STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
v. Wilson County
No. 99 CRS 53475
KEITH DARNELL TAYBRON
Attorney General Roy Cooper, by Assistant Attorney General Amy
L. Yonowitz, for the State.
Brian Paxton for defendant-appellant.
BRYANT, Judge.
Defendant was charged by indictment on 8 November 1999 with
sale and delivery of cocaine and possession with intent to sell or
deliver cocaine in violation of N.C.G.S. § 90-95(a)(1). He was
found guilty of the charges. The convictions were consolidated and
defendant was sentenced to an active term of imprisonment of a
minimum of twelve months and a maximum of fifteen months.
The State's evidence shows that on 19 March 1999, Westry
Thorpe (Thorpe) of the Halifax County Sheriff's Department was
working in an undercover capacity in Wilson County. Thorpe drove
his vehicle to an area of Sims, North Carolina known as Wall
Street. Thorpe called defendant, who was standing in the area,
over to his vehicle and asked for a twenty. Defendant respondedthat he did not have twenties but he had dimes. Defendant placed
three hits of crack in Thorpe's hand. Thorpe gave defendant one
of the pieces back to defendant, saying he only wanted two. Thorpe
gave defendant a twenty dollar bill and departed. Thorpe delivered
the substance to Detective Eddie Smith of the Wilson County
Sheriff's Department, who forwarded it to the State Bureau of
Investigation's laboratory for chemical analysis. The substance
was analyzed as one tenth of a gram of cocaine base. Defendant did
not present any evidence at trial.
Defendant presents two assignments of error on appeal. First,
he contends the trial court erred by denying his motion to dismiss
the charges for insufficient evidence. We disagree.
A motion to dismiss requires the trial court to determine
whether there is substantial evidence to establish every element of
the offense charged and the defendant's commission of the offense.
State v. Lynch, 327 N.C. 210, 215, 393 S.E.2d 811, 814 (1990),
appeal after new trial, 337 N.C. 415, 445 S.E.2d 581 (1994).
Substantial evidence is that which a reasonable mind might accept
as adequate to support a conclusion. State v. Smith, 300 N.C. 71,
78-79, 265 S.E.2d 164, 169 (1980). In deciding the motion, the
court must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the
State, giving the State the benefit of every reasonable inference
that may be drawn and resolving all conflicts and discrepancies in
its favor. State v. Earnhardt, 307 N.C. 62, 67, 296 S.E.2d 649,
652-53 (1982).
The offense of possession with intent to sell or deliver acontrolled substance in violation of N.C.G.S. § 90-95(a)(1) (1999)
consists of two elements: (1) possession of a controlled
substance; (2) with the intent to sell or deliver. State v.
Creason, 313 N.C. 122, 129, 326 S.E.2d 24, 28 (1985). Sale or
delivery of a controlled substance occurs when there is a transfer
of the controlled substance from one person to another for a
specified price payable in money. Id. at 129, 326 S.E.2d at 28.
Viewed in the light most favorable to the State, the evidence
in the present case shows that defendant handed Thorpe two pieces
of crack cocaine, a controlled substance, for a specified price and
in return received a twenty dollar bill from Thorpe. We hold this
evidence sufficed to defeat defendant's motion to dismiss.
Second, defendant contends that the trial court erred by
denying his motion to dismiss the charges on the ground that the
charges had been dismissed pursuant to a prior plea agreement. The
prior plea agreement, executed in case numbers 98 CRS 16944 and 98
CRS 16945 on 7 September 1999, provided that defendant plead guilty
to possession of cocaine in return for the dismissing [of] all
remaining charges in Wilson County Superior Court (per attached
sheet). Defendant argues the present charges were included in the
remaining charges. We disagree.
The record does not support defendant's argument. The present
charges are not among those noted on the sheet listing the charges
being dismissed. Moreover, the present charges were not pending in
superior court at the time of execution of the plea because
defendant was not indicted on the present charges until 8 November1999, two months later. Until there has been an indictment or
information, a prosecution has not been initiated in the superior
court division. See N.C.G.S. §§ 15A-642(a) and 15A-923(a) (1999).
We find no error.
No error.
Judges WYNN and THOMAS concur.
Report per Rule 30(e).
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