Walter Ray Pyron v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 30, 1994
Docket03-92-00387-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Walter Ray Pyron v. State (Walter Ray Pyron v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walter Ray Pyron v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT OF TEXAS,


AT AUSTIN




NO. 3-92-387-CR


WALTER RAY PYRON,


APPELLANT



vs.


THE STATE OF TEXAS,


APPELLEE





FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, 26TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT



NO. 83-157-K, HONORABLE WILLIAM S. LOTT, JUDGE PRESIDING




On September 13, 1983, appellant, a physician, was convicted of indecency with a child and, pursuant to a plea bargain agreement, sentenced to imprisonment for ten years. Appellant served the time required for shock probation, execution of the sentence was suspended, and appellant was placed on probation. On May 12, 1992, after hearing the second amended motion to revoke probation, the trial court entered an order to revoke. Appellant appeals from that order. We will affirm the trial court's order.

Appellant presents fourteen points of error which are shown in the appendix to this opinion. Before stating and discussing his points of error, appellant expressed the standards of review which, in his opinion, should be applied. Appellant acknowledges the "abuse of discretion" standard which has been universally applied by appellate courts in reviewing revocation of probation orders. Flournoy v. State, 589 S.W.2d 705, 709 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979).

Appellant also asserts that Tex. R. App. P. 81(b)(2) requires that appellate courts apply an additional correlative standard in reviewing revocation orders. His statement of the correlative standard is:



Remedy Is Reversal And Remand Or Rendition Unless Harmless Beyond Reasonable Doubt For ALL Errors, Including Insufficient Evidence And Even If Evidence Of Violation Is Sufficient.



He contends that cases should no longer be followed which hold that when one ground supports a revocation order, appellate courts need not address other contentions. E.g., Flournoy v. State, 589 S.W.2d at 708 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979). He reasons that application of the harmless error rule 81(b)(2) would not allow a reviewing court to assume that if the trial court were properly "informed," it would exercise its discretion to revoke. The explanation continues that if review reveals that the trial court relied on ten violations and only one of the violations could be sustained by properly admitted evidence, the trial court being so "informed" quite likely would not revoke. Appellant argues that the trial judge should at least be given another opportunity to consider alternatives to revocation provided by Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 42.12.

Appellant quotes from Saunders v. State, 657 S.W.2d 817 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1983, no pet.), in which the court noted but rejected an argument similar to appellant's. Saunders was decided prior to the effective date of Tex. R. App. P. 81(b)(2). Although we have noted appellant's explanation relating to the correlative standard that he would have us apply, we decline to do so.

The second condition of probation imposed on appellant provides he would "abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages." The second amended motion to revoke probation, alleged among several other violations that appellant "consumed an alcoholic beverage, to-wit: alcohol," on March 30, 1992. The trial court found that the evidence supported that alleged violation and several others.

In points of error nine and ten, appellant claims the evidence is insufficient to prove he consumed an alcoholic beverage in violation of his conditions of probation. He argues that the trial court abused its discretion in so finding and deprived him of both due process and due course of law. A trial court's order revoking probation will not be reversed unless the trial court abused its discretion in entering the order. Barnett v. State, 615 S.W.2d 220, 222 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981), appeal dism'd, 454 U.S. 806 (1981); Flournoy, 589 S.W.2d 707; Bolieu v. State, 779 S.W.2d 489, 491 (Tex. App.--Austin 1989, no pet.). In probation revocation proceedings, the standard for reviewing sufficiency of the evidence supporting the trial court's order is proof by a preponderance of the evidence. Forrest v. State, 805 S.W.2d 462 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991); Cardona v. State, 605 S.W.2d 492, 493 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984); Scamardo v. State, 517 S.W.2d 293, 298 (Tex. Crim. App. 1974); Trcka v. State, 744 S.W.2d 677, 681 (Tex. App.--Austin 1988, pet. ref'd). If one ground for revocation is supported by sufficient evidence, a reviewing court need not address other contentions which are raised, since one probation violation will support the trial court's order to revoke. Sanchez v. State, 603 S.W.2d 869 (Tex. Crim. App. 1980); Moses v. State, 590 S.W.2d 469, 470 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979); Smith v. State, 790 S.W.2d 366 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1990, pet. ref'd).

During February and March of 1992, appellant did not report to Jacquie Tomhave, his probation officer. On March 31, Tomhave called appellant and requested that he come to her office. When appellant came into her office Tomhave asked Rusty Elliot, another probation officer, to obtain a urine sample from appellant. Tomhave analyzed the urine sample with an "Ontrack System" for analyzing urine. Tomhave told appellant that the test was positive for alcohol and amphetamine. Appellant denied using either alcohol or amphetamine, but said he had been taking Sudafed. Tomhave asked appellant to return to her office the next day. When appellant came in the next day, April 1, appellant's urine sample was taken by probation officer Gene Deal. Tomhave's test of this sample showed positive for amphetamine. When she told appellant the test result, he told her he had snorted amphetamines on Monday, March 30. Appellant told Tomhave he had accompanied a friend of his who was reporting to the Travis County jail, and the friend gave him one gram of amphetamine and placed some other property in appellant's care. Appellant told Tomhave that he snorted the amphetamine and returned to his work. He said that when co-workers seemed to notice he was acting in a strange manner, he went out and got a fifth of vodka and drank it. Tomhave allowed appellant to leave her office, but told him to report every Monday morning for a urine test. Appellant did not return to her office the next two Monday mornings.

Tomhave took the urine samples to the Department of Public Safety laboratory. Glenn Harrison, the toxicology section supervisor, received the samples. Harrison testified that the urine sample taken on March 31 contained ethanol, which was compatible with appellant having consumed vodka the day before.

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

Related

Oregon v. Mathiason
429 U.S. 492 (Supreme Court, 1977)
California v. Beheler
463 U.S. 1121 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Washington v. McSpadden
676 S.W.2d 420 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Trcka v. State
744 S.W.2d 677 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Dinnery v. State
592 S.W.2d 343 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Flournoy v. State
589 S.W.2d 705 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1979)
Smith v. State
790 S.W.2d 366 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Smola v. State
736 S.W.2d 265 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Sanchez v. State
603 S.W.2d 869 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Wicker v. State
740 S.W.2d 779 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Perkins v. Court of Appeals for Third Supreme Judicial District of Texas
738 S.W.2d 276 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Moses v. State
590 S.W.2d 469 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1979)
Shiflet v. State
732 S.W.2d 622 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Sanders v. State
657 S.W.2d 817 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)
Burrell v. State
492 S.W.2d 482 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Rabb v. State
572 S.W.2d 718 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1978)
Morris v. State
658 S.W.2d 770 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)
Scamardo v. State
517 S.W.2d 293 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Forrest v. State
805 S.W.2d 462 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Whetstone v. State
786 S.W.2d 361 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Walter Ray Pyron v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walter-ray-pyron-v-state-texapp-1994.