Joseph Carl Hulsey v. State ( 2016 )

NUMBER 13-16-00025-CR
COURT OF APPEALS
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
CORPUS CHRISTI – EDINBURG
JOSEPH CARL HULSEY, Appellant,
v.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee.
On appeal from the 18th District Court of
Johnson County, Texas.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Chief Justice Valdez and Justices Garza and Longoria
Memorandum Opinion by Justice Garza
Appellant Joseph Carl Hulsey was convicted of possession of four to 200 grams
of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a first-degree felony. See TEX. HEALTH &
SAFETY CODE ANN. § 481.112(d) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). He was sentenced
to 36 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, he argues that: (1) the trial court erred by denying
his motion to suppress; (2) the trial court erred by failing to instruct the jury regarding the
unconstitutionality of an extended traffic stop; (3) the trial court erred by failing to instruct
the jury regarding the inadmissibility of illegally-obtained evidence; and (4) the evidence
was insufficient to support his conviction. We affirm as modified.1
I. BACKGROUND
Police officer Don Adams testified that he was patrolling the Days Inn hotel in
Burleson, Texas, on the morning of June 3, 2014. Adams stated that he frequently patrols
the hotel because there have been “numerous calls for service” at that location regarding
drug transactions. Adams observed a blue four-door Nissan sedan with a “stick-figure
family” decal on the back parked at the hotel. Later in the day, when he was patrolling
Interstate 35, he observed the same vehicle parked in a closed rest area.2 A video
recording from Adams’s vehicle was entered into evidence. The recording shows that
there were two temporary barricades near the entrance of the rest stop that had
apparently been moved aside and were not blocking the entrance at the time the officer
arrived.
Adams made contact with the driver, Hulsey, and noticed that there were towels
covering the windows of the car. According to Adams, Hulsey stated that he was a long-
haul truck driver from the Fort Worth area, that he was waiting for his truck to be repaired,
and that he was having lunch with his wife Meredith, who was a passenger in the vehicle. 3
Adams radioed dispatch and discovered that both Hulsey and his wife were registered
1 This appeal was transferred from the Tenth Court of Appeals pursuant to a docket equalization
order issued by the Texas Supreme Court. See TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 73.001 (West, Westlaw through
2015 R.S.).
2 Adams testified that the rest area was closed to the public and was “in the process of being
demolished” and “turned into a commercial motor vehicle checkpoint.” He testified that “there were signs
up that said it was closed.” On the video, there appears to be a sign to the right of the rest area entrance,
but the sign is illegible.
3 Audio of the encounter is not included on the video recording.
2
owners of the vehicle and that both had outstanding Class C traffic warrants. Adams
called for backup, which he testified was departmental policy.
As soon as the backup officer, Mark Pate, arrived on the scene, Adams asked
Hulsey to step out of the car, and Hulsey agreed to do so. Adams testified that Hulsey
gave him permission to pat him down, to reach into his pockets, and to search the
vehicle.4 Adams observed, on the vehicle’s front passenger seat, a purse that appeared
to be made out of duct tape. Inside the purse, Adams found a plastic bag containing what
he believed to be amphetamine residue. He then found on the passenger side floorboard
a lockbox marked with the name “JOE.” Adams asked Hulsey if he knew the combination
for the lockbox and Hulsey gave him the combination. Adams opened the lockbox and
found three plastic bags of what he believed to be methamphetamine, along with two
scales, several plastic baggies, a glass pipe, several butane lighters, and an envelope
marked “To My Joe.” Adams also found a plastic container in the car’s glove box which
contained what he believed to be methamphetamine.
Pate testified that, as Adams was searching the car, he read Hulsey his Miranda
warnings and Hulsey nodded in agreement. According to Pate, Hulsey initially declined
to talk with him. Pate testified:
I asked him, Just go ahead and sit down and we’re going to continue what
we’re doing. As I was walking away, he asked me, Do you have any
questions? I said, Yeah, I’ve got questions but I can’t talk to you right now
because you didn't waive your rights. So he then—I reminded him of his
rights again and he said, Okay, I’ll talk.
Pate proceeded to inform Hulsey that Adams had found “potential drug exhibits” in the
car. According to Pate, Hulsey “told me that all of it was his.” Pate testified that Hulsey
4 Adams testified over defense counsel’s objection that it is “extremely common” for someone to
give consent to search even though they might be in possession of contraband.
