State v. Ross

137 So. 3d 759, 2013 La.App. 4 Cir. 0500, 2014 WL 1257446, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 835
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 26, 2014
DocketNo. 2013-KA-0500
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 137 So. 3d 759 (State v. Ross) 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. Ross, 137 So. 3d 759, 2013 La.App. 4 Cir. 0500, 2014 WL 1257446, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 835 (La. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

ROSEMARY LEDET, Judge.

| ,This is a criminal appeal. The defendant, Francis Ross, Jr., appeals his convictions on the following three counts: count one, possession of marijuana, first offense, a violation of La. R.S. 40:966(E)(1); count two, possession of carisoprodol (Soma), a violation of La. R.S. 40:969(C); and count three, possession of cocaine, a violation of La. R.S. 40:967(0(2). For the reasons that follow, we affirm his conviction and sentence as to count one, possession of marijuana, first offense; reverse his convictions and sentences as to counts two and three, possession of carisoprodol and cocaine, respectively; and remand for a new trial on counts two and three. Given our reversal of Mr. Ross’ convictions on counts two and three, we pretermit addressing his contentions that relate to those two counts.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On June 15, 2012, Mr. Ross was charged in a three count bill of information. The bill of information subsequently was amended to charge the following three counts: count one, possession of marijuana, first offense; count two, possession of carisoprodol; and count three, possession of cocaine. Mr. Ross pleaded not guilty to all three counts. Mr. Ross’ motion to suppress the evidence was denied.

|20n January 7 and 9, 2013, a bench trial was held on the misdemeanor charge, count one; and a jury trial, before a six-person jury, was held on the two felony charges, counts two and three. Both the district court and the jury found Mr. Ross guilty as charged. On January 29, 2013, the district court denied Mr. Ross’ motion for a new trial and imposed the following sentences: on count one, six months in [761]*761Orleans Parish Prison; and on counts two and three, respectively, to three years at hard labor, to run concurrently with all sentences in the instant case and any other sentence he was serving. The district court also imposed court costs on Mr. Ross. The district court denied Mr. Ross’ motion to reconsider sentence.

On March 27, 2013, Mr. Ross was adjudicated a fourth-felony habitual offender as to counts two and three. On the same date, the district court vacated the original sentences on those counts and resentenced Mr. Ross to thirty years at hard labor on each count, without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, with both sentences to run concurrently with each other. This appeal followed.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

On April 26, 2012, a trio of New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) narcotics detectives — Marcell Foxworth, Douglas McGowan, and Dwayne Bastían — conducted a traffic stop of Mr. Ross. According to Detective Bastían, he saw Mr. Ross driving a Moped motor scooter without a helmet. Because Detective Bastían was working undercover — dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked vehicle— he radioed Detective Foxworth and his partner, Detective McGowan, to stop Mr. Ross. When Detective Foxworth and McGowan stopped Mr. Ross, they asked him for his driver’s license. Instead, Mr. Ross presented a Louisiana identification card. A name check revealed that Mr. Ross had two ^outstanding warrants from Jefferson Parish and a suspended driver’s license. While the officers were verifying the warrants, Detective Bastían arrived at the scene.

After the officers verified the outstanding warrants, they arrested Mr. Ross on the two warrants and issued him a traffic citation for operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license and without wearing a helmet.1 During the pat down of Mr. Ross incident to his arrest, Detective Foxworth discovered a plastic bag between Mr. Ross’ belt buckle and belt. The bag contained five round white pills, a green vegetable matter the detectives believed to be marijuana, and a rocklike substance the detectives believed to be crack cocaine. Detective Foxworth gave the bag to Detective Bastían, who delivered it to Central Evidence and Property. The officers also found $302.00 in cash on Mr. Ross.

NOPD Crime Lab Criminalist Brian Schultz, who was qualified as an expert in the field of chemistry and testing and analysis of narcotics, testified that he tested the substances in the two bags (identified as NOPD Item # D-039871-12). He testified that the substances tested positive for the presence of marijuana, carisoprodol, and cocaine. He also identified the report he prepared.

Myesha Bouie, a NOPD complaint operator, was the sole defense witness. She identified the following two incident recalls dated April 26, 2012:(i) a traffic stop under NOPD Item # D-039794-12, indicating that it was initiated at “11:18 [a.m.];” and (ii) a drug violation under NOPD Item # D-039871-12, indicating that it was initiated at “12:08[p.m.].”

DISCUSSION

Counseled Assignment of Error Number One

|4Mr. Ross’ first counseled assignment of error is that the district court erred in denying him the right to back strike one of [762]*762the jurors, Janis Roberts.2 At every step, Mr. Ross preserved his right to back strike and his objection to the district court’s rulings. During voir dire, several prospective jurors were interviewed in chambers, followed by a challenge conference. At that conference, Mr. Ross objected generally to the district court’s pronouncement that it was not going to allow back strikes, citing La.C.Cr.P. art. 799.1.3 In response, the district court stated: “Not as long as I am allowing simultaneous peremptory challenges.” The district court then proceeded through the parties’ written challenges. At the point when both the State and the defense had each exercised two peremptory challenges, the district court stated that Juror Roberts was acceptable and would become Juror Number 5. (Ms. Roberts was the juror that Mr. Ross later attempted to back strike.) The challenge conference continued, with the district court noting a third peremptory challenge for both the State and the defense, and then stating: “Juror Number 6 will be [Juror] Goines. We have a jury.”4

|fiThe district court then proceeded to go through all of the written challenges submitted by the parties, concluding by stating that the State had used all six of its challenges and that the defense had used five of its six challenges. At that point the following colloquy occurred:

MS. TEST [DEFENSE COUNSEL]:
And, Judge, despite the Court’s ruling that there are no back strikes, we would like to exercise a back strike on Juror Number — Juror Number 11, ... Roberts.
THE COURT:
Denied. No back strikes. If I allow you all to do it, I have to allow the State and that is circumventing the rule of me saying no back strikes. Let me continue.

The district court then proceeded to choose an alternate juror, informing each side it would have one peremptory challenge to exercise in choosing that alternate. The following colloquy occurred:

MS. TEST:
And, Judge, can I write on here that if we were permitted to back strike, we would back strike Number 11?
THE COURT:
No, you can put it on the record. I mean you have already put it on the record.
MS. TEST:
Thank you, Judge.
(PAUSE IN PROCEEDINGS)

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Related

State of Louisiana v. Francis X Ross Jr.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2020
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
137 So. 3d 759, 2013 La.App. 4 Cir. 0500, 2014 WL 1257446, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 835, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ross-lactapp-2014.