Opinion FlashMay 15, 2002Volume 8 — Number 85 Following this index are summaries of each case, including its name, first paragraph, author's name, and the names of attorneys for the parties of each opinion.
TBA members can get the full-text versions of these opinions three ways detailed below. All methods require a TBA username and password. If you have forgotten your password, you can look it up on-line at http://www.tba.org/getpassword.mgi . If you are a TBA member, but do not have a username and password, you can receive one online at http://www.tba.org/signup.mgi. Here's how you can obtain full-text version.
Howard H. Vogel TED RAY BRANNAN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE Court:TCCA Attorneys: Thomas C. Faris, Winchester, Tennessee, for appellant, Ted Ray Brannan. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General & Reporter; Elizabeth B. Marney, Assistant Attorney General; J. Michael Taylor, District Attorney General; and Stephen Blount, Assistant District Attorney General, for appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: SMITH First Paragraph: The defendant, Ted Ray Brannan, was found guilty by a Franklin County jury of aggravated burglary and theft of property. Accordingly, the trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of twelve years, ten years as a Range III persistent offender for his aggravated burglary conviction to be served concurrently with his twelve year sentence as a career offender for his theft of property conviction. The defendant appealed his conviction to this Court, and we dismissed the appeal, finding that the appeal was not properly before this Court because the defendant had failed to file a timely motion for new trial or a timely notice of appeal. See State v. Ted Ray Brannan, No. 01C01-9704-CC-00148, 1998 WL 242453, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. at Nashville, May 15, 1998). The defendant then sought post-conviction relief, and the post-conviction court found that the defendant was deprived of a direct appeal because his counsel was ineffective in failing to file a motion for new trial or a notice of appeal. Accordingly, the post-conviction court granted the defendant a delayed appeal. However, the court found that the defendant's other allegations of error were meritless. The defendant is now before this Court on a delayed appeal challenging the post- conviction court's finding that his other post-conviction issues lacked merit. Although we find that the lower court should have dismissed the post-conviction petition when granting him a delayed appeal, in the interest of judicial economy, we will address the issues pertaining to the post- conviction petition as well as those in his direct appeal. Having found that all the issues in this appeal lack merit, the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/brannanted.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LARRY BROWN Court:TCCA Attorneys: Tony N. Brayton, Memphis, Tennessee, for the appellant, Larry Brown. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Renee W. Turner, Assistant Attorney General; William L. Gibbons, District Attorney General; and Steve Jones, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: WELLES First Paragraph: The Defendant, Larry Brown, was convicted by a Shelby County jury of theft of property with a value over $500.00 and evading arrest. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced him to six years for the theft charge and eleven months and twenty-nine days for evading arrest. The trial court ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We affirm the Defendant's conviction for evading arrest and reverse and dismiss his conviction for theft of property. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/brownl.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. WILLIE J. COWAN, JR. Court:TCCA Attorneys: William C. Gosnell, Memphis, Tennessee, for the Appellant, Willie J. Cowan, Jr. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; John H. Bledsoe, Assistant Attorney General; William L. Gibbons, District Attorney General; and John Tibbetts, Assistant District Attorney General, for the Appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: WEDEMEYER First Paragraph: The Defendant was convicted by a Shelby County jury of vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless driving. He received an effective sentence of nine and a half years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. The Defendant now appeals, arguing the following: (1) that insufficient evidence was presented at trial to convict him of the charged offenses and (2) that the trial court erred in sentencing the Defendant. Finding no error, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/cowanwj.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. COLLIN J. JOHNSON and JASON S. PORTERFIELD Court:TCCA Attorneys: Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; David H. Findley, Assistant Attorney General; William C. Whitesell, Jr., District Attorney General; and Paul A. Holcombe, III and John W. Price, III, Assistant District Attorneys General, for the appellant, State of Tennessee. John G. Mitchell, Jr. and John G. Mitchell, III, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for the appellee, Jason S. Porterfield. Judge: RILEY First Paragraph: The state brings this interlocutory appeal in which it challenges the order of the Rutherford County Circuit Court authorizing the admission into evidence of certain testimony relating to the prior sexual behavior of the alleged rape victim. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/porterfieldjs.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LARRY D. SIMMONS and TYCE RENARD JACKSON Court:TCCA Attorneys: Collier W. Goodlett, Assistant Public Defender, Clarksville, Tennessee for appellant, Larry D. Simmons. Stacy A. Turner, Clarksville, Tennessee, for appellant, Tyce Renard Jackson. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General & Reporter; David H. Findley, Assistant Attorney General; John Carney, District Attorney General; Lance A. Baker, Assistant District Attorney General, for appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: SMITH First Paragraph: The appellants, Tyce Jackson and Larry Simmons, were initially charged with delinquency in a juvenile petition filed in the Juvenile Court for Montgomery County. This petition arose out of two separate car jackings occurring in October of 1997. A hearing was held in the juvenile court upon the State's petition to transfer the appellants to criminal court for trial as adults. Finding that the appellants should be tried as adults, the juvenile court transferred the case to the Montgomery County Criminal Court. The appellants appealed their transfer by way of a petition for the writ of certiorari filed in the criminal court. The criminal court denied the writ. The appellants were indicted on two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of carjacking, two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of illegal weapon possession and one count of aggravated assault. Both appellants ultimately entered guilty pleas in criminal court to one count of aggravated kidnapping and one count of aggravated assault. They each received concurrent sentences of ten and six years respectively. As part of the plea agreement the appellants reserved a certified question of law concerning the standard used by the juvenile court in transferring the appellants for trial as adults. The appellants claim that because proof at the transfer hearing showed them to be "voluntarily committable" to an institution for the developmentally disabled or mentally ill they were not subject to transfer for trial as adults. In addition, Appellant Simmons alleges that the evidence at the transfer hearing failed to adequately identify him as a perpetrator of the offenses. We find that while Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-1-134(a)(4)(B) prohibits the transfer to criminal court of juveniles who are "involuntarily committable" to a mental health facility, no such prohibition exists with respect to juveniles whose mental disorders might make them subject to voluntary admission to a mental health facility. In addition, we find that Appellant Simmons has failed to present this Court with a record sufficient to permit review of the issue concerning his identity as a perpetrator of the offenses at issue in this appeal. The judgments, conviction and sentences are therefore affirmed. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/simmonsjack.wpd Constitutionality of HB 2479 Date: May 6, 2002 Opinion Number: 02-059 http://www.tba.org/tba_files/AG/OP59.pdf Appointment and Confirmation of Tennessee Regulatory Authority Directors Date: May 7, 2002 Opinion Number: 02-060 http://www.tba.org/tba_files/AG/OP60.pdf Inability of county beer board to revoke beer permit because place of public gathering is built within the prohibited distance for beer sales Date: May 8, 2002 Opinion Number: 02-061 http://www.tba.org/tba_files/AG/OP61.pdf PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL! GET A FULL-TEXT COPY OF AN OPINION! JOIN THE TENNESSEE BAR ASSOCIATION! SUBSCRIBE TO OPINION FLASH! UNSUBSCRIBE TO OPINION FLASH? ... SURELY NOT! But if you must, visit the TBALink web site at: http://www.tba.org/op-flash.mgi Home • Contact Us • PageFinder • What's New • Help |
|
© Copyright 2002 Tennessee Bar Association
|