Michael Taylor v. Commonwealth of Kentucky ( 2017 )

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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OPINION
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PURSUANT TO THE RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE
PRO.MULGATED BY THE SUPREME COURT, CR 76.28(4)(C),
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KENTUCKY APPELLATE DECISIONS,
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RENDERED AFTER JANUARY 1, 2003, MAY BE CITED FOR
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RENDERED: SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
NOT TO BE PUBLISHEO
2016-sc..:ooo 119·-MR
MICHAEL TAYLOR APPELLANT
ON APPEAL FROM ADAIR CIRCUIT COURT
v. HONORABLE JUDY DENISE VANCE, JUDGE
NO. 14-CR-00051 AND NO. 14-CR-00052
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY APPELLEE
MEMORANDUM OPINION OF THE COURT
AFFIRMING
A circuit court jury convicted Michael Taylor of two counts of first-degree
Trafficking in a 1 Controlled Substance and of being a fi:rst-degree Persistent
·Felony Offender, recommending the mrud.mum 5-years' imprisonment on each··
trafficking conviction enh~nced by PFO I status to 20 years' imprisonment on
. .
each count to be served conse·cutively. The trial court sentenced Taylor to 20
years' imprisonment on each count to be served concurrently and rendered a
judgment accordingly. Taylor appeals from that judgment as
. a matter
-
of right,.
raising six issues.I.
1 Ky. Const. § 110(2)(b).
I. ANALYSIS.
A. Stan.dard of Review.
For preserved issues, determining the proper standard of review requires
a determination of the alleged trial court error .. "We review a circuit court's
decision to dismiss [or to deny dismissal ofj an indictment for an abuse of
discretion: "2 Evidentiary rulings are cllso reviewed for abuse of discretion. 3 "The
test for abuse of discr~tion is whether the trial judge's decision was arbitrary,
unreasonable, unfair, or unsupported by sound leg~l principles. "4 When
reviewing a challenge regarding the racial composition of a jury panel, this
Court applies the Supreme Court's test in DUren v. Missouris, as stated by this
Court in Mash v. Commonwealthf'.
For unpreserved issues, thi.s Court will only overturn the trial court's
ruling if "palpable error" exists in that ruling. 7 Palpable error requires a
showing that the alleged error affected the "substantial rights" of a defendant,
where relief may be granted "upon a determination that manifest injustice has
resulted from the error."B To find that "manifest injustice has resulted from the
error," this Court must conclude that the error so seriously affected the '
2Commonwealth v. Grider, 390 S.W.3d 803, 817 (Ky. App. 2012) (citing
Commonwealth v. Baker, 11S.W.3d585, 590 (Ky. App. 2000)).
3 McDaniel v. Commonwealth, 4iS S.W.3d 643, 655 (Ky. 2013); Partin v ..
. Commonwealth, 918 S.W.2d 219, 222 {Ky. 1996).
4 Goodyear Tire & RUbber Co. v. Thompson, 11 S.W.3d 575, 5al (Ky. 2000) ..
s 439 U.S. 357, 364 (1979).
6 376 S.W.3d 548, 552 (Ky. 2012).
1 Kentucky Rule of Criminal Procedure (RCr)l0.26.
B Id.
2
fairness, integrity, or public reputation of the proceeding as .to be "shocking or
jurisprucientially in tolerable. "9
B. Alleged Dis.covery Violations.
Taylor argues that the trial court erred when it denied Taylor's multiple
motions to dismiss the indictment. We review a trial court's rulings onmotions
to dismiss an indictment for abuse of discretion.10 Taylor made these motions
becau~e of the Commonwealth's alleged failure to produce discovery· timely.
According ~o the record, this issue centers on the production of a police report
~
relating to a charge brought by the Commonwealth against the confidential
informant used by the Commonwealth in two con~rolled buys that form the
. .
basis for the charges against Taylor in the case at ha:nd.
Part of Taylor's defense included. impeaching the credibilify of this
confidential informant. Taylor began making discovery motions for the
production of exculpatory information on January 5, 2015. On November 17,.
2015, Taylor argued that by checking the court records, he became aware of a
_criminal charge brought against
.
the confidential informant on September 3,
.
2015, the existence of which the Commonwealth had failed to inform Taylor.
