Carlos Enrique Lorduy v. the State of Texas ( 2023 )


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  •                                 IN THE
    TENTH COURT OF APPEALS
    No. 10-22-00159-CR
    No. 10-22-00160-CR
    No. 10-22-00161-CR
    CARLOS ENRIQUE LORDUY,
    Appellant
    v.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS,
    Appellee
    From the 443rd District Court
    Ellis County, Texas
    Trial Court Nos. 44583CR, 44584CR, and 44585CR
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Carlos Enrique Lorduy was charged by multiple grand jury indictments with the
    third-degree felony offense of assault upon a person who was a member of Lorduy’s
    family or household by impeding the person’s normal breathing or circulation (assault
    family violence by strangulation), with the second-degree felony offense of aggravated
    assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury, with the second-degree felony
    offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by threat, with the third-degree
    felony offense of continuous violence against the family, and with the felony offense of
    animal cruelty. The jury acquitted Lorduy of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
    by threat and animal cruelty. The jury found Lorduy guilty of assault family violence by
    strangulation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury, and
    continuous violence against the family. The jury assessed Lorduy’s punishment at four
    years, eight years, and three years, respectively, in the penitentiary, and the trial court
    imposed sentence accordingly. Lorduy brings this appeal and raises five issues.
    Issues One, Four, and Five
    In issue one, Lorduy contends that it was a double-jeopardy violation under the
    Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and a violation of Penal Code section
    25.11(d) for the State to subject him to multiple prosecutions and multiple punishments,
    purportedly circumventing legislative intent as it relates to allowable units of
    prosecution. Despite the issue as set forth in Lorduy’s brief, Lorduy’s argument is that
    his trial counsel was ineffective for not filing a pretrial motion to quash or set aside the
    indictment and that, as a result, he was punished for the same offense in violation of the
    multiple-punishment protections provided by the double-jeopardy clause of the Fifth
    Amendment.        In Lorduy’s fourth issue, he contends that the record as a whole
    demonstrates his trial counsel was ineffective. Lorduy argues that trial counsel failed to
    investigate the victim’s criminal and social history, failed to call an expert witness, failed
    Lorduy v. State                                                                         Page 2
    to file a motion to dismiss under article 32.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and
    failed to conduct pretrial discovery. In Lorduy’s fifth issue, he contends that prior
    appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to properly raise an issue at the hearing on
    his motion for new trial.
    Issue one raises a double-jeopardy complaint and an ineffective-assistance-of-
    counsel complaint. We will address the double-jeopardy issue first and then address all
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel issues together.
    Double Jeopardy
    Lorduy contends that convicting him of “10 counts . . . violated legislative intent,
    i.e., subject[ed] [him] to double jeopardy.” The “10 counts” referred to by Lorduy are the
    specific underlying acts of bodily-injury assault alleged in the continuous-violence-
    against-the-family indictment. Lorduy’s rationale is that the assault-family-violence-by-
    strangulation and the aggravated-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon-causing-bodily-injury
    convictions with the continuous-violence-against-the-family conviction exceed the
    allowable units of prosecution. Lorduy relies on Ellison v. State, 
    425 S.W.3d 637
     (Tex.
    App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2014, no pet.), to support his contention. In Ellison, the State
    charged the defendant in two separate indictments with continuous violence against the
    family. One indictment alleged two specific underlying acts of bodily-injury assault, and
    the other indictment alleged three specific underlying acts of bodily-injury assault. 
    Id. at 640
    . The problem in Ellison was that the same two underlying acts of bodily-injury assault
    Lorduy v. State                                                                       Page 3
    were repeated in both indictments. 
    Id. at 645
    . The court reasoned that “a double jeopardy
    violation results if the State attempts to punish [the defendant] for any underlying bodily-
    injury assault both under a separate assault count and as part of a continuous family
    violence count.” 
    Id. at 647
    . The court concluded that the “plain, clear language of section
    25.11 indicates that the allowable unit of prosecution for double jeopardy purposes here
    is a series of at least two bodily-injury assaults committed within a certain 12–months–
    or–less period against a single victim in a dating relationship with [the defendant].” 
    Id. at 648
    . The court added that “section 25.11 indicates that only one punishment is
    intended in cases of continuous family violence where the specific underlying acts of
    bodily-injury assault upon which the defendant was convicted occurred against the same
    victim and within the same period the continuous family violence occurred.”              
    Id.
