APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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State vs. Pendergrass

03C01-9608-CC-00310

Originating Judge:J. Curtis Smith
Bledsoe County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/11/97
State vs. Carlito Adams

02C01-9608-CR-00267

Originating Judge:Joseph B. Brown
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/11/97
State vs. Charles Vanderford

02C01-9609-CC-00307

Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/11/97
State vs. Pendergrass

03C01-9608-CC-00310

Originating Judge:J. Curtis Smith
Bledsoe County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/11/97
State vs. Billy Rippy

01C01-9609-CR-00395

Originating Judge:Robert W. Wedemeyer
Robertson County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
Russell vs. State

03C01-9701-CR-00006

Originating Judge:Lynn W. Brown
Johnson County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
State vs. John Knapp

02C01-9608-CR-00282

Originating Judge:W. Fred Axley
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
Keith Scarbrough vs. State

01C01-9607-CC-00322

Originating Judge:Robert E. Burch
Cheatham County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
Sprinkle vs. State

03C01-9612-CR-00474

Originating Judge:James E. Beckner
Hawkins County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
State vs. Jose Holmes

02C01-9505-CR-00154
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
State vs. Bill Teal

01C01-9611-CC-00482

Originating Judge:Gerald L. Ewell, Sr.
Coffee County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/10/97
State of Tennessee v. Brenda Starks

01C01-9611-CR-00481

The appellant, Brenda Starks (defendant), appeals as of right from the judgment of the trial court affirming the sentence, as amended, imposed by the General Sessions Court of Wilson County. After the defendant entered a plea of guilty to passing a worthless check, a Class A misdemeanor, she was sentenced to serve 364 days at 100% in the Wilson County Jail. Her entire sentence was suspended and she was placed on unsupervised probation. The General Sessions Court subsequently revoked the probation, and she appealed to the Criminal Court for Wilson County. The trial court affirmed the judgment of the General Session Court, but amended the judgment. The amended judgment provided for confinement in the Wilson County Jail for 364 days at 75%. In this court, the defendant contends: [T]he sentence she was given by the Criminal Court for Wilson
County, Tennessee, an eleven (11) month, twenty-nine (29) day sentence at seventy-five percent (75%), for the misdemeanor offense of passing a worthless check, T.C.A. 39-14-121, was excessive, in that the Court did not sentence Defendant pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Tennessee Criminal Sentencing Reform Act of 1989, T.C.A. 40-35-101, et. seq. After a thorough review of the record, the briefs submitted by the parties, and the laws applicable to this case, it is the opinion of this court the judgment of the trial court must be reversed and this cause dismissed because the defendant has served the entire sentence prior to the institution of the revocation proceedings in the General Sessions Court.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Joe B. Jones
Originating Judge:Judge James O. Bond
Wilson County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/09/97
State of Tennessee vs. Anthony Noe

01C01-9407-CR-00252

VANDALISM CONVICTION AFFIRMED; FALSE REPORT CONVICTION REVERSED

Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Originating Judge:TJudge homas H. Shriver
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/09/97
Napoleon Momon vs. State of Tennessee

03C01-9605-CR-00187

The petitioner, Napoleon Momon, appeals pursuant to Rule 3 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure from the Hamilton County Criminal Court’s denial of post-conviction relief. The petitioner was convicted in 1991 of second degree murder in the shooting death of his wife, Jacqueline Daniel Momon, and received a twenty-five-year sentence.1 His conviction was affirmed on direct appeal to this Court. State v. Napoleon Momon, No. 03C01-9205-CR-00174 (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Nov. 20, 1992).

Authoring Judge: Judge Curwood Witt
Originating Judge:Judge Stephen M. Bevil
Hamilton County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/09/97
State of Tennessee vs. Austin Kipling Stratton

01C01-9611-CC-00472

Defendant, Austin Kipling Stratton, seeks review of his consecutive sentences totaling twenty (20) years for various drug offenses. The sentences resulted from a plea of guilty. We find that the notice of appeal was untimely filed, and no relief is merited under Tenn. R. Crim. P. 35(b). Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Originating Judge:Judge Robert E. Burch
Cheatham County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/04/97
State of Tennessee vs. Willie Demorris Locust

