State v. Vanvorst

505 So. 2d 123
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 16, 1987
DocketKA 6170
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 505 So. 2d 123 (State v. Vanvorst) 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. Vanvorst, 505 So. 2d 123 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

505 So.2d 123 (1987)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Charles VANVORST

No. KA 6170.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

March 16, 1987.

*124 M. Craig Colwart, Orleans Indigent Defender Pro., New Orleans, for appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Rockne L. Moseley, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for appellee.

Before CIACCIO, WILLIAMS and ARMSTRONG, JJ.

CIACCIO, Judge.

Defendant, Charles Vanvorst was charged with the crimes of the attempted first degree murder of Dave Morales, a New Orleans Police Officer, and the attempted armed robbery of Duane Duke. La.R.S. 14:27, 14:30, 14:64. A jury found the defendant guilty of attempted manslaughter and acquitted him of the charge of attempted armed robbery. The court sentenced the defendant to 10½ years at hard labor. This sentence was vacated and the defendant was resentenced to 8½ years at hard labor for the manslaughter offense and 2½ years at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence for the use of a firearm in the course of an attempted manslaughter. La. R.S. 14:95.2. The defendant appeals his conviction and sentence relying upon three assignments of error. Finding merit with one of the defendant's assignments of error, we affirm the conviction, vacate the amended sentence and reinstate the original sentence.

The record reveals the following facts:

On June 17, 1984 at approximately 1:30 a.m. Henry Desrocher, Gayle Noto and Duane Duke had left Jason's Bar on Canal Street and Jefferson Davis Parkway. They proceeded down Canal Street and stopped for a red light at Canal and Broad Streets in New Orleans. At that time, defendant, Charles Vanvorst approached their vehicle and requested a ride to the French Quarter. The trio, who were going to Chalmette, agreed to give Vanvorst a ride. The car, with the trio in the front seat and Vanvorst in the back seat, proceeded down Canal Street towards the river. In the vicinity of Canal Street and Claiborne Avenue, Vanvorst pulled a gun, pointed it at Duke's head and demanded money from the occupants of the vehicle. They indicated that they did not have any money. Vanvorst fired the gun and a bullet hit the floorboard of the car. The car was stopped and Desrocher, Noto and Vanvorst exited the vehicle. Noto ran towards Rampart Street and secured a ride to Chalmette. Vanvorst ran towards the Iberville Project and he disappeared from sight. Duke and Desrocher went to search for Noto but they were unsuccessful in finding her. They thereafter went in search of Vanvorst and they spotted him hurrying towards Canal Street. Duke and Desrocher spotted Sergeant Dave Morales of the New Orleans Police Department, who was on routine patrol in the area of the Iberville Project. They notified him that they were victims of an attempted robbery and thereafter identified Vanvorst as the perpetrator of the offense. At this time Vanvorst was walking down the bus lanes on Canal Street. Officer Morales pulled his vehicle up to Vanvorst, exited the vehicle and identified himself as a policeman. At this time Vanvorst was shirtless. He had the shirt draped over his hand and was holding the loaded revolver under the shirt. As Morales approached, Vanvorst fired at close range. The gun misfired and Morales was able to grab the gun from Vanvorst's grip and arrest him.

The gun was a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson and the spent casing on the floor of the trio's vehicle matched those inside the gun. Officer Otto Stubbs, an expert in firearm examination, who analyzed this evidence, estimated that the gun misfired due to faulty ammunition.

Vanvorst, who testified in his own defense admitted being an alcoholic. He stated that during the course of the night of this incident he had drank 1½ quarts of Vodka, and one or two additional drinks at a bar before securing a ride to the French Quarter. He stated that in route he changed his mind about going to the French Quarter because he had this gun in his pocket and did not know what he'd do with it while in the Quarter. He also said that he became frightened he might be *125 robbed by the trio in the car. According to Vanvorst he demanded to be released from the car but was refused. He thereafter pulled the gun from his pocket and fired it in order to scare the occupants of the car into releasing him. He denied attempting to rob them. He also denied attempting to kill Officer Morales.

Assignment of Error No. 1

Through this assignment of error the defendant contends that the trial court erred, when on September 16, 1985, pursuant to the State's motion to amend sentence, it resentenced him for the substantive offense of attempted manslaughter and for the use of a firearm in the commission of that felony. La.R.S. 14:27, 14:30, 14:95.2. The defendant argues that the trial court lacked jurisdiction at the time of the resentencing and the State's failure to charge him, in the bill of information, with the enhancement charge (i.e. use of the firearm in the commission of the offense) precluded his subsequent conviction and sentence for this offense. C.Cr.P.Art. 916; La.R.S. 14:95.2. We agree.

On August 28, 1985 the court sentenced the defendant to 10½ years in the Department of Corrections. On that date the defendant's motion for appeal was granted.

On September 4, 1985 the State filed a motion to amend the defendant's sentence seeking an additional two year sentence for the defendant's use of a firearm. La.R.S. 14:95.2. On September 16, 1985 the Court vacated the defendant's sentence and resentenced the defendant to 8½ years imprisonment for the attempted manslaughter conviction and 2 years imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence for the use of the firearm during the commission of this felony.

The jurisdiction of the trial court is divested and that of the appellate court attaches upon the entry of the order of appeal. La.C.Cr.P. Art. 916.

Following the appeal order the trial court has limited jurisdiction for those instances set forth in Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 916, as follows:

(1) Extend the return day of the appeal, the time for filing assignments of error, or the time for filing per curiam comments in accordance with Articles 844 and 919.
(2) Correct an error or deficiency in the record.
(3) Correct an illegal sentence or reduce a legal sentence in accordance with Article 913(B).
(4) Take all action concerning bail permitted by Title VIII.
(5) Receive assignments of error and add per curiam comments.
(6) Render an interlocutory order or a definitive judgment concerning a ministerial matter not in controversy on appeal.
(7) Impose the penalty provided by Article 844. (Emphasis Supplied)

Thus we must determine if the defendant's prior sentence as constituted was "illegal."

The defendant was initially sentenced for the crime of attempted manslaughter. La. R.S. 14:27, 14:30. The penalty provision of the manslaughter statute requires that "[W]hoever commits manslaughter shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not more than twenty-one years." La.R.S. 14:31. One who attempts this crime shall be punishable by "... one-half of the longest term of imprisonment prescribed for the offense..." La.R.S. 14:27. Additionally, Louisiana Revised Statute, Title 14 Section 95.2 provides for an additional penalty for the use of a firearm during an attempted manslaughter: It provides as follows:

R.S. 14:95.2.

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Bluebook (online)
505 So. 2d 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-vanvorst-lactapp-1987.