    However, “’the scope of [double jeopardy] protection afforded by a prior conviction’ for
    continuous violence against the family thus would not reach any conduct falling outside
    such allowable unit of prosecution, for which [the defendant] had not already been
    punished.” 
    Id.
     (quoting Bailey v. State, 
    44 S.W.3d 690
    , 693 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th
    Dist.] 2001), aff’d, 
    87 S.W.3d 122
     (Tex. Crim. App. 2002)).
    In the case before us, the victim is the same in each charged offense. Lorduy’s
    charge of continuous violence against the family alleged ten specific underlying acts of
    bodily-injury assault occurring between January 1, 2018, and June 3, 2018. Lorduy’s
    charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was alleged to have occurred on June
    Lorduy v. State                                                                       Page 4
    13, 2018, and his charge of assault family violence by strangulation was alleged to have
    occurred on June 23, 2018; neither was included as a specific underlying act of bodily-
    injury assault in the continuous-violence-against-the-family charge. Further, section
    25.11(a) of the Penal Code limits the underlying acts of bodily-injury assault in charging
    continuous violence against the family to “conduct that constitutes an offense under
    Section 22.01(a)(1)” of the Penal Code. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 25.11(a). Lorduy’s
    charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is an offense under section 22.02 of
    the Penal Code, and the assault-family-violence-by-strangulation charge is an offense
    under section 22.01(b)(2)(B) of the Penal Code. These are not predicate offenses for the
    offense of continuous violence against the family. Additionally, the conduct upon which
    Lorduy’s charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault family
    violence by strangulation are based falls outside the allowable unit of prosecution
    because Lorduy had not been punished for the conduct. See Ellison, 
    425 S.W.3d at 648
    .
    We conclude the multiple punishments imposed do not exceed the allowable units of
    prosecution or violate double-jeopardy protections.
    Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
    “Under Strickland v. Washington, [
    466 U.S. 668
    , 
    104 S.Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L.Ed.2d 674
    (1984),] a defendant seeking to challenge counsel’s representation must establish that his
    counsel’s performance (1) was deficient[ ] and (2) prejudiced his defense.” Smith v. State,
    
    286 S.W.3d 333
    , 340 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). To show deficiency, a defendant must prove
    Lorduy v. State                                                                      Page 5
    by a preponderance of the evidence that his counsel’s representation objectively fell
    below the standard of professional norms. 
    Id.
     And to show prejudice, a defendant must
    show there is a reasonable probability that, but for his counsel’s unprofessional errors,
    the result of the proceeding would have been different. 
    Id.
     “’Reasonable probability’ is
    a ‘probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome,’ meaning ‘counsel’s
    errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial, a trial whose result is
    reliable.’” 
    Id.
     (quoting Strickland, 
    466 U.S. at 687, 694
    , 
    104 S.Ct. at 2064, 2068
    ). A defendant
    must overcome the strong presumption that trial counsel’s decisions and actions fell
    within a wide range of professional and reasonable assistance. See Bone v. State, 
    77 S.W.3d 828
    , 833 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002).
    An ineffective-assistance claim may be raised in a motion for new trial. Smith, 
    286 S.W.3d at 340
    . We review the “denial of a motion for new trial for an abuse of discretion,
    reversing only if no reasonable view of the record could support the trial court’s ruling.”
    Burch v. State, 
    541 S.W.3d 816
    , 820 (Tex. Crim. App. 2017). And we are required “to view
    the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling.” 
    Id.
     “In determining
    whether the trial court abused its discretion, an appellate court must not substitute its
    own judgment for that of the trial court, and it must uphold the trial court’s ruling if it is
    within the zone of reasonable disagreement.” 
    Id.
     If there are two reasonable views of the
    evidence, the trial court’s ruling is within the zone of reasonable disagreement. 
    Id.
    Lorduy v. State                                                                          Page 6
    During the hearing on the motion for new trial, Lorduy’s trial counsel was
    questioned regarding his investigation into the victim’s criminal and social history, his
    reason for not calling an expert witness or filing a motion to dismiss, and the extent of his
    pretrial discovery. All topics serve as the basis of Lorduy’s current complaints.
    Double Jeopardy
    The record reflects that Lorduy’s trial counsel did not file a pretrial motion to
    quash or set aside the indictment on double-jeopardy grounds. Lorduy argued in his
    motion for new trial that trial counsel’s failure to do so amounted to ineffective assistance.
    We disagree.
