Corey Harrison v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Corey Harrison, appeals from the dismissal of his petition for the writ of habeas corpus. The State has filed a motion requesting that the Court affirm the trial court's denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. We find the State's motion has merit. Accordingly, the motion is granted and the appeal is affirmed pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. |
Wayne | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. William E. Ross
The defendant, William E. Ross, pled guilty in the Hardin County Circuit Court to possession of less than one-half gram of cocaine with intent to sell, a Class C felony; possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor; two counts of driving on a suspended license, second offense, a Class A misdemeanor; and resisting arrest, a Class B misdemeanor. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the trial court sentenced the defendant as a Range II, multiple offender to concurrent sentences of eight years for the felonious possession of cocaine conviction; eleven months, twenty-nine days for each Class A misdemeanor conviction; and six months for the resisting arrest conviction. The trial court was to determine the manner of service of the sentences. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court ordered that the defendant serve his sentences in confinement. The defendant appeals, claiming that he should have received alternative sentences. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Hardin | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jesse Haddox v. State of Tennessee
In 1981, a Davidson County jury convicted the Petitioner, Jesse Haddox, of second-degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to life in prison. In 2002, the Petitioner filed a post-conviction petition requesting DNA testing pursuant to the Post Conviction DNA Analysis Act of 2001. The trial court denied the Petitioner's post-conviction petition, concluding that the results of any tests of the remaining DNA evidence would not exonerate the Petitioner. The Petitioner now appeals, contending that the trial court erred by denying his post-conviction petition. After thoroughly reviewing the record and the applicable law, we conclude that there exists reversible error in the trial court's judgment. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jonathan D. Tears v. State of Tennessee
A Marshall County jury convicted the Petitioner, Jonathan D. Tears, of multiple drug-related offenses, and the trial court sentenced him to twelve years. The Petitioner did not appeal his convictions or sentence, but filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief on the grounds that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. Following a hearing on the post-conviction petition, the post-conviction court dismissed the petition. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because: (1) both his trial and appellate counsel failed to properly advise him about the law regarding his right to file a motion for new trial; (2) trial and appellate counsel failed to inform the Petitioner of his right to appointed counsel for appeal; and (3) trial and appellate counsel failed to fully advise him of his right to appeal the sentence imposed by the trial court. After thoroughly reviewing the record and the applicable law, we conclude that there exists reversible error in the trial court's judgment. |
Marshall | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Kenneth R. Lewis v. Robert Waller, Warden
In 1991, the Petitioner, Kenneth R. Lewis, pled guilty to second degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him as a Range I offender to twenty-five years in prison. The Petitioner did not perfect a direct appeal. In 2003, the Petitioner filed a petition for habeas corpus relief, which the habeas court summarily dismissed. The Petitioner appeals the order dismissing his petition, contending that: (1) his plea and sentence were illegal; and (2) the habeas court erred when it dismissed his petition without holding an evidentiary hearing. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the habeas court's judgment. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Brian Shane Caldwell v. State of Tennessee
The Defendant, Brian Shane Caldwell, was convicted by a jury of first degree felony murder and first degree burglary. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of life imprisonment and ten years, respectively. The Defendant's convictions and sentences were affirmed on direct appeal. See State v. Brian Shane Caldwell, No. 1176, 1988 WL 94393 (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Sept. 13, 1988). The Defendant subsequently filed for post-conviction relief alleging, inter alia, that he had received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. After an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied relief; this appeal followed. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Terrell Thomas
This is a direct appeal as of right from two jury verdict drug convictions of the sale of less than 0.5 grams of cocaine. The trial court sentenced the Defendant, Terrell Thomas, to concurrent terms of six years for each offense. On appeal, the Defendant argues two issues: (1) the State failed to provide exculpatory information to the defense in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 65 (1963); and, (2) the trial court erred in not granting the Defendant's motion for new trial based on newly discovered evidence. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Cocke | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Rawshard J. Smith
The Defendant, Rawshard J. Smith, pled guilty to possessing less than .5 grams of cocaine. He was sentenced as a standard Range I offender to three years on intensive probation. Following a revocation hearing, the trial court revoked the Defendant's probation and ordered him to serve the remainder of his sentence in confinement. The Defendant now appeals. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Lawrence Warren Pierce
The defendant, Lawrence Warren Pierce, was indicted for aggravated kidnapping and rape, convicted of the lesser-included offenses of kidnapping and sexual battery, and sentenced as a Range II, multiple offender to nine years and three years, respectively, to be served consecutively. On appeal, he argues that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions; the conviction for kidnapping violates his due process rights because it was incidental to the sexual battery offense; and the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss due to the State's destruction of evidence and in imposing excessive sentences to be served consecutively. Applying the subsequent decision of Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. __, 124 S. Ct. 2531 (2004), we reduce the defendant's sentence for kidnapping to eight years. In all other respects, the judgments of the trial court are affirmed. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Michael Brown v. State of Tennessee, Kevin Myers Warden
