1. Criminal Law-_judge questioning witness during trial-_clarification
The trial court did not err in a trafficking in marijuana case by interrupting the direct
examination of a prosecution witness to ask the witness a few questions as the witness was
testifying that he could identify defendant's voice, because: (1) the trial court's questioning was
simply an effort to clarify the witness's testimony; and (2) the clarification was helpful since it
could have been unclear to the jury exactly what the witness meant, and the questions helped
clarify that the detective was speaking of a person and not the subject matter of a telephone call.
2. Drugs--trafficking in marijuana by transportation--trafficking in marijuana by
delivery-_constructive delivery-_acting in concert
The trial court did not err by permitting the jury to consider charges against defendant for
trafficking in marijuana by transportation and trafficking in marijuana by delivery even though
defendant contends he never actually possessed or delivered the pertinent marijuana, because: (1)
the doctrine of constructive delivery is recognized under our state laws; and (2) defendant was
guilty of acting in concert when he was present at the scene of the crime and acted with another
who transported the marijuana.
3. Evidence-_trafficking in marijuana_-laboratory report--chain of custody
The trial court did not err in a trafficking in marijuana case by finding the chain of
custody for a laboratory report was properly established even though the statement of the chain of
custody did not comply with N.C.G.S. § 90-95(g1)(1) based on an inaccuracy concerning the last
person to handle the evidence, because: (1) a statement pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 90-95(g1)(1) is
not the exclusive method for authenticating a laboratory report; (2) the chain of custody may also
be established by the testimony of the individuals in the chain of custody; and (3) a detective's
testimony establishing that he was the last person to handle the evidence, in addition to the
statement admitted by the State, was sufficient to establish the chain of custody.
4. Drugs_-conspiracy to traffic in marijuana_-failure to name person to whom
defendant conspired to sell or deliver
The indictment used to charge defendant with conspiracy to traffic in marijuana was not
defective even though it failed to name the person to whom defendant conspired to sell or
deliver, because: (1) an indictment for conspiracy to sell or deliver a controlled substance does
not need to name the person to whom defendant conspired to sell or deliver; (2) the indictment
for conspiracy, considered along with the accompanying indictment charging defendant with the
offense of delivery of marijuana and the magistrate's order both identifying the person to whom
defendant delivered marijuana, gave defendant sufficient notice of the charge against him; and
(3) even if the indictment had been defective in charging defendant with conspiracy to traffic in
marijuana by delivery, the indictment would have still been sufficient to support a conviction of a
single act of conspiracy to traffic in marijuana by possession and transportation.
5. Criminal Law-_trafficking in marijuana--errors in forms to record judgment and
commitment
Although there was no error in the determination that defendant was guilty of traffickingin marijuana by possession
, trafficking in marijuana by delivery, trafficking in marijuana by
transportation, and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana, the case is remanded to correct the errors in
the forms used to record the judgment and commitment.
Attorney General Roy A. Cooper, III, by Special Deputy
Attorney General Richard E. Slipsky, for the State.
Douglas R. Hux for defendant-appellant.
HUNTER, Judge.
Eduardo Hernandez Lorenzo (defendant) was convicted in the
Superior Court of Rockingham County for trafficking in marijuana by
possession, trafficking in marijuana by delivery, trafficking in
marijuana by transportation, and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana
by possession, transportation, and delivery. Defendant appeals.
We find no error, but we remand for correction of judgment and
commitment forms.
On 14 September 1999, police executed a search warrant at the
home of Chad Smith, where they found and seized approximately two
pounds of marijuana and $11,000.00 in cash. Smith told police his
supplier was a hispanic male named Edward, and he agreed to help
the police arrest Edward. Over the course of the day, Smith
arranged to buy fifteen pounds of marijuana from his supplier. The
transaction was to take place at 9:00 p.m. outside a Mexican
restaurant. Smith informed police that defendant usually arrived
in a white vehicle to check out the scene, but that he used
another hispanic male to make the actual delivery. The policeofficers positioned at the restaurant saw a white car, matching the
description Smith had given, circle around the parking lot. A few
minutes later, a red car pulled into the parking lot. The driver
of the red car, Alejandro Cruz Gonzalez, got out, removed a garbage
bag, and placed it in Smith's car. Gonzalez and defendant were
subsequently arrested. Tests conducted by the State Bureau of
Investigation (SBI) revealed that the garbage bag contained 18.4
pounds of marijuana.
A grand jury indicted defendant for trafficking in marijuana
by possession, trafficking in marijuana by delivery, trafficking in
marijuana by transportation, and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana
by possession, transportation, and delivery. On 2 June 2000, a
jury found defendant guilty on all charges. During sentencing, the
judgments for trafficking in marijuana by possession and
trafficking in marijuana by delivery were consolidated. For this
consolidated offense, defendant was sentenced to a prison term of
twenty-five to thirty months and a fine of $5,000.00. The trial
court also consolidated the offenses of trafficking in marijuana by
transportation and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana by
possession, delivery, and transportation. For this consolidated
offense, defendant also received a prison term of twenty-five to
thirty months and a fine of $5,000.00. Defendant appeals.
