State v. Tate

593 So. 2d 864, 1992 WL 9570
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 22, 1992
Docket23123-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 593 So. 2d 864 (State v. Tate) 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. Tate, 593 So. 2d 864, 1992 WL 9570 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

593 So.2d 864 (1992)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Kevin TATE, Appellant.

No. 23123-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

January 22, 1992.

*865 Steven R. Thomas, Mansfield, for appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Baton Rouge, William R. Jones, Dist. Atty., Robert E. Bethard, Asst. Dist. Atty., Coushatta, for appellee.

Before LINDSAY, BROWN and STEWART, JJ.

LINDSAY, Judge.

The defendant, Kevin Tate, was convicted by a jury of one count of distribution of Diazepam, commonly known as Valium. The defendant was then adjudicated an habitual offender. Accordingly, he was sentenced to serve five years at hard labor. Through counsel, the defendant appeals his conviction and sentence. We affirm the defendant's conviction. However, finding error patent on the face of the record, we reverse the defendant's adjudication as an habitual offender and the corresponding sentence and remand to the trial court for resentencing.

FACTS

On the evening of May 5, 1989, Deputy Victor Jones of the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Department, a member of the Natchitoches/Red River Parish Narcotics Task Force, met with Deputy Larry Rhodes of the Red River Parish Sheriff's Office. Deputy Jones was serving in an undercover capacity to assist the Red River Parish *866 Sheriff's Office in apprehending local drug dealers. Deputy Rhodes gave Deputy Jones $160 with which to buy drugs. Deputy Jones was also introduced to a Red River Parish resident who was serving as a confidential informant (CI). The CI and Deputy Jones left the meeting together and began traveling around the parish.

The two went to the home of the defendant, Kevin Tate, which was located south of Coushatta, Louisiana. The CI introduced Deputy Jones to the defendant, and Deputy Jones informed the defendant that he would like to buy some Valium. The defendant indicated that he had no Valium at his house but could obtain an entire prescription, containing 60 to 100 pills. The defendant stated that the cost for this amount of Valium would be $80. Deputy Jones gave the defendant $80 from the funds furnished by the Red River Parish Sheriff's Office. The defendant and Deputy Jones agreed to meet at a local liquor store where the defendant would deliver the Valium.

Later that evening, the men met at the liquor store and the defendant told Deputy Jones that his supplier was not at home at the moment. The men agreed to meet at the liquor store again, later that same evening.

At approximately 8:55 p.m., the defendant again met Deputy Jones at the liquor store and gave him five Valium tablets. The defendant charged Deputy Jones $10 for the tablets and returned to Deputy Jones $70 in change.

The defendant was arrested on June 14, 1989. He was charged by bill of information with distribution of Diazepam (Valium). On July 12, 1989, the defendant appeared in court with appointed counsel and entered a plea of not guilty. On December 6, 1989, the defendant withdrew his plea of not guilty and entered a plea of guilty pursuant to an agreement that he would be sentenced to five years at hard labor and that he would not be charged as an habitual offender.

However, on March 15, 1990, the defendant was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea. Thereafter, on April 3, 1990, the defendant was tried by jury and found guilty as charged.

Following the trial, the state filed an habitual offender bill of information against the defendant. On May 23, 1990, the defendant appeared in court with counsel and admitted to being a second felony offender. The court then sentenced the defendant as an habitual offender to serve five years at hard labor, with credit for time served.[1] Through counsel, the defendant appealed his conviction and sentence.

The defendant contends that there is insufficient evidence upon which to base a conviction for possession of Diazepam. The defendant also contends that the trial court failed to follow the sentencing guidelines of LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 894.1, failed to set forth the considerations and factual basis for the sentence, and imposed an excessive sentence. The defendant also filed several pro se assignments of error.

We have reviewed the entire record in this case and conclude that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence upon which to base the defendant's conviction. However, because we find error patent on the face of the record, requiring reversal of the habitual offender adjudication and sentence, we do not address the issue of excessiveness of sentence and noncompliance with the sentencing guidelines of LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 894.1. Also, we find that the defendant's pro se assignments of error are not properly reviewable.

SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE

The defendant argues that "at trial which resulted in conviction of defendant herein no reasonable trier of fact could have returned a verdict of guilty based upon the evidence presented." In his brief, the defendant contends that the trial court *867 erred in allowing the prosecutor to ask the CI about other crimes. He also argues that the evidence shows he was the victim of entrapment. The defendant's arguments are meritless.

Other Crimes Evidence

At trial, defendant's counsel objected to a question posed to the CI as to whether he had previously known the defendant to distribute Valium. The court ruled adversely to the defendant, and the court allowed the defendant to apply for writs to this court. On April 3, 1990, writs were denied. (See Docket No. 22,059-KW.) At that time, we found that, based upon the showing made, and considering the prosecution's response, there was no palpable error in the trial court's ruling sufficient to justify the exercise of this court's supervisory jurisdiction. We stated that the applicant would have an adequate remedy by appeal in the event he was convicted. Based upon our present review of the defendant's claim regarding the question asked by the state, we find that the question was properly allowed by the trial court.

At trial, the defendant asserted the affirmative defense of entrapment. From the beginning of voir dire questioning of prospective jurors, defense counsel made it clear that the defense of entrapment would be asserted. During the CI's redirect testimony, the prosecution asked whether he had ever known the defendant to distribute Valium prior to the date of the present offense. Under these circumstances, and in light of the asserted defense of entrapment, the question was permissible.

If the defendant chooses to pursue the defense of entrapment, evidence of other criminal activity on his part may become relevant in determining whether he had the predisposition to commit the present offense. State v. Batiste, 363 So.2d 639 (La. 1978).

Guidelines for the introduction of evidence of other criminal activity include a clear demonstration that the defendant will use entrapment as a defense; other crimes must be of a character similar to the offense for which the defendant is on trial; the prior offenses must not be remote in time from the present offense; and whether, even though relevant, evidence should be excluded because the prejudicial effect outweighs the probative value on the issue of predisposition. State v. Batiste, supra.

The rationale of State v. Batiste, supra, was adopted in LSA-C.E. Art. 405 which provides:

A. Except as provided in Article 412, in all cases in which evidence of character or a trait of character of a person is admissible, proof may be made by testimony as to general reputation only.

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

Related

State v. Meadows
247 So. 3d 1018 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Bradford
745 So. 2d 800 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Kerrigan
671 So. 2d 1242 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1996)
State v. Savage
621 So. 2d 641 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
State v. Smith
614 So. 2d 778 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
Rivera v. State
846 P.2d 1 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1993)
State v. Mays
612 So. 2d 1040 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
State v. Gautreaux
607 So. 2d 1086 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
State v. Brown
602 So. 2d 252 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
593 So. 2d 864, 1992 WL 9570, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tate-lactapp-1992.