The Appellant, Michael Brown, has filed a petition to rehear in this case. The opinion of this Court, affirming the judgment of the trial court, was filed October 15, 2004. Upon review of the petition to rehear, we conclude that it should be denied. |
Wayne | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Wade James Odum v. State of Tennessee
The Defendant, Wade James Odum, appeals from the trial court's dismissal of his petition for error coram nobis relief. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the trial court's denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. We grant the State's motion and affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Lincoln | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
James Dubose v. State of Tennessee, Kevin Myers, Warden
The Appellant, James Dubose, has filed a petition to rehear in this case. The opinion of this Court, affirming the judgment of the trial court, was filed October 15, 2004. Upon review of the petition to rehear, we conclude that it should be denied. |
Wayne | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Jerry W. Hayes, Jr.
The State appeals from an order of the Hamilton County Criminal Court suppressing evidence from a motorist stop on public housing authority property. Following the stop at the street entrance into the public housing development, the officer observed two quart containers of beer in the vehicle driven by Defendant, Jerry W. Hayes. A check of Hayes' driver's license revealed that the license had been suspended. Hayes was indicted for driving on a suspended license and being a minor in possession of alcohol. The stated purpose of the housing authority's checkpoint was to ensure the safety of its residents by excluding trespassers and others without legitimate purposes seeking entry into the housing development. The trial court found the stop constituted an unreasonable seizure and was thus unconstitutional. Pursuant to Rule 9 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, the State seeks review of this ruling. After review, we conclude that the stop was reasonable; therefore, no Fourth Amendment violation resulted. Accordingly, we reverse the trial court's suppression of the evidence and remand for further proceedings. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Isiah Wilson
Isiah Wilson, a juvenile defendant, after transfer to Circuit Court, entered a guilty plea to aggravated rape and especially aggravated kidnapping and received agreed upon concurrent sentences of fifteen years. The defendant properly reserved a certified question of law challenging the appropriateness of the transfer ruling from juvenile court to circuit court. We conclude that the juvenile court judge adhered to the mandated statutory considerations, affirm the transfer, and, thus, also affirm the judgments of conviction. |
Haywood | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Corey Kennerly v. State of Tennessee
The Appellant, Corey Kennerly, is currently serving concurrent sentences of life imprisonment and twenty years, as a result of his guilty pleas to first degree murder and aggravated robbery. Kennerly has filed a petition pursuant to the Post-Conviction DNA Analysis Act of 2001 requesting DNA analysis of evidence that resulted in his convictions. The trial court granted Kennerly's petition and ordered that DNA analysis be performed at state expense. After Kennerly was advised by the forensic laboratory that the DNA analysis was unfavorable, he moved to voluntarily dismiss his petition without prejudice. The trial court ruled that voluntary dismissal of the petition was not authorized by the Act and dismissed the petition upon its merits. Kennerly appeals this ruling. After review, we find no error and affirm. |
Franklin | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jacqueline Hurt v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Jacqueline Hurt, appeals the denial of her petition for post-conviction relief in which she asserted that her plea was not knowing and voluntary and that she was denied effective assistance of counsel. Following our review, we affirm the denial of the petition; however, we remand the matter for the limited purpose of entry of a corrected judgment. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Roger Neal James v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Roger Neal James, appeals the denial of post-conviction relief. The issues are whether the petitioner was denied the effective assistance of counsel and whether the jury was racially biased. The judgment is affirmed. |
Obion | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Joseph D. Gaines v. Kevin Myers, Warden
The Appellant, Joseph D. Gaines, appeals the Wayne County Circuit Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus. On appeal, Gaines argues that: (1) his two convictions for rape of a child are void because the indictment returned against him was not signed by the district attorney general and the plea agreement was not signed bythe trial judge; and (2) his concurrent eighteen-year sentences are illegal because they are outside the statutory sentencing range. Finding these issues to be without merit, we affirm the summary dismissal of the petition. |
Wayne | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Clinton Ketron
The Defendant, Clinton Wade Ketron, pled guilty to one count of operating a motor vehicle while adjudged to be a Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender (HMVO), a Class E felony, and one count of criminal impersonation, a Class B misdemeanor. Pursuant to a plea agreement the Defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of one year for his felony HMVO conviction and six months for his misdemeanor criminal impersonation conviction. The trial court denied alternative sentencing and ordered the Defendant to serve his sentences in confinement. The Defendant raises only one issue on appeal: The trial court erred in sentencing the Defendant to serve his one year felony sentence with the Tennessee Department of Corrections and in sentencing him to six months in the county jail for his misdemeanor conviction instead of placing him on enhanced probation or imposing some other form of alternative sentence. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Bennie Nelson Thomas, Jr.
