State v. Melancon

151 So. 3d 100, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 221, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 2273, 2014 WL 4723872
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 24, 2014
DocketNo. 14-KA-221
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 151 So. 3d 100 (State v. Melancon) 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. Melancon, 151 So. 3d 100, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 221, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 2273, 2014 WL 4723872 (La. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

HANS J. LILJEBERG, Judge.

| ¡¡Defendant, Raymond E. Melancon, appeals his convictions and sentences for distribution of heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. For the following reasons, we affirm.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant was charged by bill of information with distribution of heroin, a violation of La. R.S. 40:966(A) (count two); possession with intent to distribute heroin, a violation of La. R.S. 40:966(A) (count three); and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1 (count four).1 He pled not guilty to all charges. A jury trial was held, and the jury found defendant guilty as charged on all counts.

The trial court sentenced defendant as follows: 30 years at hard labor on count two, with five years to be served without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence; 30 years at hard labor on count three, with five years to be served without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence; and 20 years at hard labor |4on count four to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Thereafter, the State filed a multiple offender bill of information, and after a hearing, defendant was adjudicated a third felony offender. The trial court vacated the previous sentence on count two and re-sentenced defendant under La. R.S. 15:529.1 to 40 years at hard labor without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence.

FACTS

At trial, Detective Gary Barteet testified that in September of 2012, he was working in the narcotics division of the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office,- and he received information that caused him to conduct an investigation of defendant. Surveillance was established, and defendant was seen going to what the officers refer to as “neutral locations,” such as shopping centers, fast food restaurants, and busy parking lots. Detective Barteet testified that drug dealers and drug users often meet in these neutral locations in order to conduct drug transactions. The police also observed that defendant went to an apartment complex at 650 Bellemeade frequently enough for the surveillance team to believe that he had access there, although a particular apartment was not identified.

[105]*105On September 28, 2012, while conducting surveillance, Detective Barteet saw defendant driving a gray Chevrolet truck in the 1500 block of Lapalco Blvd. in Harvey, Louisiana, near a Popeye’s restaurant. Detective Barteet watched defendant to see if he was just eating or if he was doing anything suspicious. Defendant never entered a business; rather, he moved from one position to another inside the parking lot and just parked. Based on that information, Detective Barteet contacted his superiors and told them that he believed a potential narcotics transaction would occur, but he left before any transaction took place.

IsBrook Franklin testified that she knew defendant through a mutual friend, that they “hung out” together, and that she bought drugs from him. On September 28, 2012, Ms. Franklin called defendant when she got off of work and defendant told her to meet him at the Domino’s Pizza near her home. Ms. Franklin drove to the location in her Toyota Corolla with a friend in the front passenger seat. Upon arriving, defendant waved her down after exiting Popeye’s, which was near Domino’s, and then got into the back seat of Ms. Franklin’s ear. Ms. Franklin moved to the driver’s side back seat and purchased “a bag” from defendant. Defendant then walked away and Ms. Franklin left in her car.

Soon after meeting with defendant, Ms. Franklin was pulled over by an unmarked police car. Two officers approached her car and ordered her out of her vehicle. Ms. Franklin complied. She attempted to hide the bag she had just bought but was unsuccessful; it “rolled down” and the officers picked it up. The officers also found paraphernalia in the car, a spoon, which was in “open view.”

Ms. Franklin testified that she had been charged with possession of heroin in relation to this case and was in the State’s diversion program, but she said she had not been provided a “deal” by the State in exchange for information or testimony.

Detective Patrick Evans testified that he was employed by the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office on September 28, 2012, when he received a call to assist a narcotics unit in an investigation. Pursuant to the instructions given to him, Detective Evans stopped a Toyota- Corolla, which was occupied by two white females, on Bannerwood just off of Lapalco. When Detective Evans and another officer approached the vehicle, Detective Evans saw a metal spoon in the car, which he knew was commonly used to cook heroin before loading it into a syringe. At that time he asked the driver, Brook Franklin, to exit the vehicle. When she stepped out of the car, a clear plastic bag containing a brown powder substance he ^believed to be heroin fell to the ground from her lap. Ms. Franklin was placed in handcuffs and advised of her rights. Ms. Franklin told Detective Evans that she had purchased the heroin “from a black male named Ray from the Popeye’s at Manhattan and La-palco.”

Agent Christy Clement of the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office testified that on September 28, 2012, she participated in the investigation of defendant. She saw a vehicle pull up and defendant exit the Popeye’s and get into the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The driver, Brook Franklin, exited the driver’s side and got into the rear driver’s side of the car. Thirty seconds to one minute later, Ms. Franklin got out of the car and back into the driver’s seat and appeared to be putting something in her pocket. Defendant then exited the vehicle and walked into the Domino’s while Ms. Franklin left in her car. From her position, Agent Clement could not see exactly what Ms. Franklin put into her pock[106]*106et, but based upon her past experience it appeared to be a narcotics transaction. Agent Clement testified that defendant was taken into custody at the Domino’s location after a brief struggle.

Agent Clement also participated in the interview of Brook Franklin. Ms. Franklin was advised of her Miranda2 rights, and Ms. Franklin indicated that she wished to waive her rights and cooperate. Ms. Franklin then told Agent Clement that she had purchased heroin from defendant on several occasions. She stated that she sometimes purchased it from him at an apartment on Bellemeade and she was aware of the location of the apartment. Ms. Franklin also said that defendant had 50 to 100 bags of heroin with him when she bought heroin from him that day. When questioned about defendant not having anything on his person when he was arrested, Ms. Franklin said that she may have been confused because she had also [ ^purchased from defendant earlier in the day. Ms. Franklin described defendant’s vehicle and later pointed out defendant’s apartment to police while still in custody after physically travelling to the location.

After defendant was arrested, Detective Barteet learned that defendant was attempting to have family members remove items from his apartment and retrieve' money for his bond. Detective Barteet obtained a search warrant for 650 Belle-meade, Apartment 4-K, because this apartment had been identified as belonging to defendant.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
151 So. 3d 100, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 221, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 2273, 2014 WL 4723872, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-melancon-lactapp-2014.