    “The multiple-punishments protection against double jeopardy does not prohibit
    multiple jury verdicts of guilt within a single trial but only the imposition of multiple
    convictions and multiple punishments.” Ex parte Chapa, No. 03-18-00104-CR, 
    2018 WL 3999741
    , at *6 (Tex. App.—Austin Aug. 22, 2018, pet. ref’d) (mem. op., not designated for
    publication) (citing Ex parte Aubin, 
    537 S.W.3d 39
    , 43 (Tex. Crim. App. 2017), Evans v.
    State, 
    299 S.W.3d 138
    , 141 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009), and McGuire v. State, 
    493 S.W.3d 177
    ,
    201–02 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2016, pet. ref’d)). When a conviction occurs in a
    single criminal trial, the role of the double-jeopardy guarantee “is limited to assuring that
    the court does not exceed its legislative authorization by imposing multiple punishments
    for the same offense.” Aubin, 537 S.W.3d at 43 (quoting Brown v. Ohio, 
    432 U.S. 161
    , 165,
    
    97 S.Ct. 2221
    , 2225, 
    53 L.Ed.2d 187
     (1977)). It is only upon entry of a judgment for multiple
    Lorduy v. State                                                                         Page 7
    offenses, after sentencing, that a multiple-punishments violation even occurs. 
    Id.
     at 43–
    44. If Lorduy’s trial counsel had filed a pretrial motion to quash or set aside the
    indictment asserting a claim of multiple punishments in the trial court, it would have
    been premature because the sentence had not been imposed and no judgment had been
    entered that subjected Lorduy to multiple punishments for the same offense. Counsel is
    not deficient for failing to raise meritless claims. See Ex parte Covarrubias, 
    665 S.W.3d 605
    ,
    623 (Tex. Crim. App. 2023).
    Discovery & Investigation
    Trial counsel indicated in his testimony that he did not file any pretrial discovery
    motion because the trial court had a standing pretrial order that required disclosure by
    the State to trial counsel. Trial counsel’s testimony reflected that he reviewed discovery,
    including photographs, and had “two red-rope folders of discovery.” The victim was
    disclosed by the State as a witness, so pursuant to the trial court’s standing pretrial order,
    the State was required to disclose any “[p]rior felony or misdemeanor convictions
    involving moral turpitude” of the victim. It is also clear from the record that Lorduy
    provided trial counsel with a great deal of information regarding the victim’s background
    and history. The record reflects that trial counsel asked the victim on cross-examination
    about her supervised visitation with her child, her past drug problem, her
    methamphetamine use, her medication for psychotic behavior, the reasons for losing
    custody of her child, her use of physical force against her mother, her poor relationship
    Lorduy v. State                                                                         Page 8
    with her mother, her attacking Lorduy, her failure to report Lorduy’s abuse when it
    occurred, her striking Lorduy’s dog, and her personal psychological and emotional
    issues. The trial court noted when ruling on Lorduy’s motion for new trial that the trial
    was a “pitched battle,” much of it over trial counsel trying to get “bad stuff” into evidence
    about the victim, which trial counsel “succeeded tremendously” in doing.
    Lorduy does not complain on appeal of any unfair surprise resulting from the
    State’s failure to disclose information during the trial. In fact, the State filed a three-page
    document titled “State’s Discovery Responses” that alleged eight prior convictions,
    crimes, wrongs, or bad acts on the part of Lorduy. The State’s disclosure also invited trial
    counsel to “review the [State’s] file for any information that has not been disclosed.”
    Furthermore, the State filed a notice of intention to use extraneous offenses pursuant to
    article 38.371, State’s Notice of Expert Witnesses, State’s Supplemental Notice of Expert
    Witnesses, and State’s Notice of Intent to Call Witnesses. Trial counsel filed a Request for
    Notice of Intent to Offer Extraneous Conduct and Evidence of Conviction. Also included
    in the clerk’s record is a document titled “State’s Production of Discoverable Items in
    Compliance with Article 39.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure,” which included
    the following:
    The undersigned parties hereby acknowledge that the State
    provided discovery equal to or greater than is required by Texas Code of
    Criminal Procedure Article 39.14. The undersigned parties hereby
    acknowledge that the items referenced in the discovery receipt(s) have been
    delivered by the State to the Defense and the items referenced in the
    Lorduy v. State                                                                         Page 9
    discovery receipt(s) were received by the Defense on the dates specified
    there-in.
