State v. Noil

997 So. 2d 621, 2008 WL 4737196
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 28, 2008
Docket08-KA-278
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 997 So. 2d 621 (State v. Noil) 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. Noil, 997 So. 2d 621, 2008 WL 4737196 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

997 So.2d 621 (2008)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Dayshawn NOIL.

No. 08-KA-278.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 28, 2008.

*622 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Desirée M. Valenti, Shannon Swaim, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Bruce G. Whittaker, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, Louisiana, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges MARION F. EDWARDS, SUSAN M. CHEHARDY, and MADELINE JASMINE.

MADELINE JASMINE, Judge Pro Tempore.

The defendant was convicted of aggravated flight from an officer, aggravated assault of a peace officer with a firearm, and illegal possession of a stolen thing valued at $500.00 or more. He has appealed his conviction of aggravated assault of a peace officer with a firearm. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

FACTS

At trial, Deputy Greg Joerger, of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, testified that on December 17, 2007, while patrolling his assigned area, he noticed a white Mazda CX7 or CR7 entering "Mary Poppins," also known as the "Tallow Tree" area. Deputy Joerger followed the vehicle to perform a traffic stop because the driver was speeding. Deputy Joerger ran the vehicle's Mississippi license plate, which *623 came back registered to a 1989 Pontiac.[1] Deputy Joerger called for backup, and continued to follow the vehicle while never losing sight of the occupants. When the vehicle eventually stopped, Deputy Joerger exited his vehicle. His backup, Deputy Lentz, arrived at the same time. When the passenger in the vehicle got out, Deputy Joerger told him to approach. However, the passenger ran towards an apartment complex. Then the driver, later identified as defendant, sped away. Deputy Joerger followed the defendant while Deputy Lentz followed the passenger. When the defendant attempted to make a right turn, he lost control of the vehicle. The defendant ran into a parked vehicle, pushing it into a house, and then he hit a tree in a neighboring front yard. The defendant exited the vehicle and ran away. Deputy Joerger pursued the defendant on foot. The defendant jumped a fence by the canal running back to "Mary Poppins" or "Tallow Tree," which is located on the other side of the canal. Deputy Joerger ordered the defendant to stop. Deputy Joerger testified that after the defendant climbed over the fence, he saw the defendant raise his hand holding "what appeared to be a black gun" and "two shots were fired." Deputy Joerger testified that he immediately dove to the ground, losing sight of the defendant for the first time. Deputy Joerger broadcast a description of the defendant on the radio stating defendant was wearing gray or grayish pants, a white t-shirt, and white tennis shoes. The tape of correspondence between Deputy Joerger and the Sheriffs Office dispatcher giving the details of the attempted traffic stop and pursuit, as well as a computer printout transcribing the tape, was admitted into evidence. The printout indicates the incident started at 3:42 p.m. The tape was played for the jury. Gunshots can be heard on the tape.

Lieutenant Bruce Harrison, Commander of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Robbery Section, testified that the defendant became a suspect in this incident based on the statement of co-defendant Jamar Douglas[2]. Sergeant Larry Dyess, who also works with the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office Robbery Section, testified that he participated in the investigation of the defendant, whom he identified in court. According to Sergeant Dyess, he and the other officers went to the defendant's residence in an attempt to locate him and to inquire whether he would voluntarily come in to be questioned. Lieutenant Harrison and Sergeant Dyess both testified that the defendant was standing outside when they arrived. Lieutenant Harrison informed the defendant that he was under investigation for having fired at a police officer and advised him of his rights. Sergeant Dyess testified that defendant stated that he *624 watched approximately half of the Saints and Redskins game on the day of the incident.

Both officers testified that they participated in the search of the residence located at 97 Pinewood, where they believed defendant lived. They recovered a white t-shirt, a grey pair of pants, and a pair of white tennis shoes that were placed just outside of the residence. Both officers explained that the shoes appeared to have just been washed although there were traces of mud on the mesh portion of the shoes. These items, as well as pictures of these items, were introduced into evidence.

Sergeant Dyess explained that the defendant subsequently was transported to the Investigations Bureau where he was again advised of his rights, which he waived. Sergeant Dyess testified that defendant initially claimed that he did not know anything about the stolen vehicle that was used in the incident. Later, the defendant remembered the vehicle, but he still denied being inside of it. Sergeant Dyess testified that when he asked defendant, "what would you say if I told you that I recovered fingerprints from the vehicle," the defendant admitted to being in the vehicle.[3] Sergeant Dyess testified that defendant told him he got in the vehicle and touched the dashboard and radio when a friend drove the vehicle to his house and requested some musical compact discs (CDs). Defendant's recorded statement, as well as a transcription of the statement, was introduced into evidence.

The defendant testified that he told the officers that, on December 17, 2006, he was inside all day watching the Saints and Redskins game and a movie except, at approximately 3:45 p.m., when he walked outside to the sidewalk to talk to his friend, Terrance Tyler. The defendant denied any knowledge of the shooting. The defendant admitted that he knew co-defendant, Joshua Green, also known as Jamar Douglas. The defendant testified that the last time he saw Green was on Tuesday, a week before he was arrested, driving the aforementioned Mazda in the Fisher Project. Green got out of the vehicle and talked to the defendant and some other people. The defendant claimed that he also gave Green some CDs. The defendant testified that Green asked if he wanted to go for a ride in the car and told him the Mazda was a rental. The defendant claimed he left and went back inside because he knew Green did not have any money for a rental.

In addition, the defendant testified that he told Sergeant Dyess that when Green came to his home on the day of the incident, they talked through the window of the Mazda. He did not sit in the vehicle. However, the defendant told Sergeant Dyess that the police probably had his prints because he touched the outside of the driver's window and CDs. Defendant also admitted that he "stuck [his] head in [through] the window" of the Mazda and reached his arm in to look at the vehicle. The defendant testified that he did not steal the Mazda. The defendant testified that he had never been in the Tallow Tree or Mary Poppins area. Defendant denied living at the residence the police searched. While he admitted that the pants obtained during the search were his, he testified that the white shirt did not belong to him. He admitted that the shoes were his and had been washed, explaining that because they were white, they "get dirty fast."

Kendra Wilson, the defendant's girlfriend, testified that she and the defendant lived in her mother's house located at 97 *625 Pinewood.

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Related

State v. Wiltz
28 So. 3d 554 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State v. Stephens
27 So. 3d 987 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
997 So. 2d 621, 2008 WL 4737196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-noil-lactapp-2008.