[1]By his first argument, defendant contends that the trial
court committed reversible error by questioning a trial witness and
therefore depriving defendant of a fair and impartial tribunal.
The trial court interrupted the direct examination of prosecution
witness Detective Billy Parker, as Parker was testifying that hecould identify defendant's voice, to ask the witness a few
questions. The following exchange occurred:
Q: Did you recognize the voice on that
occasion?
A: It was the same subject as earlier.
Q: And what did you do after that call?
THE COURT: Excuse me. Do you have
an opinion as to who it was? The same voice?
Was it the person you had talked to earlier,
approximately a month before?
THE WITNESS: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: What is your opinion when the
second phone call was made? Was it the same
person you talked to about a month before?
THE WITNESS: I feel it was the same
subject.
Q: And that person you spoke to a month
before, was that person Mr. Lorenzo?
A: Yes.
A judge may speak to witnesses during the trial but [t]he
judge may not express during any stage of the trial, any opinion in
the presence of the jury on any question of fact to be decided by
the jury. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1222 (1999). This statute does
not preclude a judge from questioning a witness to clarify his or
her testimony, State v. Whittington, 318 N.C. 114, 125, 347 S.E.2d
403, 409 (1986), as long as the questioning is conducted in such
a manner as to avoid prejudice to either party, id. We have
reviewed the questioning during Detective Parker's testimony and we
believe the questioning was not prejudicial to defendant. Rather,
the trial court's questioning was simply an effort to clarify the
detective's testimony. Such clarification was helpful because itcould have been unclear to the jury exactly what Detective Parker
meant when he spoke of the same subject. The trial court's
questions helped to clarify that the detective was speaking of a
person and not the subject matter of the telephone call.
Therefore, we conclude that this line of questioning was not
prejudicial to defendant.
[2]Defendant's second argument is that the trial court
committed reversible error by charging defendant with trafficking
in marijuana by transportation and trafficking in marijuana by
delivery because defendant himself never actually possessed or
delivered the marijuana in question and because North Carolina does
not recognize the doctrines of constructive delivery or
constructive transportation. We disagree. The doctrine of
constructive delivery is recognized under our state laws. For
example, the offense of delivery of a controlled substance is
defined as the actual constructive, or attempted transfer from one
person to another. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-87(7) (1999). Our courts
have also recognized the concept of constructive delivery. See
State v. Creason, 313 N.C. 122, 129, 326 S.E.2d 24, 28 (1985);
State v. Thrift, 78 N.C. App. 199, 201, 336 S.E.2d 861, 862 (1985),
disc. review denied, 316 N.C. 557, 344 S.E.2d 15 (1986). Thus,
defendant's argument that there is no doctrine of constructive
delivery under North Carolina law is incorrect.
While we have found no case in North Carolina that recognizes
the doctrine of constructive transportation, we nonetheless
conclude there was no error in the jury instruction given by thetrial court. The trial court did not instruct the jury on
constructive transportation, but instructed the jury on acting in
concert. It is well-settled in North Carolina that a person may be
guilty of a crime by acting in concert if he is found at the
scene of a crime, acting with another person who plans to commit a
crime. State v. Jefferies, 333 N.C. 501, 512, 428 S.E.2d 150, 156
(1993). A person is considered acting in concert even if the other
person does all the acts necessary to commit the crime. Id.
Here, we believe defendant was guilty of acting in concert.
Defendant had previously spoken with Smith to arrange where the
transaction would take place. He was at the scene of the crime
when the marijuana was delivered to Smith. Defendant was therefore
present at the scene of the crime, acting with another who
transported the marijuana. Thus, the jury instruction on the
charge of trafficking in marijuana by transportation was proper
based on the doctrine of acting in concert.
[3]Defendant's third argument relates to the evidence
presented by the State regarding the chain of custody of the
laboratory report. Defendant argues that the chain of custody was
not properly established. Under North Carolina law, a chain of
custody does not have to be established by calling witnesses if
there is a statement signed by each successive person in the chain
of custody that the person delivered it to the other person
indicated on or about the date stated. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-
95(g1)(1) (1999). Defendant claims that the State's statement was
inaccurate because it provided that Alice Green-Guy was the last
person in the chain of custody, whereas the evidence at trialshowed that Detective Parker was the last person to handle the
evidence.
