Williams v. State

930 N.E.2d 602, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 1252, 2010 WL 2795496
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided July 16, 2010·No. 18A02-0911-CR-1092·Published·Cited by 20 cases

Opinions

OPINION

NAJAM, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Nathaniel L. Williams appeals his convictions for two counts of dealing in cocaine, each as a Class A felony; two counts of possession of a controlled substance, each as a Class C felony; and one count of maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony, following a jury trial. Williams raises the following three issues for our review:

1. Whether the trial court violated Williams's federal or Indiana rights to confront witnesses when it admitted into evidence the recorded statements of a confidential informant, which were made during two controlled drug buys;
2. Whether the trial court failed to admonish the jury that the confidential informant's recorded statements were not being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted; and
3. Whether the court violated Williams's right to be free from double jeopardy under the Indiana Constitution when it entered two [604] convictions for possession of the same controlled substance, even though that controlled substance was found in two different brands of medication.

We hold that the statements of the confidential informant in this case were not hearsay and, therefore, Williams was not entitled to cross examine the confidential informant under the federal and Indiana constitutions. We also hold that Williams did not preserve for appellate review his claim that the trial court failed to admonish the jury. Finally, we hold that the State's evidence demonstrated that Williams possessed only one controlled substance. Accordingly, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On April 21, April 27, and May 6, 2009, Muncie Drug Task Force ("DTF") officers hired, for pay, a confidential informant ("C.I.") to purchase cocaine from Williams at Williams's home. The CI. was Williams's unele. For each of the purchases, the DTF provided the C.I. with purchase money and wired him with an audio device that recorded the C.L's conversations and simultaneously transmitted them to nearby, listening DTF officers. After each buy, the C.I. immediately returned to the DTF officers, who recovered cocaine from the C.L.

Following the May 6 buy, the DTF officers obtained a search warrant for Williams's home. The officers seized digital scales covered in cocaine residue, the May 6 purchase money, a bag containing two pills of Vicodin, and a bag containing seven pills of Anexsia.1 Vicodin and Anex-sia each contain the controlled substance dibydrocodeinone. On May 18, 2009, the State charged Williams with three counts of dealing in cocaine, each as a Class A felony; two counts of possession of a controlled substance, each as a Class C felony; and one count of maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony.

The court held Williams's jury trial on October 6. At the trial, the State called numerous DTF officers to testify. The State's first witness, DTF Officer Allen Williams, testified to his unit's general procedures for controlled drug buys. The State's second witness, DTF Officer Nathan Sloan, testified that he was involved in the April 21 controlled buy. Specifically, Officer Sloan stated that, consistent with the DTEF's general procedures, he searched the C.LI.'s person and vehicle before the controlled buy, closely monitored the C.LI. in transit to Williams's house, and witnessed Williams let the C.I. into the residence. Upon the C.I's exit from Williams's house, Officer Sloan and another officer recovered a "white[,] rocklike substance" from the C.I. that field-tested positive as cocaine. Transcript at 98. The State then called DTF Officer Bret Elam. Officer Elam was present during the April 21 controlled buy and corroborated Officer Sloan's testimony.

Officer Elam was also present during the April 27 controlled buy and testified that the DTF officers at the second controlled buy followed the same protocol they had used during the April 21 controlled buy. During the April 27 buy, Officer Elam witnessed the C.I. enter Williams's residence and leave a few minutes later. The C.J. then met the DTF officers at a predetermined location and [605] surrendered to the officers "a clear baggie" containing cocaine. Id. at 126, 138.

Officer Elam then testified about the May 6 controlled buy. For that third buy, DTF officers again followed "the same procedure as far as [the] search of [the C.I's] person and the car." Id. at 186. The officers again followed the CI. to Williams's home and, once the C.I. exited the residence, they met him at a predetermined location where he surrendered "(three clear pieces of plastic containing an off-white[,] rocklike substance," which field-tested positive as cocaine. Id. at 192, 197. Officer Blam's testimony regarding the April 27 and May 6 controlled buys was corroborated by both Officer Williams and DTF Officer Jeff Pease. The State later had the items seized from Williams's house pursuant to the search warrant admitted into evidence.

In addition to the testimony of the numerous DTF officers, the State offered the recordings from the C.L.'s audio device into evidence. The State asked each of the DTF officers whether he had heard those recordings, either through the live transmission or later, and, if so, to describe the contents of the recorded conversations. Each DTF officer had heard the recordings and testified to their contents. Williams objected to the State's request to admit the recordings and to the officers' respective testimonies on multiple grounds, including that the C.I.'s recorded statements violated his right to confront the CI. The State responded that the CL's statements were not being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted but to give context to Williams's own recorded statements. Williams did not dispute that his voice could be heard on the recordings and that his statements in those recordings were admissible. And, his objections notwithstanding, Williams cross examined the officers on whether the C.L was paid for his services, whether the C.I. had used this opportunity to avoid prosecution in an unrelated case, whether the C.L. was related to Williams, whether the C.I. had ever lived at Williams's residence or had had access to Williams's residence, and whether the cocaine found on the C.I. could have belonged to the C.1. and been kept by him at Williams's residence.

The trial court overruled Williams's objections and permitted the jury to hear the recordings. In doing so, the court "advise{d] the jury that ... what the confidential informant said is being offered to give you context for the whole conversation. It's not being offered by the State to prove the truth of the matter." Id. at 191. In relevant part, those recordings demonstrated the following statements:

[Recording from the April 21 Controlled Buy]
[CI. drives to Williams's house and knocks on the door.]
[C.LI.] Hey Nate.
[Door opens.]
[Williams] (inaudible) ... you gotta be quiet, you motherf***er, you can't be speaking all loud and sh*t ... (inaudible) ... you can't be speaking like that. You can't play, know what I'm saying. Darn, I'm going back in the house ... (inaudible) ... don't be doing all that ... (inaudible).
[Inaudible.]

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Williams v. State, 930 N.E.2d 602, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 1252, 2010 WL 2795496 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010).

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