State v. Semien

948 So. 2d 1189, 2007 WL 258247
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 31, 2007
Docket2006-841
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 948 So. 2d 1189 (State v. Semien) 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. Semien, 948 So. 2d 1189, 2007 WL 258247 (La. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

948 So.2d 1189 (2007)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Leroy SEMIEN.

No. 2006-841.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

January 31, 2007.

*1191 G. Paul Marx, Louisiana Appellate Project, Lafayette, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Leroy Semien.

Earl B. Taylor, District Attorney, Twenty-Seventh Judicial District Court, Alisa Ardoin Gothreaux, Assistant District Attorney, Opelousas, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Leroy Semien, C.P.C.F., Ferriday, LA.

Court composed of ULYSSES GENE THIBODEAUX, Chief Judge, JOHN D. SAUNDERS, and BILLY HOWARD EZELL, Judges.

SAUNDERS, Judge.

On March 24, 2004, the Defendant, Leroy Semien, was charged by bill of information with distribution of cocaine, a violation of La.R.S. 40:967. The Defendant filed a written plea of not guilty on April 8, 2004.

Jury selection in the matter began on October 11, 2005, and the jury returned a verdict of guilty on October 13, 2005. On January 13, 2006, the Defendant was sentenced to twelve years at hard labor, with the first two years to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. An oral Motion for Reconsideration was made and set for hearing. A written Motion to Reconsider Sentence was subsequently filed on February 6, 2006. The motion was denied on May 12, 2006.

An oral Motion for Appeal was made on May 12, 2006. A written Notice of Appeal was subsequently filed on May 17, 2006. The Defendant is now before this court asserting three assignments of error through counsel and additionally asserts two pro se assignments of error. In his appeal, the Defendant asserts that the evidence does not support his conviction, that the trial court erred in preventing him from discussing the confidential informant's criminal record, that his sentence is excessive, and that the trial court erred in *1192 not allowing an evidentiary hearing on his claims of jury misconduct. We find these assignments of error lack merit.

FACTS:

The Defendant was convicted of distribution of cocaine as the result of a controlled buy in Opelousas.

ERRORS PATENT:

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed on the face of the record for errors patent. After reviewing the record, we find no errors patent.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1:

In his first assignment of error, the Defendant contends the State did not prove the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt because the identity of the Defendant was confused with other cases, the officer making the drug buy did not have a report, there was no photo lineup, and although there was testimony that two rocks were bought, only one rock weighing .13 grams was introduced into evidence.

Although the Defendant sets forth several issues regarding the evidence against him, he limits his actual argument, as well as the law set forth in his memo, to the issue of whether the evidence was sufficient to prove his identity as the person who sold drugs to Travis Ellis. Therefore, we will limit our review of the evidence to the issue of identity.

As a general matter, when the key issue is the defendant's identity as the perpetrator, rather than whether the crime was committed, the state is required to negate any reasonable probability of misidentification. State v. Smith, 430 So.2d 31, 45 (La.1983); State v. Brady, 414 So.2d 364, 365 (La.1982); State v. Long, 408 So.2d 1221, 1227 (La. 1982). However, positive identification by only one witness is sufficient to support a conviction. See State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305, 1311 (La.1988) (generally, one witness's positive identification is sufficient to support the conviction); State v. Ford, 28,724 (La.App.2d Cir.10/30/96), 682 So.2d 847, 849-50, writ denied, 99-0210 (La.5/14/99), 745 So.2d 12.

State v. Neal, 00-674, p. 11 (La.6/29/01), 796 So.2d 649, 658, cert. denied, 535 U.S. 940, 122 S.Ct. 1323, 152 L.Ed.2d 231 (2002).

Detective Mark Guidry testified that on January 25, 2002, he was in charge of a series of controlled buys that were planned for the day. The controlled buys were completed by Travis Ellis, who was employed by the Port Barre Police Department, and a confidential informant (C.I.). For security purposes, Ellis and the C.I. were equipped with an audio transmission device through which a monitoring team could hear what transpired during the buy, which Detective Guidry testified was recorded for evidentiary purposes. The audio tape of the buy was played to the jury at the State's request; however, it was not introduced into evidence.

Ellis testified that on the date of the offense, he and the C.I. were riding around Opelousas when they passed a residence on Hayward Street. Ellis got out of the car at the residence and attempted to buy narcotics from various people that were in standing in yards; however, no one wanted to deal with him; so, he returned to the car, and he and the C.I. continued to drive around. Ellis testified that he and the C.I. subsequently came into contact with the seller, who he described as wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, and a black knit hat. The seller put his bike in the trunk of the car and got into the backseat to discuss a possible drug transaction and to get a ride back to a residence on Hayward Street. The three men returned to the same residence *1193 at which Ellis and the C.I. had previously stopped. Once back at the residence, the seller went inside a trailer and came back out with two rocks that he subsequently sold to Ellis. Ellis testified that during the buy, the C.I. called the seller "Leroy." He further testified that he initially called the seller "Leroy" and the seller responded, "No, my name's not Leroy, it's Jeremiah." After the sale had been completed, Ellis met with the monitoring team and turned over the suspected drugs.[1] Ellis testified that after the drugs were turned over to the monitoring team, he drove past the residence where the buy occurred, but the seller was no longer present.[2]

No photograph lineup was conducted after the buy; however, Ellis made an in-court identification of the Defendant as the seller at the trial that began on October 13, 2005. He later testified that he was positive that the Defendant was the man from whom he bought the drugs. He stated that although he had not met the Defendant prior to the buy at issue or subsequent thereto, he remembered the Defendant's face. Ellis stated that the transaction took place on January 25, 2002 between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., when it was still daylight and that he looked at the Defendant "[f]or a minute," and also watched him walk from the residence back to the car, where the buy took place.

Detective Guidry testified that he was familiar with the Defendant prior to the date of the buy and also made an in-court identification of the Defendant. He testified that during the buy, he could hear the names "Leroy" and "Jeremiah" but did not hear the name "Leroy Semien". He did testify, however, that the C.I. gave the name of the seller as "Leroy".

Detective Guidry testified that after the buy was completed, Ellis and the C.I. gave Mouton Street or Hayward Street as the area where the buy took place.[3] However, he stated that no specific address was given. Once Ellis and the C.I. left the area, Detective Guidry and the monitoring team drove to the area in an attempt to locate and identify the seller.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Daye
139 So. 3d 670 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State of Louisiana v. Anthony Daye
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014
State v. Fregia
105 So. 3d 999 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)
State of Louisiana v. Frank Allen Fregia, Jr.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012
State v. Clark
52 So. 3d 304 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State of Louisiana v. Kenneth Jay Clark
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State of Louisiana v. J. S.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State of Louisiana v. Kevin T. Arndt
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State of Louisiana v. Charles Johnson
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State v. Guidry
30 So. 3d 1187 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State of Louisiana v. David Paul Guidry
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State v. Plauche
32 So. 3d 852 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State of Louisiana v. Joseph T. Plauche
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State v. Dial
25 So. 3d 254 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State of Louisiana v. Bruce D. Dial
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009
State v. Patterson
22 So. 3d 261 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State of Louisiana v. Wayne Patterson
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009
State of Louisiana v. Carl Alexander Jackson
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009
State v. Franco
8 So. 3d 790 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State v. LUNO
5 So. 3d 1063 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
948 So. 2d 1189, 2007 WL 258247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-semien-lactapp-2007.