State v. Mogan

891 S.W.2d 867, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 145, 1995 WL 29645
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 27, 1995
DocketNo. 19344
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 891 S.W.2d 867 (State v. Mogan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri 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. Mogan, 891 S.W.2d 867, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 145, 1995 WL 29645 (Mo. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

CROW, Judge.

A jury found Defendant, Kenneth Mogan, guilty of sale of more than five grams of marijuana, § 195.211, RSMo Cum.Supp.1989, and assessed punishment at five years’ imprisonment. The trial court entered judgment per the verdict.

Defendant appeals. His sole point relied on avers the trial court erred in that the verdict-directing instruction was not patterned on MAI-CR 3d 304.04 (criminal responsibility for another’s conduct). Defendant maintains the evidence indicated one James Reeder, not Defendant, was the marijuana seller.

Before an instruction may be submitted to the jury, there must be a basis for it in the evidence. State v. Reichert, 854 S.W.2d 584, 603[50] (Mo.App.S.D.1993). That is, an instruction must be based on substantial evidence and reasonable inferences. State v. Smith, 806 S.W.2d 119, 121[4] (Mo.App.E.D.1991). An instruction should not be given in absence of evidence to support it. State v. Wilhelm, 774 S.W.2d 512, 517[4] (Mo.App.W.D.1989).

The State’s evidence on the identity of the seller came exclusively from the testimony of Dale Melugin. On February 12, 1992, Melu-gin, a commissioned deputy sheriff of Barton County, was employed as an undercover agent by the Southwest Missouri Major Case Squad Drug Enforcement Task Force, a joint operation of the sheriffs’ offices of Barton, Cedar, and St. Clair Counties, and the police departments of Lamar, Stockton, and El Do-rado Springs.

Melugin testified that around 8:15 or 8:30 p.m., that date (February 12) he arrived at Parkside Lounge in El Dorado Springs. Defendant, whom Melugin had seen before but never met, was there. Melugin began playing pool with several people, including James Reeder. Reeder asked Melugin if he would like to go to Reeder’s “trailer” and “get high.” Melugin thereupon asked Reeder if Reeder could purchase Melugin some marijuana. Melugin gave Reeder $50.

Reeder left the pool table and walked to the bar. After “30-45 seconds,” Reeder returned to the pool table. Reeder and Melu-gin, accompanied by Defendant, then left the lounge.

The trio entered Melugin’s automobile. With Melugin driving, Reeder in front, and Defendant in the back, the trio rode to Reed-er’s nearby trailer. There, they were joined by three other men from the lounge.

Melugin recounted that while they sat at the kitchen table, Defendant “took out a bag of marijuana, rolled up a joint, a marijuana cigarette, and lit it up and passed it [869]*869around....” Asked what happened next, Melugin testified, “[Defendant] asked if anybody else wanted any marijuana, that it was good marijuana, and it was only $45.00 a quarter, and he didn’t want to be making a bunch of trips tonight.”

Melugin told Defendant he (Melugin) would “like to go ahead and get another bag of marijuana.” Defendant said “okay,” and Melugin gave Defendant $50.

At that point, Reeder asked Melugin if he (Reeder) could use Melugin’s automobile. Melugin gave Reeder the keys; Reeder and Defendant left the trailer.

Reeder and Defendant returned about 20 minutes later. Melugin was seated at the kitchen table. Defendant walked to the table, sat down, and placed two “sandwich baggies” containing marijuana on the table near Melugin. As Melugin picked up the marijuana, Defendant gave Melugin a $10 bill. Me-lugin explained to the jury, “[That] would have been the change from ... the first $50.00 that I had gave Jim Reeder, plus the $50.00 that I had gave [Defendant], which would have been $5.00 that they owed me for each one for my change, which would have been $10.00.”

Melugin eventually drove Reeder and Defendant back to Parkside Lounge.

Defendant presented one witness — himself. He admitted being at Parkside Lounge on the night in question. Reeder (a cousin of Defendant) was also there. According to Defendant, Reeder invited him to go to Reeder’s trailer and “drink a beer.” Defendant agreed.

Defendant testified Reeder left the lounge with Melugin. Those two, but not Defendant, rode to the trailer in Melugin’s automobile. Defendant avowed he walked to the trailer with three other men.

Defendant denied receiving money from Melugin. Defendant admitted leaving the trailer with Reeder, but explained he did so because Reeder was going to a friend’s house and invited Defendant to accompany him. Defendant testified he remained in the automobile while Reeder was inside the friend’s house, that Reeder said nothing about drugs, and that when Reeder and he returned to the trailer, Reeder “threw out a couple of bags of marijuana on the table.” Defendant denied handling the bags, denied rolling and smoking a marijuana cigarette, and denied handing Melugin any money. Defendant added, “I made a point to get out of there just as soon as possible.”

The verdict-directing instruction given by the trial court (Instruction 5) was patterned on MAI-CR3d 325.04 and read, in pertinent part:

“If you find and believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt:
First, that on or about February 12, 1992, in the County of Cedar, State of Missouri, the defendant sold more than 5 grams of marijuana, a controlled substance, to Dale Melugin, and
Second, that defendant knew or consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the substance he sold was marijuana, a controlled substance,
then you will find the defendant guilty of selling more than 5 grams of marijuana.
However, unless you find and believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt each and all of these propositions, you must find the defendant not guilty of that offense.
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At Defendant’s request, the trial court gave Instruction 7, patterned on MAI-CR3d 310.08, which read:

“The presence of a person at or near the scene of an offense at the time it was committed is alone not sufficient to make him criminally responsible for the offense, although his presence may be considered together with all of the evidence in determining his guilt or innocence.”

Defendant’s theory of error, as we fathom it, is based on three assumptions:

1. Because Defendant was present when Reeder sold the two bags of marijuana to Melugin, the trial court correctly gave Instruction 7 as requested by Defendant.
[870]*8702. Because the trial court gave Instruction 7, the verdict-directing instruction (Instruction 5) should have been patterned on MAI-CR3d 304.04.1
3. Because Instruction 5 was not patterned on MAI-CR3d 304.04,2 Defendant is entitled to reversal.

Paragraph 4 of the Notes on Use following MAI-CR3d 304.04 reads:

“This is the modification of the verdict director form for use when liability is based on being criminally responsible for the conduct of another.

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Related

State v. Wallis
204 S.W.3d 732 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2006)
State v. Gorman
940 S.W.2d 543 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
891 S.W.2d 867, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 145, 1995 WL 29645, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mogan-moctapp-1995.