COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OPINIONS

James Roger Ford v. State of Tennessee
M2001-01654-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Trial Court Judge: Judge Lillie Ann Sells
Petitioner, James Roger Ford, pled guilty on October 28, 1998, to the following offenses: casual exchange of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor; sale of diazepam, a Class D felony; sale of more than 1/2 ounce of marijuana, a Class E felony; and two counts of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. In addition, Petitioner entered a "best interest" plea of guilty to the charge of introducing contraband in jail, a Class C felony. The trial court sentenced Petitioner as a Range I offender to eleven months and twenty-nine days for the offense of casual exchange of marijuana, thirty days each for the two counts of public intoxication, two years for the sale of more than 1/2 ounce of marijuana, and four years each for the sale of diazepam and introducing contraband in jail, with all sentences to be served concurrently on a Community Corrections program. On November 24, 1998, a violation of Community Corrections warrant was filed. Petitioner pled guilty to violating the terms of his community-based sentence and agreed to serve the remainder of his four-year sentence in incarceration. On October 27, 1999, he filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief, which the trial court denied after a hearing on the merits. Petitioner appeals the court's denial of post-conviction relief, alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel prior to and during the plea proceedings and that his guilty plea was not knowingly or voluntarily entered. Following a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Overton Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Vinson Taylor
W2001-01551-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Gary R Wade
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Lee Moore Jr.

On June 23, 1999, the defendant, Vinson Taylor, pled guilty to the sale of cocaine in excess of .5 grams, a Class B felony. The trial court imposed a sentence of eight years. Almost ten months later, the defendant filed a petition for post-conviction relief. On appeal from an order denying post-conviction relief, this court granted a delayed appeal based upon the failure of trial counsel to file a timely appeal. Vinson Taylor v. State, No. W2000-01991-CCA-R3-PC (Tenn. Crim. App., at Jackson, May 3, 2001). In this delayed appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court should have granted alternative sentencing. The judgment is affirmed.

Dyer Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Vinson Taylor
W2001-01551-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Gary R Wade
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Lee Moore Jr.

On June 23, 1999, the defendant, Vinson Taylor, pled guilty to the sale of cocaine in excess of .5 grams, a Class B felony. The trial court imposed a sentence of eight years. Almost ten months later, the defendant filed a petition for post-conviction relief. On appeal from an order denying post-conviction relief, this court granted a delayed appeal based upon the failure of trial counsel to file a timely appeal. Vinson Taylor v. State, No. W2000-01991-CCA-R3-PC (Tenn. Crim. App., at Jackson, May 3, 2001). In this delayed appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court should have granted alternative sentencing. The judgment is affirmed.

Dyer Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Kenneth Paul Dykas
M2000-01665-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge J. Steve Daniel

After a lengthy trial, a Rutherford County jury found the defendant, Kenneth Paul Dykas, guilty of first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, and conspiracy to commit especially aggravated robbery. Following a separate penalty trial on the first-degree murder conviction, the same jury sentenced the defendant to life without the possibility of parole, and the trial court subsequently sentenced the defendant as a Range I offender to eleven years on the conspiracy conviction and as a violent offender to 24 years on the especially aggravated robbery conviction. The trial-court- imposed sentences were ordered to run concurrently with one another but consecutively to the first- degree murder sentence. In this appeal, the defendant complains that the evidence is insufficient, that numerous errors in the jury selection process taint his convictions, that DNA test results were improperly admitted, that the state suppressed exculpatory evidence about its jailhouse informant who testified at trial, and that consecutive sentencing was not justified. After a comprehensive review of the record, the briefs of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Rutherford Court of Criminal Appeals

Joseph Azell Lee v. State of Tennessee
E2001-00424-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Stephen M. Bevil

The petitioner appeals from the Hamilton County Criminal Court's denying him post-conviction relief from his 1998 conviction for the attempt to commit aggravated assault and ensuing twelve-year sentence as a career offender. He contends that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. We affirm the conviction.

Hamilton Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Hobert Dean Davis
E2000-02879-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge James B. Scott, Jr.

