APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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State vs. Michael Sample & Larry McKay

W1999-01202-CCA-R3-PC
The Defendants were each convicted in 1982 of two counts of felony murder. Each Defendant received two death penalties for the murders. On post-conviction, the Defendants contend that the State withheld exculpatory information and that their death penalties were predicated in part on an invalid aggravating circumstance. The trial court dismissed the petitions without a hearing, finding that the Brady claims were time-barred and finding beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury would have imposed the death sentences absent consideration of the invalid aggravating circumstance. The Defendants now appeal the trial court's findings on both claims for relief. We affirm the trial court's judgment.

Originating Judge:Bernie Weinman
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/11/00
State vs. Michael W. Smith

W1999-01817-CCA-R3-PC
The petitioner pled guilty in Shelby County Criminal Court to two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated burglary, and five misdemeanor counts. He was sentenced, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, to ten years for each of the rape counts; six years for each of the aggravated burglary counts; and eleven months and twenty-nine days for each of the misdemeanor counts, with all sentences to be served concurrently for an effective sentence of ten years. The sequence of the charges was that the petitioner was arrested and charged with a rape, an aggravated burglary, and all of the misdemeanor counts, released on bail, and later arrested for the second rape and aggravated burglary, both of which occurred while he was on bail for the first set of charges. In this petition for post-conviction relief, the petitioner sought to have his guilty pleas set aside on the grounds that his pleas were not voluntarily and knowingly made and he received ineffective assistance of counsel. It is unnecessary to address those issues because it appears from the record that the negotiated plea agreement was in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated Section 40-20-111(b), requiring that a sentence for a felony committed while on bail be served consecutively to the sentence for the initial felony charge. Because we do not know whether the petitioner would have entered his pleas of guilty had he known of the requirement regarding consecutive sentencing, on remand the petitioner must be allowed to withdraw his pleas of guilty as to both of the rape and both of the aggravated burglary charges.
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Originating Judge:John P. Colton, Jr.
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/11/00
State vs. Jeffrey Wayne Adkisson

E1999-01316-CCA-R3-CD
The defendant, convicted of one count of D.U.I., argues that the evidence was insufficient and that a police report submitted as evidence was unfairly redacted. After review, we find no reversible error and therefore affirm the judgment from the trial court.
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Originating Judge:E. Eugene Eblen
Morgan County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/10/00
Frank Holiday v. State of Tennessee

M1999-01010-CCA-R3-PC

The appellant/petitioner, Frank Holiday, appeals as of right from a dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief by the Davidson County Criminal Court on the basis that the petition was barred by the statute of limitations. The petitioner, pro se, presents one appellate issue: Did the trial court err in failing to appoint counsel and conduct an evidentiary hearing in this matter, in view of the egregious failure of counsel to protect the petitioner's right to an appeal, and if not, is the petitioner entitled to a delayed appeal?

Authoring Judge: Judge L. Terry Lafferty
Originating Judge:Judge Seth W. Norman
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/07/00
State of Tennessee v. John H. Childress

M1999-00843-CCA-R3-CD

The Defendant was found guilty by a Davidson County jury of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .10 percent or more (D.U.I. per se) and driving on a revoked license. In this appeal as of right, he argues that the trial court erred by admitting the results of his breathalyzer test because the admission of this evidence in a D.U.I per se case violates a defendant's confrontation rights. We hold that the trial court did not err by admitting the Defendant's breath test results. Accordingly, we affirm the Defendant's conviction.

Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Originating Judge:Judge Frank G. Clement, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/07/00
State of Tennessee vs. Douglas Bowers

M1999-00778-CCA-R3-CD

A Lincoln County jury convicted the appellant, Douglas Bowers, of one (1) count of the delivery of 0.2 grams of cocaine, a Class C felony. The trial court sentenced the appellant as a Range II offender to nine (9) years and six (6) months incarceration. On appeal, the appellant contends that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction; (2) the trial court erred in denying the appellant's request to instruct the jury on the "procuring agent defense"; and (3) the sentence imposed by the trial court was excessive. After thoroughly reviewing the record before this Court, we conclude that the state presented sufficient evidence to sustain the appellant's conviction for delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance. Furthermore, because the "procuring agent defense" has been abolished by statute, the trial court did not err in failing to so instruct the jury. Finally, we conclude that the sentence imposed by the trial court was appropriate. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry Smith
Originating Judge:Judge W. Charles Lee
Lincoln County Court of Criminal Appeals 07/07/00
State vs. James Malcolm Davis

M2000-00089-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:Stella L. Hargrove
Wayne County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Sonny Yarbro

W1999-01469-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:Carolyn Wade Blackett
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. John Farner

E1999-00491-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Originating Judge:R. Jerry Beck
Sullivan County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Mark Steven Marlowe

E1998-00873-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Gary R Wade
Originating Judge:W. Lee Asbury
Union County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Scotty Murphy

W1999-00728-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State of Tennessee v. Christopher D. Thacker

M1999-01426-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Gary R Wade
Originating Judge:J. Curtis Smith
Sequatchie County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Jayson Soriano

M1999-00999-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Originating Judge:Seth W. Norman
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Lawrence White

W1999-00735-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. David Barron

W1999-01134-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Carroll County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
Durroccus D. Harris vs. State

M1999-02171-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Gary R Wade
Originating Judge:James K. Clayton, Jr.
Rutherford County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State of Tennessee v. Sonny Yarbro

W1999-00770-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Jeffrey L. Hammons

M1999-00756-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:J. O. Bond
Wilson County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. Glenn A. Saddler

M1999-00934-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Originating Judge:James O. Bond
Wilson County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
State vs. DeJuan Jacques Scott

M1999-01672-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Originating Judge:Cheryl A. Blackburn
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/30/00
Tracy Allen Clough vs. State

E1999-02145-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Originating Judge:Ray L. Jenkins
Knox County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/29/00
State vs. John Melson

W1999-00523-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer
Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/28/00
State vs. Tony Mabry

W1999-01438-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Originating Judge:Joseph B. Dailey
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/28/00
State of Tennessee v. William T. Emerson

E1999-02314-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Norma McGee Ogle
Originating Judge:Phyllis H. Miller
Sullivan County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/28/00
Michael Todd Drinnon v. State of Tennessee

E1999-2001-CCA-R3-PC

Originating Judge:James Edward Beckner
Hamblen County Court of Criminal Appeals 06/28/00