    The document was signed by Lorduy, his lawyer, and the State’s attorney. Lorduy has
    not shown that the State failed to disclose evidence or that there was any unknown
    evidence beneficial to Lorduy that could have been disclosed by the filing of discovery
    motions or interviewing the State’s witnesses. See Wert v. State, 
    383 S.W.3d 747
    , 756–57
    (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2012, no pet.). Additionally, Lorduy does not state
    what the investigation or interview would have revealed that reasonably could have
    changed the result of this case. See Stokes v. State, 
    298 S.W.3d 428
    , 432 (Tex. App.—
    Houston [14th Dist.] 2009, pet. ref’d).
    Expert Witness
    Trial counsel testified that he did not request a trauma expert because the victim’s
    injuries were very severe. Trial counsel indicated that having a trauma expert look at the
    victim’s injuries and Lorduy’s injuries would not have been exculpatory to Lorduy.
    Counsel particularly emphasized a mark on the victim’s forehead that the victim claimed
    was cause by Lorduy striking her with a gun. Trial counsel concluded that if he “had to
    try it all over again[,] I still would not call a, quote, trauma expert.” Lorduy did not
    adduce evidence showing that such an expert was available or that the expert could have
    offered beneficial testimony. See Jones v. State, 
    500 S.W.3d 106
    , 116 (Tex. App.—Houston
    [1st Dist.] 2016, no pet.) (citing Cantu v. State, 
    993 S.W.2d 712
    , 719 (Tex. App.—San
    Antonio 1999, pet. ref’d)).
    Lorduy v. State                                                                     Page 10
    Article 32.01 Motion to Dismiss
    Lorduy’s next complaint is that trial counsel was ineffective when he failed to file
    a motion to dismiss under article 32.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after 180 days
    had elapsed since Lorduy had been arrested. See TEX. CODE CRIM PROC. ANN. art. 32.01.
    Article 32.01 “prevents citizens from being left in jail or on bail for long periods of time
    without being indicted.” Ex parte Martin, 
    6 S.W.3d 524
    , 529 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). “The
    State must indict within the period set by article 32.01, show good cause for the delay, or
    suffer the dismissal of the charges.” 
    Id.
     “[U]pon dismissal of the charges, the accused
    repossesses certain liberty interests; he is out of jail and off bail until the grand jury
    presents an indictment.” 
    Id.
     The relief is only temporary, and article 32.01 has no
    application once an indictment is returned. Brooks v. State, 
    990 S.W.2d 278
    , 285 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 1999).
    The record before us reflects that Lorduy was on bond while this matter was
    pending, and a little over thirty days lapsed between the 180-day deadline after his arrest
    and the date of indictment. Trial counsel could not recall whether he considered filing a
    motion to dismiss under article 32.01 and agreed that, regardless, the State would have
    presented the case to the grand jury and that the grand jury would have indicted Lorduy.
    Prior Appellate Counsel
    Lorduy argues that his prior appellate counsel who represented him in the trial
    court during the hearing on his motion for new trial was ineffective for failing to
    Lorduy v. State                                                                      Page 11
    introduce a probable cause affidavit and arrest warrant.           Lorduy attempted to
    supplement the record by motion requesting the probable cause affidavit and arrest
    warrant be included in the record; however, Lorduy’s request was denied. Despite our
    denial of Lorduy’s request to supplement the record, appellate counsel attached the
    documents to his brief that Lorduy sought to have included in the record. We cannot
    consider material not introduced into evidence, nor can we consider the documents
    attached to Lorduy’s brief. See Caldwell v. State, 
    672 S.W.2d 244
    , 245 (Tex. App.—Waco
    1983, pet. ref’d).
    Trial counsel should ordinarily be afforded an opportunity to explain his actions
    before being denounced as ineffective. Rylander v. State, 
    101 S.W.3d 107
    , 111 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 2003). When the record is silent, as in this case, regarding the reasons for counsel’s
    conduct, a finding that counsel was ineffective requires impermissible speculation by the
    appellate court. Gamble v. State, 
    916 S.W.2d 92
    , 93 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1996,
    no pet.). Thus, absent specific explanations for counsel’s decisions, a record on direct
    appeal will rarely contain sufficient information to evaluate or decide an ineffective-
    assistance-of-counsel claim. See Bone, 
    77 S.W.3d at 833
    . “[A]n application for a writ of
    habeas corpus is the more appropriate vehicle to raise ineffective assistance of counsel
    claims.” Rylander, 
    101 S.W.3d at 110
    . To warrant reversal without affording counsel an
    opportunity to explain his actions, “the challenged conduct must be ‘so outrageous that
    no competent attorney would have engaged in it.’” Roberts v. State, 
    220 S.W.3d 521
    , 533–
    Lorduy v. State                                                                     Page 12
    34 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) (quoting Goodspeed v. State, 
    187 S.W.3d 390
    , 392 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 2005)).