The defendant pled guilty to burglary (Count One), theft (Count Two), and vandalism (Count Three) and was sentenced pursuant to a plea agreement to two (2) years for Count One and eleven months and twenty-nine days for both Count Two and Count Three. Counts Two and Three were to be served concurrently but consecutively to Count One. The judgment forms entered for each count indicated that the defendant was to receive 201 days of pretrial jail credit. Sixteen months after the final judgments were entered, the state moved the trial court to correct the original judgments pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36. Thereafter, corrected judgments were entered for Counts Two and Three indicating that the defendant was to receive 0 days pretrial jail credit on those counts. Generally, a trial court loses jurisdiction to amend a judgment once it becomes final. After a thorough review of the record, we conclude that the trial court did not make a finding as to whether there was a clerical mistake or mistake of law in the original judgments. Absent a finding that there was a clerical mistake, the trial court was without jurisdiction to alter the final judgments. Therefore, we reverse the judgments as corrected and remand to the trial court for determination of whether there was a clerical error in the original judgments.

Anderson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Chivous Sirrel Robinson
E2001-00865-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge Richard R. Baumgartner
The defendant, Chivous Sirrel Robinson, was convicted of one count of solicitation to commit first degree murder and one count of second degree murder. He was sentenced to twenty-three years incarceration for the second degree murder conviction and nine years incarceration for the solicitation conviction. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively. In this appeal the defendant argues that (1) the trial court erred in declining to admit at the defendant's request the redacted statement of Toni Hill, the alleged co-perpetrator of the murder, (2) the trial court erred in denying the defense's motion to sever the solicitation count from the substantiative murder count for purposes of trial, (3) the trial court erred in admitting certain photographs of the victim's body, and (4) the trial court erred in ordering consecutive sentencing.

Knox Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Mario Ricky Orlando Printiss
W2000-03032-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge William B. Acree

Mario Ricky Orlando Printis appeals from his convictions of driving under the influence and evading arrest. He questions the sufficiency of the evidence that he committed Class D felony evading arrest, as opposed to the Class E form of that crime, and he complains that the trial court sentenced him too harshly. Because we are unpersuaded, we affirm the convictions and sentences imposed. Due to an omission from the DUI judgment form, however, we modify that judgment to correspond with the lower court's pronouncements at the sentencing hearing.

Obion Court of Criminal Appeals

Travis Poole v. State of Tennessee
W2001-01196-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge Roy B. Morgan, Jr.

In his petition for post-conviction relief, petitioner alleges that he received ineffective assistance of counsel, he illegally pled guilty to second degree murder, and his guilty plea was not made knowingly and voluntarily. The trial court dismissed the petition. We affirm.

Madison Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Danny Davidson
W2001-00118-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge William B. Acree

Defendant was convicted of attempted manufacture of methamphetamine. On appeal, defendant submits that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction, and the trial court erred in not charging the jury on facilitation. We conclude the evidence was sufficient to uphold the conviction, and defendant was not entitled to an instruction on facilitation. We affirm.

Weakley Court of Criminal Appeals

Maurice Pierre Teague v. State of Tennessee
W2001-00533-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Julian P. Guinn

The petitioner was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and his conviction was affirmed on direct appeal. In his petition for post-conviction relief, he asserted that trial counsel was ineffective. The post-conviction court dismissed the petition, following a hearing.  We affirm the order of the post-conviction court.

Carroll Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Winfred Lee Faulcon
W2001-01153-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Lee Moore
The Appellant, Winfred Lee Faulcon, was convicted after a trial by jury of two offenses of possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance, marijuana, with intent to sell, which stemmed from events that occurred on October 21st and November 16th of 2000. Faulcon received two consecutive eighteen-month community corrections sentences with nine months of continuous confinement in the county jail. On appeal, Faulcon raises the following issues for our review: (1) whether the State's action of releasing a witness which the State had subpoenaed for trial constituted misconduct when the witness thereafter became unavailable to the defense; (2) whether the evidence was sufficient to support his convictions; (3) whether the two charges against Faulcon should have been considered as one continuing criminal enterprise and thus, would have resulted in the imposition of only one sentence; (4) whether the trial court erred in imposing a sentence in excess of the minimum necessary for class E felonies; and (5) whether the trial court erred in not imposing an alternative non-incarcerative sentence for the entire period. After a review of the record, we find that Faulcon's issues are without merit. Accordingly, the judgment of the Dyer County Circuit Court is affirmed.

