State v. Workman

776 S.W.2d 135, 1989 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 268
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 31, 1989
StatusPublished

This text of 776 S.W.2d 135 (State v. Workman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Workman, 776 S.W.2d 135, 1989 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 268 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

OPINION

REID, Judge.

This case presents an appeal as of right from conviction of selling more than 200 grams of a Schedule II controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.

Appellant asserts that the indictment was duplicitous, that he was convicted of two offenses on a one-count indictment.

The indictment charges:

That Bert Edward Workman heretofore, to wit, on the 11th day of March, 1980 ... did sell a certain controlled substance, to wit: Methaqualone in an amount in excess of 200 grams said drug being defined as a controlled substance in schedule II of section 52-1415 Tennessee Code Annotated. Said sale being made while in possession of a firearm, to-wit: One Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver, in violation of section 39-4923 Tennessee Code Annotated. The said sale being made ... in violation of section 52-1432(a) Tennessee Code Annotated, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Tennessee.

The State contends that pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2), Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, any defect in the indictment was waived because the appellant did not attack the indictment by pretrial motion. However, the record shows that the issue was raised and considered by the court as permitted by Rule 12(f). When the case was called for trial, the court initiated a discussion with counsel in which the court stated that since the indictment charged the offense occurred in 1980 the Sentencing Reform Act would not be applicable and the jury would assess punishment upon a finding of guilty. Then followed a discussion as to the range of punishment, in which counsel for the appellant stated:

Now they have embraced both violations in — in a one count indictment. It would have to be two separate counts if the— one, if he did it, and then, two, in the violation, or is he merely charged with Section 39-4923 [T.C.A. § 39-6-1710(b) ]?

The court responded:

It is not a separate charge. It is an enhancement of that same section. That’s why, I believe, that it is not necessary to charge it in a separate count.

Upon completion of the proof, in which the State presented evidence and the appellant admitted he sold one thousand “Quaa-ludes,” a Schedule II controlled substance, the court stated:

I will charge both selling Methaqualone in the amount of two hundred grams or more while possessing a firearm, and I also charge selling Methaqualone in the amount less than two hundred grams while possessing a firearm. I guess generally that’s basically what the charge will be.

When the jury completed its deliberation, the court inquired:

Members of the Jury, have you reached a verdict in the case of the State of Tennessee versus Bert Edward Workman wherein he was charged with the offense of selling a Schedule II controlled substance, to-wit: Metha — Methaqualone, two — two hundred grams or more while in the possession of a firearm?

The jury responded:

We, the jury, find the Defendant guilty of selling a Schedule II controlled substance, to-wit: Methaqualone, in the amount of two hundred grams or more and fix the punishment at twenty-five (25) years imprisonment in the Tennessee [137]*137State Penitentiary and assess a five thousand dollar ($5,000.00) fine.

The Court further inquired:

All right Mr. Scruggs, what is the verdict of the jury as it relates to the possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, please, sir?
We, the jury, find the Defendant did possess a firearm at the time of said sale and fix his punishment at not less than four (4) years nor more than five (5) years confinement to the Tennessee State Penitentiary.

The court entered judgment as follows:

Therefore, the verdict of the jury becomes the judgment of the Court. The Court finds you guilty of selling a controlled substance, to-wit: Methaqualone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and fix your punishment at twenty-five years confinement in the Tennessee State Penitentiary, in addition thereto a five thousand dollar fine.
It is the further judgment of this Court based upon the verdict of the jury that they found — that you did possess a firearm at the time of said sale, the punishment fixed by the jury is not less than four years nor more than five years. The Court in its opinion is going to run that sentence concurrent, the four to five year sentence for possessing a firearm at the time of said sale ... is to run concurrent with the twenty-five year sentence that the Defendant received for selling Methaqualone in excess of two — two hundred grams or more. There is also assessed a five thousand dollar fine.

The court overruled the motion for new trial in which the appellant charged the indictment was duplicitous. However, citing State v. Hicks, 629 S.W.2d 908 (Tenn.Crim.App.1981), as authority, the court amended the order stating the indictment was duplicitous but “the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The indictment makes reference to three statutes. T.C.A. § 52-1415, presently T.C.A. § 39-6-408, lists Schedule II controlled substances, including Methaqual-one. T.C.A. § 52-1432(a), presently T.C.A. § 39-6-417, makes unlawful the sale of Schedule II substances and states the penalties. Another statute, T.C.A. § 39-4914, which does not appear in the indictment but is relevant to the issue, and T.C.A. § 39-4923, the third statute charged, presently are codified as subsections (a) and (b) as follows:

39-6-1710 Use or possession of firearms or explosives in committing or escaping from a felony. — (a)(1) Any person who employs any firearm or any explosive device while committing or escaping from a felony is guilty of a felony, and on conviction of the first offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for five (5) years and on conviction of a second offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary ten (10) years. (2) ...
(3) The period of confinement imposed by this subsection shall be in addition to any penalty provided by law as punishment for any other felony, and shall run consecutively, and not concurrently, with any other period of confinement. (4) ...
(b)(1) Any person possessing

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Related

Nease v. State
592 S.W.2d 327 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 1979)
State v. Byerley
658 S.W.2d 134 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 1983)
State v. Hudson
562 S.W.2d 416 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1978)
State v. Chambers
567 S.W.2d 461 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1978)
State v. Hicks
629 S.W.2d 908 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 1981)
State v. Delbridge
630 S.W.2d 626 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
776 S.W.2d 135, 1989 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-workman-tenncrimapp-1989.