State v. Roland

850 So. 2d 738, 2003 WL 21290526
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 5, 2003
Docket36,786-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 850 So. 2d 738 (State v. Roland) 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. Roland, 850 So. 2d 738, 2003 WL 21290526 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

850 So.2d 738 (2003)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
George Stanley ROLAND, Appellant.

No. 36,786-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

June 5, 2003.

*740 Louisiana Appellate Project, by Paula Corley Marx, Lafayette, for Appellant.

Paul J. Carmouche, District Attorney, J. Thomas Butler, Donna Frazier Hall, Assistant District Attorneys, for Appellee.

Before STEWART, DREW and MOORE, JJ.

DREW, J.

George Stanley Roland appeals his conviction and sentence on two counts of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. We amend, and as amended, affirm.

FACTS

For several years, the defendant and Sherrie Tillman had an ongoing, rocky common-law relationship, producing one child. From time to time, the defendant would move in and out of Tillman's home on 85th Street in Shreveport. In early 2001, the couple broke up once again, and the defendant left Tillman's home, while leaving clothing and other personal effects. In May 2001, Tillman obtained a restraining order prohibiting the defendant from going near her or her home. Tillman continued to be concerned about the defendant coming back into her home and enlisted the help of a friend, Michael Anderson, to watch and stay in her home.

Michael Anderson testified:

• On August 18, 2001, Tillman had gone to a funeral, leaving Anderson in the premises;

• He heard a noise in another room, investigated, and discovered the defendant in the house;

• He called the police and told the defendant to leave, to which order the defendant complied without incident, departing before the police arrived;

• On September 3, 2001, the defendant came through the front door, armed with a hammer, while Tillman and Anderson were both inside the house;

• The defendant hit Anderson on the back of the head; and

• Shortly thereafter, the defendant was arrested.

In contrast, the defendant testified that:

• He went to Tillman's home at the time of the first incident only because he was homeless and had nowhere to go, needing a place to rest;

*741 • He knocked on the door, and when he received no answer, he crawled through a window into the house; and

• He talked to Anderson, then left the home without incident.

The second incident also occurred differently, according to the defendant:

• Tillman let him into the house;
• Tillman and Anderson started the fight;

• Shortly thereafter, the defendant was arrested; and

• He admitted to the police that he entered the home on the two occasions.

The state charged the defendant with two counts of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. The events relative to Count One occurred on August 18, 2001; the events relative to Count Two occurred on September 3, 2001. A jury found the defendant guilty of Count One, the first incident, but not guilty of Count Two, the second incident. Thereafter, the state filed an habitual offender bill of information, alleging the defendant to be a second felony offender.[1] On April 18, 2002, the trial court adjudicated the defendant to be a second felony offender. Immediately after the adjudication, the defendant waived sentencing delays, and the trial court sentenced the defendant to serve seven years at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

On April 19, 2002, the defendant filed an untimely pro se motion for new trial.[2] On May 2, 2002, the defendant filed a motion to reconsider sentence, and for appeal. The motion to reconsider sentence alleged the reasons given by the trial court as aggravating factors were inadequate, and the trial court failed to consider certain mitigating factors, including the capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminality of his conduct because of a somewhat impaired education. The trial court denied the motion without a hearing. This appeal followed.

The defendant's initial brief asserted insufficient evidence to convict as to Count Two, instead of Count One. On February 19, 2003, this court ordered the defendant's counsel to file a new brief arguing the correct conviction. The defendant's appellate counsel filed a supplemental brief. The defendant has also filed several pro se briefs and motions, which have been filed as either pro se briefs or as exhibits to his briefs.

DISCUSSION

Sufficiency

The defendant first argues the evidence was legally insufficient to convict him of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.

La. R.S. 14:62.3 provides, in pertinent part:

A. Unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling is the intentional entry by a person without authorization into any inhabited dwelling or other structure belonging to another and used in whole or in part as a home or place of abode by a person.
B. Whoever commits the crime of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than six years, or both.

*742 The defendant does not dispute that on August 18, 2001, he entered the home occupied by Ms. Tillman. He does complain that the state failed to show that she owned the home, or that his entry was unauthorized.

When issues are raised on appeal both as to the sufficiency of the evidence and as to one or more trial errors, the reviewing court should first determine the sufficiency of the evidence. The reason for reviewing sufficiency first is that the accused may be entitled to an acquittal under Hudson v. Louisiana, 450 U.S. 40, 101 S.Ct. 970, 67 L.Ed.2d 30 (1981), if a rational trier of fact, viewing the evidence in accord with Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979), in the light most favorable to the prosecution, could not reasonably conclude that all of the elements of the offense have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

The standard for evaluating sufficiency of the evidence is whether, upon viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could find that the state proved all elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, supra; State v. Washington, 597 So.2d 1084 (La.App. 2d Cir.1992). Ultimately, all evidence, both direct and circumstantial, must be sufficient under Jackson to satisfy a rational fact-finder that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Cotton, 25,940 (La.App.2d Cir.3/30/94), 634 So.2d 937. Of course, it is always the function of the trier of fact to assess credibility and resolve conflicting testimony. State v. Thomas, 609 So.2d 1078 (La.App. 2d Cir. 1992), writ denied, 617 So.2d 905 (La. 1993). A reviewing court accords great deference to a trier of fact's decision to accept or reject the testimony of a witness in whole or in part. State v. Rogers, 494 So.2d 1251 (La.App. 2d Cir.1986), writ denied, 499 So.2d 83 (La.1987). In the absence of internal contradiction or irreconcilable conflict with physical evidence, one witness's testimony, if believed by the trier of fact, is sufficient support for a requisite factual conclusion. State v. Brown, 29,708 (La.App.2d Cir.9/24/97), 702 So.2d 744, writ denied, 97-2549 (La.1/30/98), 709 So.2d 703; State v. Ford, 28,724 (La.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
850 So. 2d 738, 2003 WL 21290526, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-roland-lactapp-2003.