State v. Quimby

419 So. 2d 951
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedSeptember 7, 1982
Docket81-KA-3106
StatusPublished
Cited by127 cases

This text of 419 So. 2d 951 (State v. Quimby) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Quimby, 419 So. 2d 951 (La. 1982).

Opinion

419 So.2d 951 (1982)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Doyle Max QUIMBY.

No. 81-KA-3106.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

September 7, 1982.

*954 William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Don C. Burns, Dist. Atty., Russell Woodward, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

Thomas K. Brocato, Gravel, Robertson & Brady, Alexandria, for defendant-appellant.

WILLIAM NORRIS, Justice Ad Hoc.[*]

Defendant was charged by separate bills of information with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and the manufacture of methamphetamine [a Schedule II drug] in violation of La.R.S. 40:967(A)(1). Defendant was tried solely on the manufacturing charge after which the jury unanimously found him guilty as charged.[1] The Court subsequently sentenced him to serve nine years at hard labor and to pay a fine of $5000. It is from this conviction and the resulting sentence that defendant appeals asserting seven assignments of error, six of which are incorporated into three arguments.

FACTS

On April 4, 1980, defendant and Ovis Staggs were arrested for selling methamphetamines to Richard Rubac at the residence of Robert Worley, an admitted drug dealer, in Georgetown, Texas. Thereafter, Staggs confessed to the manufacturing of methamphetamine with defendant and provided law enforcement personnel with the location of the laboratory used therefor in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana. This information was relayed to the officials of the Louisiana State Police and the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office who obtained a warrant to search the property owned by defendant based not only on this information but also on information gathered through a nine month active investigation of the defendant and Staggs. The warrant was executed by the Louisiana State Police on April 8, 1980.

The search of the silver metal portable building and a mobile home located on the property described in the warrant produced various chemicals, equipment and paraphernalia known to be used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Additionally two jars containing a mixture of amphetamine and methamphetamine were found. Thereafter, a warrant was issued for defendant's arrest; he was extradited from Texas; and the instant trial on the manufacturing charge resulted.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NOS. 2 AND 3

In these assignments of error, defendant argues that the trial court erred in permitting introduction of an inculpatory statement not disclosed in the state's response to a motion for discovery filed by the defendant. More particularly, the testimony objected to was that of Robert Worley relating to a statement that defendant had made to him in Texas.

Defendant was initially charged on April 17, 1980. On January 26, 1981 [seven days prior to trial], defendant, through his second attorney of record[2], filed a "Motion *955 for Discovery and Independent Examination of Evidence." Of particular pertinence to this discussion is paragraph (3) of that motion which requested:

3.

The court order the district attorney to inform the defendant of the existence of any oral confession or statement of any nature made by the defendant, which the district attorney intends to offer in evidence at trial with the information as to when, where and to whom such oral confession or statement was made.

The state filed its answer to the discovery motion on January 27, 1981, in accord with the court's order that it respond not later than January 29, 1981. The response to paragraph (3) read as follows:

The state does not have any knowledge of any oral confession or statement of any nature made by the defendant which the district attorney intends to offer in evidence at the trial of this matter. However, in an abundance of caution the state does wish to inform the defendant that it is possible that Ovis Staggs will be a state's witness in this matter with the purpose of his testimony being when and how he and the defendant made methamphetamine and what the defendant's intention in doing so was.

On January 30, 1981, the state filed a second supplemental answer to defendant's motion for discovery in which it stated:

In an abundance of caution the state wishes to advise the defendant of its intent to offer into evidence the sale by the defendant of a substance which he represented to be methamphetamine to Robert Worley and Richard Rubac in or around Georgetown, Texas, on April 4, 1980. The purpose of this evidence is to show that the defendant possessed the methamphetamine which was found in Caldwell Parish with the intent to distribute. The sale spoken of in this answer is within the knowledge of the defendant and his counsel as it was outlined in the search warrant which is a part of the record in this case.

On the morning of trial [February 2, 1981], the state filed a "Prieur Notice" stating that it intended to offer evidence that the defendant and Staggs had traveled to the residence of Robert Worley on April 4, 1980, for the express purpose of selling a substance which defendant represented to be methamphetamine. Simultaneously and prior to the opening statement, the state filed a La.C.Cr.P. Art. 768 notice that stated:

Although the state feels that the inculpatory statements which it intends to introduce are not those requiring notice under Article 768, in an abundance of caution they wish nevertheless to inform the defendant of their existence. On April 4, 1980, the defendant before his arrest made statements to Robert Worley at Worley's residence that he had some more methamphetamine back at his lab which he would bring to Texas within a few days.

In his opening statement, the prosecutor stated:

* * * * * *

Now, we are going to call a witness who knows Mr. Quimby—a man who can link Mr. Quimby with the manufacture of methamphetamine, with manufacturing speed. Now, our witness is not exactly a Sunday School teacher. People involved in criminal activities rarely associate with Sunday School teachers. We submit that drug dealers in particular don't associate —well, the people they associate with are probably somewhat less than your top-notch citizens. We don't claim that our witness is. But our witness, Mr. Robert Worley, will show that he knew that Mr. Quimby had a drug lab.

The defense objected, the jury was removed, and defendant argued that this was an improper advertence to a confession in an opening statement. However, from the foregoing, it is obvious that the state did not advert in the opening statement to a confession or inculpatory statement but only informed the jury that its witness would testify that he knew defendant and that he knew that he had a drug lab. This *956 statement does not violate La.C.Cr.P. Art. 767[3], and the prosecutor's remarks were proper.

Thereafter, on direct examination and over the objection of defense counsel, Robert Worley testified as follows:

Q. How long have you known Mr. Quimby?
A. Approximately two years.
Q. On the night of April 4, 1980, I ask you to go back to that night, did you have an occasion on that night to speak with Mr. Quimby?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. And did he talk to you that night about manufacturing methamphetamine?
A. Yes, he did.
Q. And where did he say this had been manufactured?
A. In his lab.
* * * * * *

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Bluebook (online)
419 So. 2d 951, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-quimby-la-1982.