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told him that he had three-quarters of an ounce of methamphetamine in a lockbox and in
a Q-tip container. Hulsey explained that the methamphetamine would be “shards and
shake,” meaning large glass-like pieces and powder. In total, the material in the car was
later confirmed to be 23.45 grams, or approximately .83 ounces, of methamphetamine.
Prior to trial, Hulsey moved to suppress the drug evidence and the statements he
made to Pate. After a hearing, the trial court denied the motion and made findings of fact
and conclusions of law, including findings that Pate advised Hulsey of his Miranda rights,
that Hulsey acknowledged those rights, and that Hulsey “knowingly, intelligently, and
voluntarily waived” those rights. The trial court further found that Hulsey “was lawfully
detained while awaiting confirmation of his arrest warrants.”
Following trial, Hulsey was found guilty and was sentenced to 36 years’
imprisonment.5 This appeal followed.
II. DISCUSSION
A. Motion to Suppress
Hulsey argues by his first issue that the trial court erred in denying his motion to
suppress. We review a trial court’s pre-trial suppression ruling under a bifurcated
standard. Baird v. State, 398 S.W.3d 220, 226 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (footnotes and
citations omitted). Almost total deference is afforded to the trial court’s determinations of
fact, which include “who did what, when, where, how, or why” and “credibility
determinations.” Id. Because trial judges are uniquely situated to observe first hand the
demeanor and appearance of a witness, they are the sole arbiter of questions of fact and
of the weight and credibility to give testimony. Id. When a trial judge makes written
5 Meredith Hulsey was also charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.
Prior to appellant’s trial, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment.
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findings of fact, as here, we examine the record in the light most favorable to the ruling
and uphold those fact findings so long as they are supported by the record. Id. We then
proceed to a de novo determination of the legal significance of the facts as found by the
trial court. Id. We will uphold the trial court's ruling if it is supported by the record and
correct under any theory of law applicable to the case. Young v. State, 283 S.W.3d 854,
873 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009).
The United States and Texas Constitutions protect against unreasonable searches
and seizures. U.S. CONST. amend. IV; TEX. CONST. art. I, § 9. “[E]vidence obtained by
an officer or other person in violation of any provisions of the Constitution or laws of the
State of Texas, or of the Constitution or laws of the United States of America” is
inadmissible in a criminal case. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 38.23 (West, Westlaw
through 2015 R.S.). Generally, searches conducted without a warrant are deemed
unreasonable. Hubert v. State, 312 S.W.3d 554, 560 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010). There are,
however, several well-settled exceptions to the warrant requirement, one of which arises
when a person voluntarily consents to a search. Id. A consensual encounter may be
terminated at any time and is not considered a seizure that would trigger Fourth
Amendment protection. Crain v. State, 315 S.W.3d 43, 49 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010).
On the other hand, an investigative detention—which requires reasonable
suspicion of criminal activity under the Fourth Amendment—occurs when a reasonable
person would not have felt free to ignore the police officer’s request or terminate the
consensual encounter. Wade v. State, 422 S.W.3d 661, 667 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013)
(citing United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 554 (1980)). In determining whether
an interaction is a consensual encounter or a detention, we focus on whether the officer
conveyed a message that compliance with the officer’s request was required. Crain, 315
5
S.W.3d at 49. Circumstances that might indicate a detention include, for example, “the
threatening presence of several officers, the display of a weapon by an officer, some
physical touching of the person of the citizen, or the use of language or tone of voice
indicating that compliance with the officer’s request might be compelled.” Id. at 49–50
(citing Mendenhall, 446 U.S. at 554); see State v. Woodard, 341 S.W.3d 404, 411 (Tex.
Crim. App. 2011) (“[W]hen an officer through force or a showing of authority restrains a
citizen’s liberty, the encounter is no longer consensual.”).
Hulsey contends first that the trial court erred in concluding that he “was lawfully
detained while awaiting confirmation of his arrest warrants.” He next argues that the
officer lacked reasonable suspicion to prolong the stop and search his vehicle. See Davis
v. State, 947 S.W.2d 240, 243 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997) (noting that an investigative stop
which is reasonable at its inception may violate the Fourth Amendment because of
excessive intensity or scope) (citing Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 18 (1968)). The State
argues in response that the evidence was discovered pursuant to a consensual encounter
and, thus, there was no need to establish reasonable suspicion.