Additionally, Taylor averred that the g~and ju11'. disJ;Ilissed the criminal charge
.against the informant, and Taylor argued that the dismissal could have
occurred because of the Commonwealth's favorable treatment of the
confidential informant to reward her service to the Commonwealth. Taylor
9 Mart. v. Commonwealth, 207 S.W.3d 1, 4 (Ky. 2006).
·10 Grider, 39896 S.W.2d 4, 6-7 (Ky. 19.95) ("[I]t is imperative· that the Commonwealth provide full
and timely discovery pursuant to RCr 7.24 .... ").
14 RCr 7.24(4)-(9), (11).
5
actual prejudice and deprived the grand jury of autonomous and unbiased
judgment."15 "There are certain circumsta~ces where trial judges are permitted
to dismiss criminal indictments .... These include .... prosecutorial misconduct
that prejudices the defendant .... "16
Even assuming Taylor made a sufficient showing to warrant some sort of
relief for late production of exculpatory materials, we conclude that.the trial
court's ruling here did not amount to an abuse of di.scretion. Recall that Taylor
·refused .to entertain any other form of relief besides a dismissal· of his.
indictment; The trial court discussed the possibility of excluding certain
material evidence or granting a continuance l.n lieu of the extreme remedy of a
dismissal of the indictment. The trial' court reasonably determined that any
.prejudice Taylor potentially suffered did not warrant a dismissal-Taylor still
had the opportunity to cross examine, and did cross examine at trial, the
confidential informant
.
about her criminal history. So we find no error in the
~
trial court's reasonable denial of Taylor's motion to dismiss the indictment for
discovery violation~ and thus affirm the trial court's ruling on this issue.
C. Alleged Improper Character Evidence.
Taylor argues 'that the trial court abused its discretion by overruling his
objection to the alleged improper bolstering ·of the confidential inform.ant's
credibility before ·an attack on that credibilicy occurred at trial ·and that this
. · 15Commonwealth v. Hill, 228 s:W.3d 15, 17 (Ky. App. 2007) (citing Bank v. Nova Scotia
v. United States, 487 U.S. 250, 257-60 (1988)). ·
16 Commonwealth-v. Bishop, 245 S.W.3d 733, 735 (Ky. 2008).
6
·'
abuse of discretion amounted to reversible error.1 7 During the Commonwealth's
direct examination of one of the detectives involved in the controlled .buys, the
Commonwealth asked why the detective did not search the motel room where
the buys were going to occur bef~re Taylor arrived at the scene. As ·part of his
answer, the detective stated that he, "felt like [the confidential informant] was
trustworthy and credible an~ that [thisinformant] had made many buys in the
past." Taylor objected to this testimony, and the trial court overruled the
objection. But Taylor did not move to strike the testimony. Though
questionably preserved, we will treat this issue as preserved for purposes of our
review.
On cross-examination of the detective, Taylor· attacked the honesty of the
confidential informant and suggested improper motives for the confidential
.. informa:pt's actions. During the Commonwealth's re-direct of the detective, the
Commonwealth asked whether the detective fo_und the confidential informant
credible, reliable, and trustworthy,_ to which the detective answered in. the
affirmative. This line of questioning does not appear to have drawn an objection
from Taylor.
Both parties agree that, as a· matter of law, the prosecution· can.not
bolster a witness's credibility before that credibility is attacked. 18 Both parties
also agree that it is improper for one witness to testify that another witness is·
There is question as to the preservation ofthis issue. But regardless of the standard
_11
of review we use, the conclusion is the same--:-:-no reyersible error is present.
· 18 Kentucky Rule of Evidence (KRE) 608.
7
telling the truth; in other words, it is improper for one witness to vouch for the
credibility of another witness. 19 Taylor argues that the trial court's denial of
Taylor's objection to the detective's statements during direct examination
regarding the confidential informant's trustworthiness and credibility
amounted to an abuse of discretion and reversible error.
