State of Tennessee v. Dar Es Salaam Cole and Thomas Lopez

The Defendant-Appellants, Dar Es Salaam Cole and Thomas Lopez, were convicted by a Shelby County Jury of facilitation of the sale of 300 grams or more of cocaine and unlawful possession of 300 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to sell or deliver. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court merged the above convictions and sentenced Cole and Lopez to nineteen years imprisonment in the Tennessee Department of Correction. In this consolidated appeal, Lopez argues that (1) the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress and (2) the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions. In addition to these issues, Cole argues that (3) the traffic stop was racially motivated in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause; (4) the jury was “impermissibly influenced” by (a) the presence of the prosecutor and defense counsel in the jury room during deliberations, and (b) comments by the trial court while instructing the jury; and (5) the trial court failed to discharge the jury when there was no probability for agreement and failed to charge “a deadlock (Kersey) instruction.” Upon our review, we discern no reversible error and affirm the judgments of the trial court.