Dyer Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. F. Chris Cawood
E2000-02478-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer
Trial Court Judge: Judge Buddy D. Perry

The Defendant was indicted for two counts of promoting prostitution and for two counts of patronizing prostitution. Following a bench trial, the Defendant was convicted of two counts of attempting to patronize prostitution, a Class C misdemeanor; sentenced to thirty days suspended; and fined $50.00 for each count. The Defendant now appeals, arguing the following: (1) that the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions; (2) that the conduct by law enforcement in this case was so outrageous as to constitute a defense; (3) that a fatal variance exists between the indicted charges and the evidence presented at trial; (4) that the trial court erred in failing to suppress the audio and video tape evidence that was introduced at trial; and (5) that the trial court erred in denying the Defendant's motion to seal the audio and video tape evidence in this case. Concluding that the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and dismiss the charges against the Defendant.

Roane Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Christopher Charles Hall
M2001-00599-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge James K. Clayton, Jr.
The defendant pled nolo contendere to reckless homicide, a Class D felony. The defendant contends the trial court erred in refusing to grant him full probation and sentencing him to two years of split confinement, with six (6) months to be served in the county jail and the remainder served on probation. Due to the reckless nature of the killing, involving alcohol use simultaneous with the handling of weapons, we conclude the trial court did not erroneously sentence the defendant to a two-year sentence involving some form of confinement. We affirm the defendant's sentence imposed by the trial court.

Rutherford Court of Criminal Appeals

James Emmett Moses, Jr. v. State of Tennessee
W2001-01394-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer
Trial Court Judge: Judge Joseph H. Walker, III
The Petitioner pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated burglary, two counts of robbery and one count of theft under $500.00. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced the Petitioner as a Range III persistent offender to twelve years for the aggravated burglary conviction, thirteen years for each of the robbery convictions, and eleven months and twenty-nine days for the misdemeanor theft conviction. The sentencing court imposed consecutive sentences for the robbery convictions, resulting in an effective sentence of twenty-six years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. This Court affirmed the sentences on appeal, and the Tennessee Supreme Court denied the Petitioner's application for permission to appeal. The Petitioner subsequently filed for post-conviction relief, claiming that his plea was constitutionally defective because he was inadequately represented and that his plea was not voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently entered. The trial court denied relief. After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Lauderdale Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Jeret Phillips
E2001-00987-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Trial Court Judge: Judge Phyllis H. Miller

Defendant, Jeret Phillips, appeals from the order of the Sullivan County Criminal Court which revoked Defendant's probation and required him to serve his sentence in the Tennessee Department of Correction. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Billy Harold Arnold
E2000-03157-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Phyllis H. Miller

The defendant, Billy Harold Arnold, appeals his misdemeanor theft conviction for which the Sullivan County Criminal Court sentenced him to eleven months twenty-nine days, all suspended except for thirty days confinement, "day for day." He contests the sufficiency of the evidence, the admission into evidence of prior similar conduct, and his sentence. We affirm the trial court, although we also note that a "day for day" term of confinement does not bar application of relevant good conduct credit statutes.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Timothy S. Oglesby
M2000-02134-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge L. Craig Johnson

The appellant, Timothy S. Oglesby, pled guilty to the offense of felonious possession of a weapon.  He received a two (2)-year sentence. Contemporaneously with the entry of the guilty plea the appellant and the State entered an agreed order purporting to reserve a certified question of law for appeal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 37(b)(2)(i). The certified question of law alleged to be dispositive of the case is stated in the agreed order as “the denial of his suppression motion.” We hold that the absence in the judgment of the certified question of law or of a statement incorporating the agreed order into the judgment compels a dismissal of this appeal. In addition, the failure of the agreed order to set forth the certified question with sufficient specificity compels the dismissal of this appeal even if the agreed order had been incorporated by reference into the judgment.