The defendant, Bennie Nelson Thomas, Jr., was convicted of sale of a Schedule II controlled substance, crack cocaine, a Class C felony, and sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to six years in the Department of Correction. He was also fined $2000. He raises two issues on appeal: (1) whether the evidence was sufficient to sustain his conviction; and (2) whether the trial court erred in refusing to declare a mistrial after the improper reference at trial to a prior drug sale by an undercover informant. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court but remand for entry of a corrected judgment to reflect the defendant’s fine of $2000. |
Gibson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Robert Banks
The defendant, Robert Banks, was convicted in the General Sessions Court of Shelby County of the misdemeanor offense of patronizing prostitution, fined $1000, and sentenced to twenty days in the county correctional center, to be served on weekends. He then appealed to the Shelby County Criminal Court, where, following a bench trial, he was convicted of patronizing prostitution within a mile and a half of a school, a Class A misdemeanor, ordered to pay a $100 fine, and sentenced to eleven months, twenty-nine days, with forty-five days to be served consecutively in the county workhouse and the remainder on supervised probation. On appeal to this court, the defendant raises two issues: (1) whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain his conviction; and (2) whether the trial court erred in denying his motion for a jury trial based on his claim of ineffective assistance of general sessions counsel. We conclude the evidence is sufficient to sustain the conviction and the trial court did not err in denying the defendant’s untimely request for a jury trial, made after his notice of appeal had already been entered. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court, but modify the fine imposed from $100 to $1000, in accordance with the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-514(b)(3) (2003), and remand for entry of a corrected judgment to reflect the defendant’s conviction offense which was omitted from the judgment form. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Tory Nelson Nocho
The defendant, Tory Nelson Nocho, appeals his sentence of life without possibility of parole. The defendant contends that the failure to set forth aggravating circumstances within the indictment is a constitutional infirmity. The defendant secondly asserts error in that the State had not filed statutory notice of intent to seek life without possibility of parole as to one victim prior to the entry of the guilty plea. We affirm the sentence as imposed, but we remand the case for entry of corrected judgments. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Kermit Penley v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Kermit Penley, appeals from a denial of post-conviction relief. On appeal, the petitioner alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, and that his plea of guilty was not knowing or voluntary. We affirm the post-conviction court's denial of relief. |
Greene | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Arzolia Charles Goines v. Glen Turner, Warden
The petitioner, Arzolia Charles Goines, appeals the dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus, in which he contends that: (1) the judge's handwritten signature was not subscribed on the judgments; (2) the judge ordered the present sentence to run concurrently with a previous unserved sentence in contravention of Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(c); (3) in sentencing the petitioner, the court failed to consider a presentence report; and (4) the trial court erred in summarily dismissing his petition without appointment of counsel. After careful review, we affirm the dismissal of the petition. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Robert L. Evans, Jr.
The defendant, Robert L. Evans, Jr., was indicted for aggravated robbery, first degree premeditated murder, and first degree felony murder. A jury convicted the defendant on all counts. The two murder convictions were merged, and the jury imposed life without parole. The trial judge sentenced the defendant to life without parole plus twelve years for aggravated robbery. The twelve-year sentence was ordered served consecutively to the murder sentence and a previous sentence of death in Illinois. The defendant now appeals his convictions and the consecutive sentencing. We affirm both the convictions and sentencing. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals |
