State v. Young

839 So. 2d 186, 2003 WL 189723
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 22, 2003
Docket2002-KA-1280
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 839 So. 2d 186 (State v. Young) 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. Young, 839 So. 2d 186, 2003 WL 189723 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

839 So.2d 186 (2003)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Lionel YOUNG.

No. 2002-KA-1280.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

January 22, 2003.

*188 Harry F. Connick, District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Scott Peebles, Assistant District Attorney of Orleans Parish, New Orleans, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Christopher A. Aberle, Mandeville, LA, for Defendant/Appellant.

(Court composed of Judge PATRICIA RIVET MURRAY, Judge DENNIS R. BAGNERIS, SR., Judge EDWIN A. LOMBARD).

PATRICIA RIVET MURRAY, Judge.

The defendant, Lionel Young, appeals his conviction and sentence for distribution of cocaine. His appointed counsel filed a brief assigning one error, and he filed a pro se brief assigning four additional errors. We amend his sentence to correct an error patent and otherwise affirm.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On February 10, 1999, Lionel Young was charged by bill of information with possession and distribution of cocaine in violation of La. R.S. 14:967. On February 12, 1999, he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. On May 5, 1999, a twelve-person jury found him guilty of distribution of cocaine, but acquitted him of the possession charge.[1] On January 27, 2000, the trial court sentenced him to five years without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. On that same date, the state filed a multiple bill. On March 31, 2000, following a hearing, the trial court adjudicated Mr. Young a second felony offender. On May 19, 2000, the trial court re-sentenced him to fifteen years "without benefit," which was construed to mean without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. On November 29, 2001, this court granted Mr. Young's writ application finding that he was entitled to appeal his conviction and sentence. On April 5, 2002, the trial court granted Mr. Young an out of time appeal. On August 30, 2002, this court denied Mr. Young's motion for an extension of time to file his *189 supplemental pro se brief. As noted, both Mr. Young and his appointed counsel filed briefs with this court.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

Mr. Young was arrested for distributing cocaine to an undercover police officer. The undercover buy was part of an ongoing narcotics operation called "Operation Trick-or-Treat." It was solely a buy operation with the bust (arrest) to follow at the end of the operation. This was a joint operation between the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the Louisiana State Police that lasted about six weeks. The area in which the operation was conducted was one in which there was a high number of complaints of drug use and activity.

Simply stated, the operation involved three levels of police participation; to wit: undercover officers, a case handler, and a take-down team. The undercover officers' role was to make the drug buy and to communicate the seller's description and location to the take-down team. Because the undercover officers could not use the police radio, the case handler's role included relaying the undercover officers' description of the suspect over the police radio to the take-down team. To do so, the case handler was stationed nearby to monitor over an audio transmitter the officers' conversations with potential suspects. The take-down team's role was to enter the area, locate the suspect, and obtain information from the suspect to facilitate a subsequent arrest. Generally, it took about two to three minutes from the time the take-down team received the description until they arrived in the area and stopped the suspect.

On September 22, 1998, NOPD Officer Valdemetria McCollum and Louisiana State Police Officer Derrick Stewart were working as the undercover agents in this operation. Riding in an unmarked vehicle that was equipped with both an audio and video recorder and an audio transmitter and looking for potential street corner drug dealers, Officer McCollum spotted Mr. Young in the area of Chippewa and Josephine Streets. She testified that her attention was drawn to him because of certain gestures that he made which she construed as flagging her down.

When Officer McCollum stopped the vehicle, Mr. Young approached first on the passenger side, where Officer Stewart was seated. Because the passenger side door was always kept locked for the officers' protection, Mr. Young was forced to walk to the driver's side where Officer McCollum was seated and where the microphone and recording equipment apparently was located. As he walked over, Officer McCollum relayed a description of him over the audio transmitter. When he approached her, he inquired as to what she was looking for; she replied "a dime"—ten dollars worth of cocaine. He answered that he did not have dimes but that he could get her a twenty or a slab. She then agreed to buy a twenty—twenty dollars worth of cocaine. Following Mr. Young's instructions, she circled the block while he went to get the drugs. When she returned, he flagged her down. The actual drug deal then took place; he handed her an off-white, rock-like substance, and she handed him two ten dollar bills. She then exited the area. While doing so, she gave a second description of Mr. Young over the audio transmitter.

According to Officer McCollum, Mr. Young was easy to identify based on his clothing because he had on a Michigan sports team cap, a dirty white t-shirt, black jean shorts, and unlaced tennis shoes without socks. She also stated that he had a gold tooth. Officer McCollum's testimony regarding Mr. Young's clothing description *190 was corroborated by the testimony of both Detective Robert Ferrier, the case handler, and Detective Jeffrey Keating, a take-down team member. Indeed, Detective Keating testified that he readily located Mr. Young based on Officer McCollum's clothing description.

Within minutes of the undercover officers' departure from the area, Detective Keating and his partner moved in, located Mr. Young and conducted a field interview in order to obtain pertinent information to identify him for a later arrest. Upon locating Mr. Young, Detective Keating and his partner exited their police unit, identified themselves, approached him, and then obtained information from him. Their meeting with Mr. Young lasted about fifteen to twenty minutes.

Detective Keating detailed the following information that they obtained from Mr. Young: the location of stop (Josephine and Chippewa street), date (September 22, 1998), time (2:45 p.m.), suspect's name (Lionel Young), address (2120 Annunciation Street), date of birth (August 1, 1952), scar (located on right arm), tattoo (left bicep), and other personal information (gold tooth with a star on it and missing a tooth). Detective Keating further testified that they recorded this information on a Field Identification Card (FIC). The purpose for recording all this information was to allow for the issuance of an arrest warrant at the end of the operation when a collective round up of the subjects was planned to take place.

Detective Keating further testified he did not arrest Mr. Young at that time because that was not part of the operation; instead, an arrest warrant was eventually issued about six weeks later. Although he did not search Mr. Young, Detective Keating testified that he did do a weapons pat down. He found neither weapons nor drugs on Mr. Young, but he recalled finding twenty dollars in Mr. Young's hands.

Both Detective Keating and Officer McCollum subsequently met separately with Detective Ferrier.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
839 So. 2d 186, 2003 WL 189723, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-young-lactapp-2003.