    The record before us is completely silent as to prior appellate counsel’s strategy on
    not seeking admission of a probable cause affidavit or arrest warrant in the trial court
    before the hearing on the motion for new trial. A record such as this cannot adequately
    reflect the failings of counsel sufficiently enough for an appellate court to fairly evaluate
    the merits of such a serious allegation. See Lopez v. State, 
    343 S.W.3d 137
    , 142 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 2011).
    Accordingly, we cannot say that Lorduy has established that his prior appellate
    counsel was ineffective. See Smith, 
    286 S.W.3d at
    339–41.
    Based upon the evidence, the trial court could reasonably have found that Lorduy
    has not shown (1) that trial counsel’s representation objectively fell below the standard
    of professional norms, or (2) that the result of the proceeding would have been different.
    See 
    id. at 340
    .
    We conclude, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial
    court’s ruling, that the trial court acted within its sound discretion in denying Lorduy’s
    motion for new trial.
    We therefore overrule Lorduy’s first, fourth, and fifth issues.
    Lorduy v. State                                                                       Page 13
    Issue Two
    In his second issue, Lorduy contends that the trial court erred by denying his
    motion for mistrial due to the State’s introduction of prior instances of misconduct in
    front of the jury.
    AUTHORITY
    The grant of a motion for mistrial is only an appropriate remedy in extreme
    circumstances for a narrow class of highly prejudicial and incurable errors. See Ocon v.
    State, 
    284 S.W.3d 880
    , 884 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). The grant of a mistrial is “an extreme
    remedy” utilized only when residual prejudice remains after less drastic alternatives are
    explored. 
    Id.
     at 884–85. “A mistrial halts trial proceedings when error is so prejudicial
    that expenditure of further time and expense would be wasteful and futile.” 
    Id. at 884
    .
    The denial of a motion for mistrial is reviewed for an abuse of discretion and must be
    upheld if it was within the zone of reasonable disagreement. 
    Id.
     “An appellate court
    views the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling, considering only
    those arguments before the court at the time of the ruling.” 
    Id.
    . . . [T]he appropriate test for evaluating whether the trial court
    abused its discretion in overruling a motion for mistrial is a tailored version
    of the test originally set out in Mosley v. State, 
    983 S.W.2d 249
    , 259–60 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 1998), a harm analysis case. See Hawkins [v. State], 135 S.W.3d
    [72,] 77 [(Tex. Crim. App. 2004)]. The Mosley factors that we consider in
    determining whether the trial court abused its discretion in denying a
    mistrial . . . are: (1) the prejudicial effect, (2) curative measures, and (3) the
    certainty of conviction absent the misconduct. [See id.;] Mosley, 
    983 S.W.2d at 259
    .
    Lorduy v. State                                                                             Page 14
    Watson v. State, No. 10-14-00359-CR, 
    2016 WL 3452777
    , at *3 (Tex. App.—Waco June 22,
    2016, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for publication) (quoting Abbott v. State, 
    196 S.W.3d 334
    , 347 (Tex. App.—Waco 2006, pet ref’d)).
    Instructions by the trial court “to the jury are generally considered sufficient to
    cure improprieties that occur during trial,” and “we generally presume that a jury will
    follow the judge’s instructions.” Gamboa v. State, 
    296 S.W.3d 574
    , 580 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2009). “A witness’s inadvertent reference to an extraneous offense is generally cured by
    a prompt instruction to disregard.” Young v. State, 
    283 S.W.3d 854
    , 878 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2009) (per curiam). “An exception exists where the reference was clearly calculated to
    inflame the minds of the jury or was of such damning character as to suggest it would be
    impossible to remove the harmful impression from the jurors’ minds.” Rojas v. State, 
    986 S.W.2d 241
    , 250 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998).