Even where testimony is introduced in error, "... this Court may still
determine that the error is harmless pursuant to RCr 9.24 and the standards
set forth in· Winstead v. Commonwealth2D."21 "A non-constitutional
\ .
evidentiary
error .. .is harmless if the reviewing court can say with fair assurance that the
judgment was not substantially swayed by the error."22 Errors have also been
found to be harmless in light of other strong evidence, as there is no possibility ·
· the error substantially swayed the jury.23 "When rehabilitation evidence is
. admitted befdre. credibility is attacked, any error is harmle~s as long as
credibility is, in fact, later impeached."24 Regarding this exact type of error, the
court in Fairrow v. Commonwealth?- 5 stated, "Nor are we satisfied that the
admission· of improper evidence of the character of a mere witness affected ·
i9 Stringer v. Commonwealth, 956 S.W.2d 883, 888 (Ky.1997); Newkirk v.
Commonwealth, 937 S.W.2d 690; 696 (Ky. 1996); Hall v. Commonwealth, 862 S.W.2d
321 (Ky. 1993). .
,- .
20 283 S.W.3d 678 (Ky. 2009).
21 Harris v. Commonwealth, 384 S.W.3d 117, 122 (Ky. 2012).
22 Id. at 125 (citing Winstead v. Commonwealth, 283 S.W.3d 678, 688-89 (Ky. 2009)).
23 Wiley v. Commonwealth, 348 S.W.3d 570, 579 (Ky. 2010); Hunt v. Commonwealth,
304 S.W.3d 15, 35 (Ky. 2009); Winstead, 283 S.W.3d at 689.
24 Reed v. Commonwealth, 738 S.W.2d 818, 821 (Ky. 1987) .(citing Summitt v.
Commonwealth, 550 S.W.2d 548, 550 (Ky. 1977)). ·
2s 175 S.W.3d 601 (Ky. 2005).
8
Appellant's substantial rights and constituted manifest injustice so as to
require reversal as. palpable error. "26
(
Th~ cases most anal~gous to the case at.hand are Commonwealth v.
Wright27 and Fairrow v. Commonwealth28. In Wright, an officer made numerous
statements .during his testimony.as to the credibility of a confidential
informant.29 The court found no error in the admission of the officer's
. testimony.30 In Fairrow, the Commonwealth actually elicited testimony from an·
officer as to the credibility of a confidential
, informant,
. directly asking the officer
to testify on this matter.31 Holding that this did not amount to reversible error,.
the Court stated, "Nor are we satisfied tqat the admission of improper evidence
of the character of a mere witness.affected Appellant's (defendant's) substantial
rights and constituted m~nifest injustice so as to require reversal as palpable
error."32 Fairrow and. Wright support our conclusion that, while allowing the
testimony may _have amounted to an error, it did not.amount to reversible error
because of this case's analogous factual circumstances to Fairrow and Wright.
Additionally, the defendant did attack the confidential informant's credibility on
cross-examination, the exact scenario Reed held to be harmless. We affirm the
trial court in all respects on this issue.
26 Id. at 606.
27 467 S.W.3d 238, 247-.48 (Ky. 2015).
2s 175 S.W.3d 601, 605-07 (Ky. 2005).
29 Wright, 467 S.W.3d a~ 247-48 ..
30 Id .
. 31 Fairrow, 175 S.W.3d at 605.
32 Id. at 607.
9
D. Alleged KRS 532.055 Vioiation.
Tayfor alleges palpable error occurred when the Commonwealth's witness
· mentioned an amended charge in violation of KRS 532.055(2)(a)(2) and Blane v.
_Commonwealth33, The circuit clerk testified about Taylor's prior conviction~.
During hi$ testimony, the clerk testified that one of Taylor's convi<;tions
included. facilitation to first-degree assault, which was amended from first-
degree assault."This issue is uri:preserved, sq we review this issue for palpable
error.
KRS 532.055(2)(a)(2) states, "Evidence may be offered by the
Commonwealth relevant .to sentencing including: The nature of prior offenses
for which he was convicted." 34 "KRS 532;055(2)(a) permits the introduction of
. .
prior convictions of the defendant, not prior charges subsequently
dismissed. "35 "For purposes of the penalty phase, criminal charges that have
I .
subsequently been amended are the functional equivalent of dismissed
charges, which we have established to be impermissible as. evidence iri a ·
sentencing hearing. "36
While the clerk's testimony regarding amended offenses was improper, it
did not rise to the level of palpable error. A simple inadvertent mention of an
33 364 S.W.3d 140, 152-53 (Ky. 2012).