We agree with the State that the encounter was entirely consensual. Adams gave
uncontroverted testimony that Hulsey freely gave permission for the officer to pat him
down, to reach into his pockets, and to search the vehicle. There is no indication or
suggestion that Hulsey’s consent was coerced or involuntary. Though there were two
officers present at the time the search was conducted, there was no evidence that Adams
displayed his weapon or used language or a tone of voice indicating that compliance with
his requests was compelled. See Crain, 315 S.W.3d at 49–50.
Even if we were to conclude that Hulsey was subject to an investigative detention,
such a detention was supported by reasonable suspicion under the circumstances of this
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case. In the course of a routine traffic stop, the detaining officer may request a driver's
license, car registration, and insurance; use that information to conduct a computer check
for outstanding arrest warrants; question the vehicle’s occupants regarding their travel
plans; and issue a citation. Kothe v. State, 152 S.W.3d 54, 64 n.36 (Tex. Crim. App.
2004) (citing United States v. Zabalza, 346 F.3d 1255, 1259 (10th Cir. 2003)); Davis, 947
S.W.2d at 245 n.6; see Woodard, 341 S.W.3d at 411 (“Law enforcement is free to stop
and question a fellow citizen; no justification is required for an officer to request
information from a citizen.”). Once the officer concludes the investigation of the conduct
that initiated the stop, continued detention of a person is permitted only if there is
reasonable suspicion to believe that another offense has been or is being committed.
See Davis, 947 S.W.2d at 245.
Here, although the video recording established that there were no physical
barricades preventing entry into the rest area at the time the officer arrived, the recording
shows that there were two such barricades that appeared to have been moved out of
position. Adams testified that he observed Hulsey’s vehicle parked earlier in the day at a
hotel that was known for drug activity, despite the fact that Hulsey stated he lived nearby.6
Adams further noted that the windows of Hulsey’s vehicle were covered by towels. 7
Adams then asked Hulsey and his wife for identification and discovered that they had
warrants outstanding for their arrest. See Kothe, 152 S.W.3d at 64 n.36; see also Greer
v. State, 436 S.W.3d 1, 7 (Tex. App.—Waco 2014, no pet.) (“An outstanding arrest
6 Burleson is approximately 15.5 miles from Fort Worth.
7 Hulsey notes that Adams did not observe him or his wife commit illegal activity at the time the
encounter began. However, “[t]he facts that an officer relies on to raise suspicion that illegal conduct is
afoot need not be criminal in themselves; they may include any facts which in some measure render the
likelihood of criminal conduct greater than it would otherwise be.” Wade v. State, 422 S.W.3d 661, 670
(Tex. Crim. App. 2013).
7
warrant may be executed by law enforcement officers at whatever time and place they
choose.”). Taken together, these articulable facts could have led the officer to reasonably
believe that criminal activity was afoot. See Wade, 422 S.W.3d at 668 (“A police officer
has reasonable suspicion for a detention if he has specific, articulable facts that, when
combined with rational inferences from those facts, would lead him to reasonably
conclude that the person detained is, has been, or soon will be engaged in criminal
activity.”).
Further, even if the encounter were considered an investigative detention, it was
not unduly prolonged. See Davis, 947 S.W.2d at 243. Although the outstanding warrants
were for minor traffic offenses, the other circumstances supported reasonable suspicion
that Hulsey was engaged in other criminal activity. Cf. Rodriguez v. United States, 575
U.S. ___, ___, 135 S. Ct. 1609, 1611 (2015) (noting that “[a] seizure justified only by a
police-observed traffic violation . . . become[s] unlawful if it is prolonged beyond the time
reasonably required to complete th[e] mission of issuing a ticket for the violation”); see
Davis, 947 S.W.2d at 245.
In light of the foregoing, we conclude that the search of the vehicle did not offend
the Fourth Amendment, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the
motion to suppress the drug evidence. We overrule Hulsey’s first issue.