Coffee Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Gonzalo Moran Garcia
M2000-01760-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Norma McGee Ogle
Trial Court Judge: Judge Steve R. Dozier

The appellant, Gonzalo Moran Garcia, appeals his conviction by a jury in the Davidson County Criminal Court of one count of possession of one thousand grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a class A felony. He raises the following issues for our review: (1) whether the trial court erred in denying his pre-trial motion to suppress; (2) whether the trial court erred in admitting at trial the testimony of Daniel A. Rosales, an officer employed by the Houston Police Department in Texas; (3) whether the evidence underlying the appellant’s conviction is sufficient; and (4) whether the trial court erred in rejecting his proposed jury instructions. Following a thorough review f the record and the parties’ briefs, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand this case
to the trial court for a new trial.

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Gonzalo Moran Garcia
M2000-01760-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge Steve R. Dozier

After careful review of the record, I write separately because I reach a different conclusion than that expressed in the majority opinion with respect to the defendant's motion to suppress the evidence obtained during the search of his vehicle. I agree with the majority on all other matters raised in this appeal.

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

Eric Wallace v. State of Tennessee
W2000-02854-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Gary R. Wade
Trial Court Judge: Judge W. Otis Higgs, Jr.

The petitioner, Eric Wallace, appeals the trial court's denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. The issues presented for review are (1) whether the petitioner received effective assistance of counsel; (2) whether the petitioner was denied the right to a speedy trial; and (3) whether the state used improper impeachment evidence. Because the evidence does not preponderate against the findings of the trial court, the order denying post-conviction relief is affirmed.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Paul Payne, Jr.
W2001-00216-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Gary R Wade
Trial Court Judge: Judge Joseph H. Walker, III

The defendant, Paul Payne, Jr., was convicted in a bench trial of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. The trial court imposed a sentence of 11 months and 29 days and suspended all but 48 hours. The defendant was fined $350.00. In this appeal of right, the defendant complains that the stop of his vehicle was unlawful, that the evidence at trial was insufficient, and that there was no reasonable basis for the administration of the blood alcohol test. The judgment is affirmed.

Tipton Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Kathryn Lee Adler
W2001-00951-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Trial Court Judge: Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood
The Fayette County Grand Jury returned an indictment against the defendant alleging one count of aggravated child neglect and a second count of aggravated child abuse. A jury convicted the defendant of the indicted charge of aggravated child neglect and the lesser-included offense of felony child abuse. The trial court sentenced the defendant to concurrent sentences of twenty years and two years, respectively. In this appeal, the defendant alleges (1) the evidence is insufficient to support the conviction for aggravated child neglect; (2) the applicable child abuse/neglect statutes are unconstitutionally vague and overbroad; (3) the trial court erred by refusing to charge reckless endangerment as a lesser-included offense of aggravated child neglect; and (4) the defendant's sentence is excessive. After a thorough review of the record, we find no reversible error and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Fayette Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Otis Campbell
W2001-01121-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Donald H. Allen

The defendant, Otis Campbell, was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of a three-count indictment and sentenced to eleven months and twenty-nine days for possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana. The trial court ordered that the sentences be served consecutively to each other as well as to two other sentences for which he had earlier been placed into the community corrections program. He timely appealed, presenting as his sole argument the claim that the trial court erred in ordering that all of the sentences be served consecutively. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Madison Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Jeannie Hudson
E2001-00377-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge Rex Henry Ogle

After pleading guilty to aggravated assault and receiving a sentence of split confinement of three years with nine months to be served day-for-day, defendant appeals her sentence. She requests full probation or allowance of good conduct credits while serving the incarceration portion of her sentence. We affirm the denial of full probation and reverse that portion of the sentence that provides day-for-day service. We hold that a defendant sentenced to the county jail for less than one year is entitled to earn good conduct credits pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 41-2-111(b).

Sevier Court of Criminal Appeals