34 KRS 532.055(2)(a)(2).
. .
· 35 Robinson v. Commonwealth, 926 S.W.2d 853, 854 (Ky. 1996).
36 Blane v. Commonwealth, 364 S.W.3d 140, 152-53 (Ky. 2012) (citing Chavies v.
Commonwealth, 354 S.W.3d 103, 115 (Ky. 20i 1)-(abrogated on other grounds by Roe
v. Commonwealth, 493 S.W.3d 814 (Ky. 2015)).
10
indictment with amended charges does not amount to palpable error.37 If "the
amended offenses were never pointed out to the jury by the trial judge, the
Commonwealth, or the Commonwealth's witne~s ... we cannot find that the
erroneous introduction of prior amended~ .. cJ:iarges seriously affected the
fairness of the proceeding. "38 This Court found palpable error in Blane when
"the Commonwealth not only elicited the testimony from the deputy circuit
cl~rk regarding the ·original charges, but it also emphasized t~e prior amended
charges in its closing argument to the jury."39 In a situation where a defendant
receives a "jury's recommendation of the maximum sentence on each of the
underlying ch~ges ... prejudi~e. can be presu~ed," but "the facts pr~se~ted in
[tl:ie] case" must still be taken into account.40
While the error here was not as 1.nnocent as the error in Chavies, and
even though prejudice can: be presumed in this case, the error in this case does
not approach the standard of palpable error set forth in Blane. Here, the clerk
simply mistakenly testified about Taylor's amended charge. Although prejudice
can be presumed, the Commonwealth did not elicit that testimony, nor did it
. emphasize Taylor's amended charge to the jury at any point, as the
Commonwealth .did in Blane. So even though we are to presume prejudice,
because the factual circumstanc~s of this case significantly differ.from Blane,.
37 Chavies, 354 S:W.3d at.115-16.
,38Jd.
39 Blane; 364 S.W.3d. at 153.
40 Id. at 152-53·.
11
looking at the totality of the circumstances, no palpable error occurred, and we
. affirm the trial court on this issue. ·
E. Alleged Improper Cross Examination Questioning.
Taylor alleges palpable error when the Commonwealth inquired as to the
identification of the offense for which Taylor was on parole. Taylor called his
parole officer in as a witness. T'.3-ylor inquired as to the nature and extent of the
parole officer's supervision over Taylor, in ·addition to eliciting favorable
character testimony. Before cross examination, the Qommonwealth requested a
bench conference. The Commonwealth told the trial court that it believed
Taylor ·Opened the door for inquiry to questioning about the specific crime of
.which Taylor was convicted that resulted in his being on parole. Taylor objected .
only to any inquiry "regarding how much time Taylor had on the shelf," not to
an inquiry into Taylor's ~pecific charges. The Commonwealth then asked Taylor
if it could inquire as to what Taylor was on parole
.
for, and it appears from the ~
record that Taylor nodded in agreement. Therefore, the trial court allowed the
Commonwealth to ask the parole officer: for what ·offenses the defendant was on
parole. This issue is thus unpresenied.
This Court deems this·issue to have been waived by Taylor. This Court in
West v. Commonwealth acknowledged the waiver rule stated in Salisbury v.
Commonwealth:
When a defendant's attorney is aware of an issue and elects to
raise no objection, the attorney's failure to object may constitute a
waiver of an error having constitutional implications. The
defendant's counsel cannof deliberately forego making an objection
12
to a curable trial defect when he is aware of the basis for an
objection."41·
After "[o]bserving that the record failed to reveal the reason for counsel's failure
to object, whether tactical, deliberate, or inadvertent ... the Court held that
palpable error had not been ·demonstrated. "42
In this case, waiver of this issue is clear. Taylor did not make any
objection to the Commonwealth's· inquiry into the ·nature of the offense for
which Taylor was on parole; in fact, the record suggests that Taylor agreed that
this question could be asked. ~ven if Taylor did not actually agree that this
que~tion could be asked, both parties conferred with the trial court during a ·
bench conference to discuss the. potential issue, giving Taylor ample knowledge
of the potential. issue and time to make an object~on. We conclude this issue
was waived and that no palpable errqr exists; thus we affirm the trial court.