B. Article 38.23 Instructions
Hulsey contends by two issues that the trial court erred by denying his request for
certain jury charge instructions. By his second issue, he argues that the trial court should
have granted his request to include the following instruction in the jury charge: “Absent
reasonable suspicion, police extension of a traffic stop in order to conduct a search
violates the Constitution’s shield against unreasonable search and seizures.” By his third
8
issue, he contends that the trial court should have granted his request for another
instruction: “If you determine that any evidence received in this case was illegally
obtained, you must not consider that evidence in your deliberations.”
Following a felony trial, the trial court must deliver to the jury a “written charge
distinctly setting forth the law applicable to the case; not expressing any opinion as to the
weight of the evidence, not summing up the testimony, discussing the facts or using any
argument in his charge calculated to arouse the sympathy or excite the passions of the
jury.” TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 36.14 (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). We
review the trial court’s refusal to submit a jury charge instruction for abuse of discretion.
See Wesbrook v. State, 29 S.W.3d 103, 122 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000).
Article 38.23 of the code of criminal procedure, the statutory exclusionary rule,
provides as follows:
No evidence obtained by an officer or other person in violation of any
provisions of the Constitution or laws of the State of Texas, or of the
Constitution or laws of the United States of America, shall be admitted in
evidence against the accused on the trial of any criminal case.
In any case where the legal evidence raises an issue hereunder, the jury
shall be instructed that if it believes, or has a reasonable doubt, that the
evidence was obtained in violation of the provisions of this Article, then and
in such event, the jury shall disregard any such evidence so obtained.
Id. art. 38.23(a) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). To be entitled to an Article 38.23
jury instruction, three predicates must be met: (1) the evidence heard by the jury must
raise an issue of fact, (2) the evidence on that fact must be affirmatively contested, and
(3) the contested factual issue must be material to the lawfulness of the challenged
conduct. See Hamal v. State, 390 S.W.3d 302, 307 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (holding that
appellant was not entitled to an article 38.23 instruction where there was “no factual
dispute” about what information the officer “received before and during the [traffic] stop”);
9
Madden v. State, 242 S.W.3d 504, 510 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) (holding that “[i]f there is
no disputed factual issue, the legality of the conduct is determined by the trial judge alone,
as a question of law” and concluding that appellant was not entitled to an article 38.23
instruction where there was “no factual dispute” about what information the officer
“received before and during the [traffic] stop”).
Hulsey argues on appeal that “[a] dispute existed as to what traffic law was violated
by Appellant, if any, to justify the initial stop, if the rest area had cones, barricades or
nothing blocking the entrance of the rest area and whether closed signs were present
notifying the public that the rest area was closed.”8
We disagree that the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hulsey’s
requested instructions because there was no affirmatively contested fact issue which was
material to the lawfulness of the police conduct. See Hamal, 390 S.W.3d at 307. The
video recording from Adams’s vehicle shows that barricades were present at the entrance
to the rest area but had been moved aside so that the entrance was not blocked. This
fact was not affirmatively contested at trial. See id. Further, the issue of “what traffic law
was violated by [Hulsey]” was not material to the lawfulness of the police conduct
because, as we have already concluded, Hulsey freely and voluntarily consented to the
search of his vehicle. We overrule Hulsey’s second and third issues.
C. Sufficiency of the Evidence
By his fourth issue, Hulsey argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his
conviction. In reviewing sufficiency of the evidence, we consider the evidence in the light
8 The State argues that Hulsey waived these issues because his counsel at trial did not identify any
fact issues which were “affirmatively contested” or “material to the lawfulness of the challenged conduct.”
See Hamal v. State, 390 S.W.3d 302, 307 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); see also TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1. We
assume but do not decide that the issue was preserved.
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most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have
found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Hacker v. State,
389 S.W.3d 860, 865 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013); see Brooks v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 895
(Tex. Crim. App. 2010) (plurality op.) (citing Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319
(1979)). We give deference to “the responsibility of the trier of fact to fairly resolve
conflicts in testimony, to weigh the evidence, and to draw reasonable inferences from
basic facts to ultimate facts.” Hooper v. State, 214 S.W.3d 9, 13 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)
(citing Jackson, 443 U.S. at 318–19).
Sufficiency is measured by the elements of the offense as defined by a
hypothetically correct jury charge. Malik v. State, 953 S.W.2d 234, 240 (Tex. Crim. App.
