State v. Sherrod

27 Neb. Ct. App. 435
CourtNebraska Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 30, 2019
DocketA-18-593
StatusPublished

This text of 27 Neb. Ct. App. 435 (State v. Sherrod) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Sherrod, 27 Neb. Ct. App. 435 (Neb. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Nebraska Supreme Court Online Library www.nebraska.gov/apps-courts-epub/ 08/13/2019 08:06 AM CDT

- 435 - Nebraska Court of A ppeals A dvance Sheets 27 Nebraska A ppellate R eports STATE v. SHERROD Cite as 27 Neb. App. 435

State of Nebraska, appellee, v. Jaquez S. Sherrod, appellant. ___ N.W.2d ___

Filed July 30, 2019. No. A-18-593.

1. Convictions: Evidence: Appeal and Error. In reviewing a criminal conviction for a sufficiency of the evidence claim, whether the evidence is direct, circumstantial, or a combination thereof, the standard is the same: An appellate court does not resolve conflicts in the evidence, pass on the credibility of witnesses, or reweigh the evidence; such matters are for the finder of fact. The relevant question for an appellate court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential ele- ments of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. 2. Effectiveness of Counsel: Appeal and Error. Appellate review of a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is a mixed question of law and fact. 3. ____: ____. When reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance of coun- sel, an appellate court reviews the factual findings of the lower court for clear error. 4. Controlled Substances. A person possesses a controlled substance when he or she knows of the nature or character of the substance and of its presence and has dominion or control over it. 5. Controlled Substances: Evidence: Circumstantial Evidence: Proof. Possession can be either actual or constructive, and constructive pos- session of an illegal substance may be proved by direct or circumstan- tial evidence. 6. Controlled Substances. Mere presence at a place where a controlled substance is found is not sufficient to show constructive possession. 7. Evidence. The holder of a key, be it to a dwelling, vehicle, or motel room, has constructive possession of the contents therein. 8. Effectiveness of Counsel: Appeal and Error. When a defendant’s trial counsel is different from his or her counsel on direct appeal, the - 436 - Nebraska Court of A ppeals A dvance Sheets 27 Nebraska A ppellate R eports STATE v. SHERROD Cite as 27 Neb. App. 435

defendant must raise on direct appeal any issue of trial counsel’s inef- fective performance which is known to the defendant or is apparent from the record. Otherwise, the issue will be procedurally barred. 9. Effectiveness of Counsel: Proof. To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the defendant must show that his or her counsel’s performance was deficient and that this deficient performance actually prejudiced the defendant’s defense. 10. Effectiveness of Counsel: Records: Appeal and Error. A claim of ineffective assistance of counsel need not be dismissed merely because it is made on direct appeal. The determining factor is whether the record is sufficient to adequately review the question. 11. Effectiveness of Counsel: Proof: Appeal and Error. When an ineffec- tive assistance of counsel claim is raised in a direct appeal, the appellant is not required to allege prejudice; however, an appellant must make specific allegations of the conduct that he or she claims constitutes defi- cient performance by trial counsel. 12. ____: ____: ____. General allegations that trial counsel performed defi- ciently or that trial counsel was ineffective are insufficient to raise an ineffective assistance claim on direct appeal and thereby preserve the issue for later review. 13. Effectiveness of Counsel: Records: Appeal and Error. An ineffec- tive assistance of counsel claim made on direct appeal can be found to be without merit if the record establishes that trial counsel’s per- formance was not deficient or that the appellant could not establish prejudice. 14. Trial: Attorneys at Law. Trial counsel is afforded due deference to formulate trial strategy and tactics. 15. Effectiveness of Counsel: Presumptions: Appeal and Error. There is a strong presumption that counsel acted reasonably, and an appellate court will not second-guess reasonable strategic decisions.

Appeal from the District Court for Douglas County: Peter C. Bataillon, Judge. Affirmed. Thomas C. Riley, Douglas County Public Defender, and Abbi R. Romshek for appellant. Douglas J. Peterson, Attorney General, and Siobhan E. Duffy for appellee. R iedmann, A rterburn, and Welch, Judges. - 437 - Nebraska Court of A ppeals A dvance Sheets 27 Nebraska A ppellate R eports STATE v. SHERROD Cite as 27 Neb. App. 435

R iedmann, Judge. INTRODUCTION Jaquez S. Sherrod was convicted in the district court for Douglas County of manufacturing, distributing, or possession with intent to distribute 10 to 28 grams of crack cocaine with a firearm and possession of a deadly weapon (firearm) by a prohibited person. On appeal, he alleges that the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel in four respects. We conclude that the record on direct appeal is sufficient to address only one of the ineffective assistance of counsel claims. We find the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions and there- fore affirm. BACKGROUND On September 26, 2017, Sherrod was charged with manu- facturing, distributing, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (crack cocaine) with a firearm, a Class IC felony, and possession of a deadly weapon (firearm) by a pro- hibited person, a Class ID felony. At trial, the evidence revealed that on September 13, the Omaha Police Department SWAT team executed a “no-knock search warrant” at a residence located on North 18th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Sherrod was the subject of the search warrant. The SWAT team broke down the front door to the residence, looked inside, and observed Sherrod at the opposite end of the residence. The SWAT team then deployed a “flash bang” distraction device before enter- ing the home. Sherrod and another male were located in an upstairs bedroom. The residence was searched, and officers located a set of keys in the bedroom on the first floor. The keyring had two keys on it. One was a key to a vehicle that was registered to Sherrod and parked about a block away from the 18th Street residence. The other key was described as an “older style skel- eton key” and “a pretty antique or old looking key.” That key fit into the lock on the door to the first floor bedroom. - 438 - Nebraska Court of A ppeals A dvance Sheets 27 Nebraska A ppellate R eports STATE v. SHERROD Cite as 27 Neb. App. 435

There was a closet and bathroom inside the first floor bed- room. Officers found a “hollowed out” area on the top of the doors to the closet and bathroom, and each hollowed-out area held two plastic baggies containing crack cocaine. Officers also found a baggie of crack cocaine on the floor in the kitchen at the base of the stairs going upstairs. The parties stipulated that each of the five baggies contained approximately 3 grams of crack cocaine, and testing concluded that the substance was, in fact, crack cocaine and that the total weight of all five bag- gies combined was approximately 13.452 grams. Using the key found in the first floor bedroom, officers searched Sherrod’s vehicle and found sandwich baggies in the center console. Inside the residence, police found digital scales and glass plates with razor blades. When Sherrod was arrested at the scene, he was carrying $833 in cash on his person in a combination of bills no larger than a $20 bill. An Omaha police officer with special training in the field of narcotics testified that “street level” crack cocaine dealers sell drugs for cash and commonly use weapons, such as firearms, to protect their business. He explained that crack cocaine is cut with a razor or knife and normally packaged in small sand- wich baggies. A dose of crack cocaine is .2 grams, which sells for $20.

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State v. Sherrod
27 Neb. Ct. App. 435 (Nebraska Court of Appeals, 2019)

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Bluebook (online)
27 Neb. Ct. App. 435, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sherrod-nebctapp-2019.