Although defendant is correct that the statement of the chain
of custody did not comply with the statute, we find that the
evidence presented by the State was sufficient to establish the
chain of custody. A statement pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-
95(g1) is not the exclusive method for authenticating a laboratory
report. State v. Greenlee, 146 N.C. App. 729, 731, 553 S.E.2d 916,
918 (2001). The chain of custody may also be established by the
testimony of the individuals in the chain of custody. Here, once
the error in the statement was discovered, the trial court recalled
Detective Parker who testified that he had retrieved the lab report
from Green-Guy and that it had remained under his control until he
testified. This testimony, in addition to the statement submitted
by the State, was sufficient to establish the chain of custody.
[4]Defendant's fourth argument is that the indictment
charging defendant with conspiracy to traffic in marijuana was
defective. The indictment alleges that defendant did conspire
with Alejandro Cruz Gonzalez to commit the felony of trafficking to
possess, transport and deliver more than ten but less than fifty
pounds of marijuana. Defendant argues that conspiracy to traffic
in marijuana by delivery requires the involvement of at least three
people, since delivery alone requires at least two people, and that
the indictment was defective for failing to name the person to whom
defendant allegedly conspired to deliver the marijuana.
The purpose of an indictment is to give defendant sufficient
notice of the charge against him, to enable him to prepare hisdefense, and to raise the bar of double jeopardy in the event he is
again brought to trial for the same offenses, and [a]n indictment
not meeting these standards will not support a conviction. State
v. Ingram, 20 N.C. App. 464, 466, 201 S.E.2d 532, 534 (1974).
Furthermore, '[w]here a sale is prohibited, it is necessary, for
a conviction, to allege in the bill of indictment the name of the
person to whom the sale was made or that his name is unknown
. . . .' State v. Bennett, 280 N.C. 167, 168, 185 S.E.2d 147, 148
(1971) (quoting State v. Bissette, 250 N.C. 514, 517, 108 S.E.2d
858, 861 (1959)). However, this Court has previously held that an
indictment for conspiracy to sell or deliver a controlled substance
need not name the person to whom the defendant conspired to sell or
deliver. State v. McLamb, 71 N.C. App. 220, 222, 321 S.E.2d 465,
466 (1984) ([w]e reject defendant's argument and refuse to extend
the Bennett rule as to . . . indictments for conspiracy to sell and
deliver controlled substances), reversed on other grounds, 313
N.C. 572, 330 S.E.2d 476 (1985). Therefore, the indictment was
sufficient despite the fact that it does not identify the person to
whom defendant conspired to sell or deliver marijuana. Further, in
this case, the accompanying indictment charging defendant with the
offense of delivery of marijuana (on the same date as the alleged
conspiracy) identifies Eugene Riddick as the person to whom
defendant delivered marijuana, and the Magistrate's Order for the
conspiracy charge identifies Eugene Riddick as the person to whom
defendant conspired to deliver marijuana. We hold that the
indictment for conspiracy, especially when considered along withthe other documents in the record, was sufficient to give defendant
notice of the charge against him, to enable him to prepare his
defense, and to raise the bar of double jeopardy in the event he is
again brought to trial for the same offense.
We also note that even if the indictment had been defective
in charging defendant with conspiracy to traffic in marijuana by
delivery, the indictment would still have been sufficient to
support defendant's conviction for conspiracy to traffic in
marijuana. Defendant was convicted of a single act of conspiring
with Gonzalez to traffic in marijuana by any one or more of the
following: possession, transportation, or delivery. See, e.g.,
State v. Rozier, 69 N.C. App. 38, 52, 316 S.E.2d 893, 902 ([i]t is
well established that the gist of the crime of conspiracy is the
agreement itself, not the commission of the substantive crime),
cert. denied, 312 N.C. 88, 321 S.E.2d 907 (1984). The jury
returned a verdict finding defendant guilty of Conspiracy to
Traffic In Marijuana by Possession, Delivery, and Transportation.
Thus, even if the indictment were insufficient to support a
conviction of conspiracy to traffic in marijuana by delivery, it
would still be sufficient to support a conviction of a single act
of conspiracy to traffic in marijuana by possession and
transportation.
[5]Finally, defendant asserts that there are errors in the
forms used to record the judgment and commitment. The State
concedes that errors exist in these forms. The errors that exist
on the two judgment and commitment forms are as follows: (1)defendant's pleas are recorded as guilty when they should be
recorded as not guilty; (2) the felony trafficking offenses are
listed as misdemeanors, when they should be listed as felonies; and
(3) the forms refer to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-322 (1999) when
referring to the trafficking offenses, but the forms should refer
to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-95(h). Although the sentencing was proper,
it was improperly recorded. Thus, we remand to the trial court to
correct both judgment and commitment forms in the manner stated
above.
We believe there was no error in the determination that
defendant was guilty of trafficking in marijuana by possession,
trafficking in marijuana by delivery, trafficking in marijuana by
transportation, and conspiracy to traffic in marijuana. The case
is remanded, however, to correct the errors in the forms used to
record the judgment and commitment.
No error. Remanded.
Judges GREENE and THOMAS concur.
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