02C01-9611-CC-00392

The petitioner, Willie Demorris Locust, appeals the Dyer County Circuit Court's denial of his petition for post conviction relief. Locust is incarcerated in the Department of Correction for his convictions of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated burglary, for which he received an effective ten year sentence that he is serving consecutively to a twenty year sentence for aggravated rape and aggravated burglary and an assault sentence of undisclosed length. See State v. Locust, 914 S.W.2d 554 (Tenn. Crim. App.) (aggravated sexual battery and aggravated burglary), perm. app. denied (Tenn. 1995); State v. Willie Demorris Locust, No. 02-C-01-9404-CC-00075 (Tenn. Crim. App., Jackson, Oct. 5, 1994) (aggravated rape and aggravated burglary), perm. app. denied (Tenn. 1995). In this appeal, he claims the lower court erred in denying him relief on three issues:

1. Whether the indictment is defective and his conviction of aggravated sexual battery is therefore void.
2. Whether the trial judge failed to instruct the jury on lesser included offenses, thereby depriving him of his constitutional right to a trial by jury.
3. Whether he was afforded the effective assistance of counsel at his trial and on direct appeal.
 

Following a review of the record, we affirm the lower court's dismissal of Locust's petition.
 

Authoring Judge: Judge Curwood Witt
Originating Judge:Judge Joe G. Riley. Jr.
Dyer County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/04/97
State vs. Norman Curtis, Keith Chambers, Gina Chambers and Shelly Bragg

01C01-9607-CC-00313

The State of Tennessee (state) appeals as of right from a judgment of the trial court suppressing evidence seized by law enforcement officers from the person of Norman Curtis without a search warrant, and the residences of the Chamberses and Curtis under color of a search warrant. Two issues are presented for review. The state contends there were exigent circumstances which permitted officers executing the search warrant at the Chamberses’ residence to enter the dwelling without complying with the “knock and announce” requirement. The state further contends the search of Norman Curtis’s person when he arrived at the Chamberses’ residence while the officers were executing the search warrant was reasonable. After a thorough review of the record, the briefs submitted by the parties, and the law governing the issues presented for review, it is the opinion of this court that the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed. The State of Tennessee has failed to illustrate why the evidence contained in the record preponderates against the findings made by the trial court.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Joe B. Jones
Originating Judge:Judge Leonard W. Martin
Humphreys County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/01/97
State of Tennessee vs. Antwan Patton

01C01-9608-CC-00346

The appellant, Ryan Moran (defendant), was convicted of attempted first degree murder, a Class A felony, especially aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony, especially aggravated robbery, a Class A felony, and assault, a Class A misdemeanor. The defendant entered a no contest plea to attempted first degree murder and guilty pleas to the remaining charges. The trial court found the defendant was a standard offender and sentenced the defendant to the following Range I sentences: for attempted first degree murder, twenty-five (25) years in the Department of Correction, for especially aggravated kidnapping, twenty-five (25) years in the Department of Correction, for especially aggravated robbery, twenty-five (25) years in the Department of Correction, and for assault, eleven (11) months and twenty-nine (29) days. The trial court ordered that the sentences for attempted first degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and especially aggravated robbery should be served consecutively. The sentence for assault is to be served concurrently with the other sentences. The effective sentence is confinement for seventy-five (75) years in the Department of Correction.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Joe B. Jones
Originating Judge:James James L. Weatherford
Giles County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/01/97
State of Tennessee vs. Dmitri Johnson

01C01-9510-CC-00334

The defendant, Dmitri Johnson, appeals as of right from the twenty-year sentence imposed by the Circuit Court of Montgomery County for his conviction upon a guilty plea for second degree murder, a Class A felony. The defendant contends that the trial court improperly relied upon facts not in evidence in its sentencing decision. He also contends that the trial court improperly applied three enhancement factors and refused to apply two additional mitigating factors. We believe that the case should be remanded for a new sentencing hearing.

Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Originating Judge:Judge John H. Gasaway, III
Montgomery County Court of Criminal Appeals 12/01/97
03C01-9403-CR-00110

03C01-9403-CR-00110

Originating Judge:John A. Turnbull
Cumberland County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/26/97
State vs. Belcher

03C01-9608-CC-00299

Originating Judge:D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/26/97
State vs. Pike

03C01-9611-CR-00408
Knox County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/26/97
State vs. Cecil C. Johnson, Jr.

01C01-9610-CR-00442

Originating Judge:J. Randall Wyatt, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/25/97
State vs. Randy Joy

02C01-9705-CC-00183
Hardeman County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/25/97
State vs. Ronnie Lauderdale

02C01-9706-CR-00207

Originating Judge:Bernie Weinman
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 11/25/97