State v. Morris

749 P.2d 1379, 230 Mont. 311, 45 State Rptr. 234, 1988 Mont. LEXIS 79
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 11, 1988
Docket87-017
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 749 P.2d 1379 (State v. Morris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Morris, 749 P.2d 1379, 230 Mont. 311, 45 State Rptr. 234, 1988 Mont. LEXIS 79 (Mo. 1988).

Opinions

MR. JUSTICE WEBER

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Mr. Morris appeals his conviction in the Fourth Judicial District, Missoula County, for possession of a dangerous drug in violation of Section 45-9-102, MCA.

He presents four issues for review.

1. Did the District Court err in denying defendant’s motion to dismiss based upon lack of speedy trial?

2. Did the District Court err in denying defendant’s suppression of evidence motions?

3. Did the District Court err when it admitted evidence over defendant’s chain of possession objection?

4. Did the District Court err in denying defendant’s motion for a new trial?

On March 13, 1985, around 11:30 p.m. in Missoula, Mr. Morris was driving a recently purchased used car. His heater was not working [314]*314properly so he decided to pull into a shopping center parking lot to fix the heater. He parked underneath a street light, positioned himself under the dashboard, and using a knife and some pliers, began working on his car.

City police officer Jim Neumeyer was patrolling the area that night when he saw the Morris vehicle parked with lights on and engine running. Officer Neumeyer testified at trial that he could see no one in the car so he decided to investigate. The officer expressed his concern that perhaps someone had pulled off the street and had fallen asleep or that a crime might be taking place. As he approached the car, he saw an empty gun holster in the back seat and some knives on the dashboard. He then saw Mr. Morris underneath the dashboard. As a safety measure, Officer Neumeyer pointed his flashlight directly into the eyes of Mr. Morris to momentarily blind him. Mr. Morris was in an awkward position, and as he rolled out of the car, the officer confronted him with the flashlight and a drawn revolver.

Mr. Morris testified that the officer never identified himself but only shouted, “You’ll be dead before you hit the ground. Don’t try it. I’ll blow your brains out.” Officer Neumeyer testified that Mr. Morris had a knife in his hand as he was coming out of the car. For his own safety he drew his revolver and ordered Mr. Morris out of the car. The officer agrees that Mr. Morris immediately assumed a spread-eagle position and volunteered that he had a gun under his jacket. The officer says that he then took possession of the gun, handcuffed Mr. Morris, and performed a brief pat-down search for any other weapons. The officer then arrested Mr. Morris for carrying a concealed weapon.

During the booking procedure at the jail, the jail officer found a vial of white powder inside Mr. Morris’ pants pocket. The defendant was charged later that day in justice court with one count of criminal possession of a dangerous drug (felony) and one count of carrying a concealed weapon (misdemeanor).

On March 25, 1985, an amended complaint was filed in justice court adding a second count of criminal possession of a dangerous drug, relating to a separate arrest and search of defendant. This count was dismissed during the trial and is not directly at issue in this appeal. The justice court docket indicates that Mr. Morris requested a preliminary examination on all counts although the court never conducted one.

On August 16, 1985, the State requested leave to file an information in district court. The information was filed that same day. Ar[315]*315raignment was held on September 9, and the omnibus hearing was on November 7. At this time Mr. Morris moved to dismiss for delay in arraignment which motion was denied. The matter eventually went to a jury on June 10, 1986. Mr. Morris was found guilty of one count of possession of a dangerous drug.

I

Did the District Court err in denying defendant’s motion to dismiss based upon lack of speedy trial?

The right to speedy trial attaches at the moment a defendant is accused, and that may occur at the time of arrest, at the time of the filing of a complaint or information, or at the time of indictment. State v. Larson (Mont. 1981), [_ Mont. _,] 623 P.2d 954, 957-58, 38 St.Rep. 213, 215. Mr. Morris stood accused and his right to speedy trial attached the day he was arrested. We must balance four factors together with any other relevant circumstances to determine whether Mr. Morris’ constitutional right to a speedy trial has been violated: length of delay, reason for-delay, the defendant’s assertion of the right, and prejudice to the defendant. Larson, 623 P.2d at 957.

Mr. Morris was arrested the first time on March 14, 1985, and was tried 453 days later on June 10, 1986. This certainly is enough delay to raise a presumption of prejudice to defendant. State v. Steward (1975), 168 Mont. 385, 543 P.2d 178.

In considering reason for delay, we will deduct the delay attributable to defendant’s own actions from the total delay. State v. Grant (Mont. 1987), [227 Mont. 181,] 738 P.2d 106, 109, 44 St.Rep. 994, 997. The State did not request leave to file an information in district court until August 16, 1985. The arraignment was 24 days after the information was filed, and the omnibus hearing was held 59 days after arraignment. Thus far, 237 days had elapsed since initial arrest. Mr. Morris made several waivers of speedy trial for qualified periods of time. He also made a motion to dismiss due to delay in arraignment and additional consolidated motions. Trial was set for January 1986.

On January 13, the defendant requested a continuance, a transcript, and independent testing of the substance in the vials. The court granted these motions. From the record we understand that Mr. Morris waived speedy trial for a period of time perhaps extending beyond March 1986. He did not initiate or promote transfer [316]*316of the vials for testing, and they were not tested until late May, several weeks before trial. At a May 5 hearing on the State’s motion to set a trial date, the court offered to try the case in May. Defense counsel could not calendar for trial in May, so trial was set for June.

In total, the defendant was responsible for 253 days of delay. This leaves 200 days remaining. The burden of explaining the reason for this delay rests with the State, and the question is whether prosecution was pursued with reasonable diligence. Grant, 738 P.2d at 109. We note a marked lack of diligent prosecution in the present case. The State failed to request leave to file an information until 154 days after the initial arrest. Prior to this time the defendant was afforded no hearing to determine probable cause for the charges against him, and the State offers no sufficient excuse. Another 46 days is attributable to institutional delays. So, we conclude that 154 days of delay directly reflect the prosecution’s lack of reasonable diligence.

We now look to the defendant’s assertion of his right to speedy trial. On two occasions prior to trial, Mr. Morris moved to dismiss all counts because of lack of speedy trial, once at the omnibus hearing and once on the day before trial. Mr. Morris, somewhat inconsistently with his speedy trial argument, waived speedy trial three times during the process. One month before trial, his attorney indicated a complete waiver.

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State v. Morris
749 P.2d 1379 (Montana Supreme Court, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
749 P.2d 1379, 230 Mont. 311, 45 State Rptr. 234, 1988 Mont. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-morris-mont-1988.