Wixon v. State

1974 OK CR 185, 527 P.2d 333
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 7, 1974
DocketNo. F-74-368
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1974 OK CR 185 (Wixon v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wixon v. State, 1974 OK CR 185, 527 P.2d 333 (Okla. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinions

OPINION

.BUSSEY, Judge:

Appellant, Gary Lee Wixon, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged, tried and convicted in the District Court, Tulsa County, Case No. CRF-73-1408, for the offense of Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana in violation of 63 O.S., § 2-401(B)(2). His punishment was fixed at a term of six (6) years’ imprisonment and a fine of Thirteen Hundred ($1,300.00) dollars, and from said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

At the trial, Robert Boston testified that he was employed by the Tulsa Police Department. In August of 1973, he was assigned to the Narcotics Division as an undercover agent. At approximately 10:00 a.m. on August 2, 1973, he and Special Agent Ed Alcorn went to the Colony Club Apartment complex, apartment 201, at 7605 East 21st in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He testified that he had made an appointment with a person by telephone to buy some marijuana there. (Tr. 10) Officer Boston knocked on the apartment door and the defendant came to the door and asked them to come in. He further testified that after entering the apartment he and Agent Al-corn engaged in some preliminary small talk with the defendant concerning the Watergate Hearings on television. Shortly thereafter, a transaction was consummated where the defendant turned over ten pounds of marijuana for $1,300.00 in cash, which was provided by Agent Alcorn. As the defendant reached for the money, Officer Boston showed him his badge and identified himself and Agent Alcorn and told him he was under arrest and informed him of his Miranda rights which defendant acknowledged he understood. Officer Boston also identified State’s exhibits Nos. 1 through 10 as being the ten pounds of marijuana confiscated from the defendant.

On cross-examination, Officer Boston testified that he had received a call from an Officer Coleman at approximately 7:30 a.m. (Tr. 25-26) Coleman gave Boston a telephone number to call at apartment 201. (Tr. 25) He placed a call to this number and arranged to purchase some marijuana at 10:00 a.m. that same morning. Boston further testified that he had been to that apartment previously and he knew that the only residents in apartment 201 were Ben Cato and George Durant. (Tr. 26-27)

Finally, on redirect Boston testified that only he, Agent Alcorn and the defendant were present in the apartment at the time of the transaction.

Special Agent Alcorn was called as the next witness for the State. Agent Alcorn identified State’s exhibits Nos. 1 through 10 as being the ten pounds of marijuana confiscated from the defendant. He testified that he had never been to apartment 201 and did not know who lived there. The remainder of Agent Alcorn’s testimony basically coroborated Officer Boston’s testimony for the period between 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., August 2, 1973, when the two officers met until after the arrest was accomplished. (Tr. 46)

Forensic chemist Ken Williamson was the final witness for the State during their case-in-chief. After being duly qualified as an expert, he testifed that the substance confiscated by Boston and Alcorn in their arrest of the defendant was marijuana. He further testified as to the types of tests he had performed and the safeguard procedures the property room follows to protect evidence. That concluded the State’s case-in-chief.

The defendant presented two witnesses in his behalf. They were George Durant, one of the two actual residents of apartment 201, and the defendant himself. Durant testified that he had known Ben Cato, the other resident of the apartment, for about eight or nine years. (Tr. 67). The defendant then attempted to show that Ben Cato was an informer/agent for the [335]*335police who had entrapped the defendant into committing this crime.

“Q. Did you, sir, live in Apartment 201?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. All right, sir. With whom did you live?
“A. Ben Cato, my roommate.
“Q. All right, sir. Now, Mr. Durant, of your own personal knowledge, do you know if Ben Cato caused Gary Lee Wix-on to be arrested?
“A. Yes, sir.
“MR. ROBERTSON: Object to the form of the question.
“THE COURT: Overruled. Exception allowed.
“Q. You do know that?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. How do you know that ?
“A. Cato told me.” (Tr. 67-68)

That concluded the substantive portion of Durant’s testimony.

The defendant testified that he arrived at Cato’s apartment at about 7:00 a.m. on August 2, to say goodby, as he had a job in Wichita. (Tr. 75) When Cato heard that the defendant was leaving, “he acted like it was the end of the world.” (Tr. 77) Cato then asked, as’ he had for at least three days in a row, if the defendant could get any “pounds” of marijuana that he (Cato) could sell. (Tr. 77). The defendant said he might be able to obtain some. He made a phone call and located ten pounds of marijuana. Subsequently, Cato engaged in two conversations by phone in which a deal was consummated to come to apartment 201 to pick up the marijuana. During these calls defendant spoke only to the person from whom he was getting the marijuana. (Tr. 88) The defendant further testified that when he returned to Cato’s apartment with the marijuana, the apartment was empty. Cato had, however, promised that his brother would come over and sell the marijuana. (Tr. 80-81) Cato’s brother never showed up and the next people who came by were the narcotics officers. (Tr. 82) The defendant’s testimony about the actual occurrences during the arrest is basically the same as the State’s evidence tended to show,' differing slightly concerning the administration of his Miranda warnings after arrest; and a denial of having said anything about the quality of the marijuana after the arrest was made. (Tr. 85, 92)

The final evidence by the defense was a reading into the record so that the trial court could take judicial notice of the criminal record of Ben Cato. That record showed two convictions; one for breaking and entering and the other for possession of marijuana.

The final presentation of evidence and testimony was rebuttal testimony by Officer Boston. Boston testified that he talked with two people at apartment 201, but he did not know the identity of the second party. (Tr. 96, 100) Boston further testified that the defendant appeared anxious once he saw the money (Tr. 103) On cross-examination, Boston admitted that he was not surprised that Cato was not in his apartment. (Tr. 103-104)

The defendant argues that the State failed to rehut the defense of entrapment beyond a reasonable doubt by the production of clear, substantial and nonprejudicial evidence and therefore the trial court erred in not ruling that the defendant was entrapped as a matter of law.

We need only observe that the trial court instructed the jury on the defense of entrapment. In Kite v. State, Okl.Cr., 490 P.2d 1402 (1971), we cited with approval the case of Riddle v. State, Okl.Cr., 373 P.2d 832 (1962), wherein we stated:

“ ‘Whether a defendant has been entrapped is to be determined by the jury, unless it can be decided as a question of law upon undisputed facts sufficient to to (sic) establish entrapment.’ ”

[336]*336See Kissick v.

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Related

Hill v. State
594 P.2d 699 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1979)
Cox v. State
1976 OK CR 156 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Wright v. State
1975 OK CR 20 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
1974 OK CR 185, 527 P.2d 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wixon-v-state-oklacrimapp-1974.