F. Alleged Improper Sentencing.
Taylor alleges the trial court abused its discretion when it denied Taylor's
motions attacking the use of his 2007 conviction to obtain the first-degree
felony offender status'. Taylor argues here a violation of KRS 532.080(.10).
KRS 532.080(10)(a) prohibits the application of the persistent felony
offender statute "to a person convicted of a criminal offense if the penalty for
that offerise was increased from a misdemeanor to a felony, or from a lower
felony classification to a higher felony classification because the conviction
41West v. Commonwealth, 780 S.W.2d 600, 602 (Ky. 1989) (quoting Salisbury v.
Commonwealth, 556 S.W.2d 922, 927 (Ky. App. 1977)).
42 jd. at 602-03. ·
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constituted a second or subsequent violation of that offense." KRS
532.080(10)(b)(2) states that (IO)(a) "shall not prohibit the application of this
section to a person convicted of... [a]ny other felony offense if the penalty was
not enhanced to a higher level because the Commonwealth elected to prosecute
the person as a first-time violator of that offense."
Although the Commonwealth indicted· Taylor for a second-offense
trafficking in a controlled substance, first-degree, which would have violated
KRS 532.080(10)(a), the Commonwealth amended this indidment before trial·
and elected to try Taylor as a first-time violator of the offense, invoking KRS ·
532.080(10)(b)(2)'s statutory protection. The jury ultimately found Taylor guilty
under instructions for a first-time offense. Accorqingly, no violation of KRS
532.080(10)(a) occurred ...
Taylor's claim· that the Commonwealth did not meet its burden of proof
has no merit. The record shows ample testimony supporting the jury's ve~dict
of conviction. So we ·affirm the ruling of the. trfal court on this issue.
G. Fair Cross-Section Claim.
Taylor essentially challenges the rac.~al composition of the jury that tried
him, alleging that the African American population was underrepresented. Over
the course of the proceedings, he requested a fair ·cross-section of the
community in several motions, all of which the trial court denied. Taylor, who
is African American, claimed that out of 75 persons who reported in the-venire,
only one was African American and one was Mexican American. in denying
Tayior's motions, the trial court responded that the venire 'was drawn rando.mly
14
and that she could not control who was in the venire. We will treat this issue
as preserved for our review .
. This Court reviews fair cross-section claims according to the defendant's
burden to show the following:
To succeed qn a· challenge to the racial composition of the jury
panel, a defendant must show: (1) that the group alleged to be
excluded is a ~distinctive" group in the community, (2) that the
representation of µiis group in ·v~nires from which juries are
·selected is not fair and reasonable in relation to the number·of
such persons in the·community, and (3) that this
underrepresentation is due to systematic exclusion of the group in
the jury-selection process. 43
Taylor satisfies the firs~ prong.of this test-there is no question that the group
· alleged to be excluded, African Americans, is a distinctive group in the
community. According to Taylor, African Americans only comprise 3% of the
population of Adair County. But this veryJact supports the Commonwealth's
point that Taylor's.argument fails under the second prong of the Mash test.
· Taylor himself states, "If 75 persons were in ajufy panel, at least 2.25
jurors should be African American." The, record shows the impaneling of one
Africa.n American. Statistically, Taylor is correct; But a venire consisting of one
less Africaz:i American than statistically indicated is not unfair, nor
unreasonable.·
Taylor argues· the impossibiiity of proving the third prong because the
Comm:onwealth of Kentucky does not collect the information Taylor would need
to meet his burden of·proving the third prong. But Taylor has not shown
43 Mash, 376 S.W.3d at 552 (citing Duren, 439 U.S. at 364).
15
' exhaustion in seeking out other ways of proving the third prong. And because
Taylor fails the second prong, we do not reach the third one.
Because Taylor fails the second prong of the Mash test, we affirm the
trial court's denial of Taylor's challenge to the racial composition of the jury.
- . I .
II. CONCLUSION
Finding no merit to any of the issues raised on this appe8.l, we affirm the
judgment.
· All sitting. All concur.
COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT:
Kathleen Kallaher Schmidt
Assistant Public Advocate
COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE:
Andy Beshear
Attorney General of Kentucky
Gregory C. Fuchs
Assistant Attorney General
16