1997). Such a charge is one that accurately sets out the law, is authorized by the
indictment, does not unnecessarily increase the State’s burden of proof or unnecessarily
restrict the State's theories of liability, and adequately describes the particular offense for
which the defendant was tried. Id. Here, a hypothetically correct jury charge would
instruct the jury to find Hulsey guilty if he knowingly possessed with intent to deliver four
grams or more but less than 200 grams of methamphetamine. See TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY
CODE ANN. § 481.112(d). Hulsey challenges both the knowing possession and intent to
deliver elements.
To prove unlawful possession of a controlled substance, the State must prove that:
(1) the accused exercised control, management, or care over the substance; and (2) the
accused knew the matter possessed was contraband. Poindexter v. State, 153 S.W.3d
402, 405–06 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005); see TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN. § 481.002(38)
(West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). When the accused is not in exclusive possession of
the place where the substance is found, “it cannot be concluded that the accused had
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knowledge of and control over the contraband unless there are additional independent
facts and circumstances which affirmatively link the accused to the contraband.”
Poindexter, 153 S.W.3d at 406. Under this rule, mere presence at the location where
drugs are found is insufficient, by itself, to establish actual care, custody, or control.
Evans v. State, 202 S.W.3d 158, 161–62 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006). But presence or
proximity, when combined with other direct or circumstantial evidence of “affirmative links”
between the accused and the contraband, “may well be sufficient to establish that element
beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id.
Here, the evidence showed that the majority of the methamphetamine was found
in a lockbox which bore Hulsey’s name, which contained a letter addressed to Hulsey,
and to which Hulsey knew the combination. According to Pate, Hulsey admitted that the
methamphetamine belonged to him, and he stated that there would be three-quarters of
an ounce, which is close to the total amount recovered of 23.45 grams.
Hulsey’s wife testified at trial that all of the methamphetamine found in the vehicle
belonged to her. She stated that the amounts found in the purse and glove box were for
her personal use and that she intended to sell the amounts found in the lockbox to her
sister in Abilene. She testified that she decorated the lockbox with her husband’s name
and that Hulsey did not look in the lockbox on June 3, 2014. The jury was entitled to
reject this testimony and instead believe Pate’s testimony that Hulsey told him that all of
the methamphetamine belonged to him. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 36.13
(West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.) (providing that “[u]nless otherwise provided in this
Code, the jury is the exclusive judge of the facts”); id. art. 38.04 (West, Westlaw through
2015 R.S.) (providing that “[t]he jury, in all cases, is the exclusive judge of the facts
12
proved, and of the weight to be given the testimony” subject to exceptions not applicable
here).
We further find that the evidence was sufficient to establish beyond a reasonable
doubt that Hulsey harbored an intent to deliver.9 “Deliver” means “to transfer, actually or
constructively,” a controlled substance to another. TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN.
§ 481.002(8). Intent to deliver may be proved by circumstantial evidence, including
evidence that an accused possessed the contraband. Moreno v. State, 195 S.W.3d 321,
325 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2006, pet. ref’d). Hulsey notes that there was no
evidence of a large amount of money found in the vehicle. However, the evidence did
establish that the methamphetamine was found along with two digital scales and several
baggies. Additionally, as noted, the evidence supported a finding that Hulsey possessed
the contraband. See id. Accordingly, the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s
finding of intent to deliver. We overrule Hulsey’s fourth issue.
III. CONCLUSION
We note that the judgment incorrectly recites that the “statute for offense” is
“Section 481.115(d), Health and Safety Code.” Section 481.115 is the statute for
possession of a controlled substance, whereas Hulsey was convicted of possession with
intent to deliver under section 481.112. See TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN.
§ 481.112(d), 481.115 (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). Accordingly, we modify the
judgment to reflect the correct statute. See TEX. R. APP. P. 43.2(b); Banks v. State, 708
S.W.2d 460, 461 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986) (holding that when an appellate court has the
9 The State does not address intent to deliver in its brief.
13
necessary data and evidence before it for modification, the judgment may be modified on
appeal).
The trial court’s judgment is affirmed as modified herein.
DORI CONTRERAS GARZA
Justice
Do not publish.
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Delivered and filed the
1st day of December, 2016.
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