Title: State v. Segers

State: louisiana

Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court

Document:

357 So. 2d 1 (1978) STATE of Louisiana v. Roy Edward SEGERS. No. 60388. Supreme Court of Louisiana. April 10, 1978. Thomas W. Davenport, Jr., Davenport, Files, Kelly & Marsh, Monroe, for defendant-appellant. William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Walter L. Smith, Jr., Roland T. Huson, III, R. Neal Wilkinson, Asst. Attys. Gen., John T. Seale, Dist. Atty., Thomas F. Wade, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee. SUMMERS, Justice. Rehearing was granted to consider defendant's contention that the case should be remanded for resentencing at which time the defendant would be afforded an opportunity to be confronted with evidence considered by the trial judge in imposing sentence. Segers was tried by jury on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. He was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to serve four years imprisonment at hard labor and to pay a fine of $7,500 for conspiracy and eight years at hard labor and a fine of $15,000 for possession with intent to distribute. After trial and before sentencing, the trial judge conducted a presentence hearing and obtained a presentence report. An objection was made on behalf of defendant to the "Reasons for Sentence" announced by the trial judge as part of the sentencing procedure. The pertinent portions considered objectionable by the defense are: The defense relies upon the proposition announced in Gardner v. Florida, 430 U.S. 349, 97 S. Ct. 1197, 51 L. Ed. 2d 393 (1977), that a convicted person is denied due process of law when the death sentence is imposed, at least in part, on the basis of information that he had no opportunity to deny or explain. While the Gardner case involves a death sentence and may not be binding in a case involving marijuana, the majority of this Court has held in a case involving distribution of marijuana that where a presentence report was shown to be materially and prejudicially false, the trial court erred in failing to allow defense counsel access to the presentence report and an opportunity to rebut any adverse information therein. State v. Underwood, 353 So. 2d 1013 (La.1978). Undoubtedly the trial judge was influenced by the information in the presentence report and the supplemental phone call, as she should have been, if the information was reliable. Therefore, in view of this Court's decision in State v. Underwood, the defendant should be afforded the opportunity to deny or explain the facts relied upon by the trial judge in imposing sentence. To afford this opportunity it will be necessary to remand the case to the trial court with instructions to conduct an evidentiary hearing at which defendant will be able to deny or explain the facts set forth in the reasons for sentence considered objectionable and prejudicial by defendant. After due consideration of defendant's denials and explanations, if any, the court shall resentence defendant in accordance with law. For the reasons assigned, the sentence heretofore imposed in this case is set aside and the case is remanded to the trial court for resentencing in a manner not inconsistent with this opinion.