    DISCUSSION
    The following exchange transpired between the State’s attorney and the victim
    during the trial:
    Q. . . . Now, did you go to the police after this event?
    A. I did not.
    Q. Why is that?
    A. I was afraid.
    Q. What were you afraid of?
    Lorduy v. State                                                                    Page 15
    A. What would happen. What would happen.
    Q. By “what would happen,” what do you mean?
    A. Well, for one thing, we were going through a custody battle with my
    mom and he had been in trouble for abusing me.
    Trial counsel asked to approach and objected to the last question and answer on the
    grounds that it was “a violation of the motion in limine . . . she just accused my client of
    some sort of abuse that they were going through with CPS.” Trial counsel also requested
    that the victim’s response be stricken and that the State should be prohibited from going
    into the subject. The State’s attorney indicated that he was not planning on getting into
    the matter without first taking up the matter outside the presence of the jury. The trial
    court indicated he thought “we were on the first incident” and that the victim was talking
    about “something prior.” Trial counsel then moved for a mistrial, and the trial court
    overruled the motion. Once the bench conference concluded, the trial court sustained
    Lorduy’s objection, ordered the answer stricken, and ordered the jury to disregard.
    Considering the Mosley factors, we cannot say that the trial court abused its
    discretion in overruling the motion for mistrial.       It is unclear whether the State’s
    attorney’s question was even intended to solicit a response from the victim that Lorduy
    “had been in trouble for abusing me.”              Additionally, the State’s attorney’s
    acknowledgement that he was not planning on getting into such matters without first
    taking it up outside the presence of the jury appears to indicate it was not his intent to
    inject an extraneous act. Any prejudicial effect from what appears to be an unsolicited
    Lorduy v. State                                                                      Page 16
    response to the State’s attorney’s question was curable by the trial court’s instruction to
    disregard. No evidence was presented to rebut the presumption that the jury obeyed the
    trial court’s instruction to disregard. Finally, the evidence favorable to the conviction was
    strong and came directly from the victim with much of the abuse documented with
    photographs. The victim testified that she could not count the times Lorduy had abused
    her. Lorduy attempted to portray the victim as the instigator, which was by the jury’s
    verdict rejected. Because the record contains ample evidence to convict, the single
    mention that Lorduy had been in trouble for abusing the victim is insufficient to warrant
    disturbing the trial court’s discretion to overrule Lorduy’s motion for mistrial.
    We therefore overrule Lorduy’s second issue.
    Issue Three
    In this issue, Lorduy contends that the trial court erred by holding a 702 Hearing
    in the presence of the jury. See generally TEX. R. EVID. 702. Lorduy argues in his brief that
    Rules 104(a) and (c), 702, 401, and 402 require a trial court to make three separate inquires
    before expert testimony may be admitted. Therefore, it is Lorduy’s position that Rules
    702 and 104(a) and (c) were violated because the expert witness was qualified in the
    presence of the jury.
    AUTHORITY
    . . . To preserve error for appellate review: (1) the complaining party
    must make a timely objection specifying the grounds for the objection, if the
    grounds are not apparent from the context; (2) the objection must be made
    Lorduy v. State                                                                        Page 17
    at the earliest possible opportunity; and (3) the complaining party must
    obtain an adverse ruling from the trial court.
    Rogers v. State, 
    291 S.W.3d 148
    , 151 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2009, pet. ref’d) (citing TEX. R.
    APP. P. 33.1(a)(1), and Saldano v. State, 
    70 S.W.3d 873
    , 887 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002)). An
    objection that does not invoke the trial court’s “gatekeeper” function to conduct a hearing
    outside the presence of the jury will not preserve any possible error on that ground. See
    Pouncy v. State, No. 01-01-01048-CR, 
    2002 WL 31388799
    , at *2 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st
    Dist.] Oct. 24, 2002, pet. ref’d) (mem. op., not designated for publication).
    DISCUSSION
    Lorduy did not object during trial, nor did he request that the trial court conduct
    a gatekeeping hearing outside the presence of the jury when the complained of expert
    witnesses were called to the witness stand by the State’s attorney. Thus, Lorduy failed to
    preserve any potential error. See TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1; TEX. R. EVID. 103(a).
    We overrule Lorduy’s third issue.
    Conclusion
    Having overruled Lorduy’s issues, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    MATT JOHNSON
    Justice
    Before Chief Justice Gray,
    Justice Johnson, and
    Justice Smith
    Lorduy v. State                                                                     Page 18
    Affirmed
    Opinion delivered and filed August 23, 2023
    Do not publish
    [CR25]
    Lorduy v. State                               Page 19