guilty of illegal carrying of a weapon, contrary to the law and evidence. As both of these assignments deal with the sufficiency of evidence, we will address them together.

LSA-R.S. 14:95 provides as follows:

A. Illegal carrying of weapon is:
(1) The intentional concealment of any firearm, or other instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon, on one's person; or

(2) The ownership, possession, custody or use of any firearm, or other instrumentality *772 customarily used as a dangerous weapon, at any time by an enemy alien; or

(3) The ownership, possession, custody or use of any tools, or dynamite, or nitroglycerine, or explosives, or other instrumentality customarily used by thieves or burglars at any time by any person with the intent to commit a crime; or
(4) The manufacture, ownership, possession, custody or use of any switchblade knife, spring knife or other knife or similar instrument having a blade which may be automatically unfolded or extended from a handle by the manipulation of a button, switch, latch or similar contrivance.
B. Whoever commits the crime of illegal carrying of weapons shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.
C. On a second conviction, the offender shall be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than five years.
D. On third and subsequent convictions, the offender shall be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than ten years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
E.

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

Related

State v. Dillon
631 So. 2d 1171 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1994)
State v. Fraychineaud
620 So. 2d 338 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
State v. Lozado
594 So. 2d 1063 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
State v. Songy
588 So. 2d 184 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
554 So. 2d 769, 1989 WL 155383, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-maxwell-lactapp-1989.