Affirmed and Memorandum Opinion filed August 27, 2015.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals

NO. 14-14-00473-CR

JIMMY EARL VAN-CLEAVE, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 179th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 9403197

M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O N

Appellant, Jimmy Earl Van-Cleave, appeals the trial court’s sentence of life in 

prison on appellant’s conviction for aggravated kidnapping. In two issues, appellant 

argues that the trial court erred in admitting appellant’s prison disciplinary records 

containing evidence of extraneous offenses. We affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

On July 20, 1994, appellant was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and 
2

sentenced to life in prison. Appellant was granted habeas corpus relief as to 

punishment only on the ground that he received ineffective assistance of counsel 

because there was no offer of mitigating evidence during the punishment phase. See 

Ex Parte Van-Cleave, No. AP-77012, 2013 WL 2112369, at *1 (Tex. Crim. App. 

May 15, 2013) (not designated for publication).

At the outset of his second punishment hearing, appellant pleaded “true” to an 

enhancement paragraph alleging a prior conviction for sexual assault. During the 

hearing, the State presented evidence describing the present offense and proving that 

appellant was on parole for the sexual-assault conviction when he committed the 

present offense. Appellant presented mitigating testimony revealing a difficult

upbringing and testimony from two witnesses—prison guard, Antonio Gallardo, and 

correctional consultant, Frank AuBuchon. Gallardo testified regarding supervising 

appellant working in prison. AuBuchon testified about appellant’s behavior during 

his incarceration; according to AuBuchon, appellant misbehaved and had disciplinary 

issues initially but later demonstrated good conduct in prison. At the close of 

evidence, the State offered appellant’s prison disciplinary records containing 

descriptions of numerous infractions early in his incarceration. The trial court 

overruled appellant’s objection and admitted the records. 

In closing argument, the State did not dispute that appellant displayed an 

ability “to clean up his act” while incarcerated, but argued that he was not capable of 

behaving appropriately in the “free world.” The State emphasized that appellant had 

been on parole for only seven months when he committed the present offense.

The record reflects that, before deciding appellant’s sentence, the trial court 

took a brief recess stating it would review appellant’s prison disciplinary records

which had just been admitted. The trial court did not mention appellant’s disciplinary 

records when orally pronouncing the life sentence. The trial court stated that, but for 
3

appellant’s “absolutely horrific and tragic” childhood, he may have developed very 

differently, but the court could not ignore “the extreme violence” and his “criminal 

background.”

II. ANALYSIS

Appellant presents two numbered issues but argues that the trial court erred by

admitting appellant’s prison disciplinary records for three reasons: (1) the extraneous 

offenses contained therein were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt; (2) the 

descriptions of the offenses were testimonial in nature, such that their admission 

violated appellant’s Sixth Amendment right to confrontation; and (3) the State failed 

to provide proper notice of its intent to use the records.

A. Reasonable-Doubt Argument

In one portion of his first issue, appellant argues that the extraneous offenses 

contained in the disciplinary records never could be proven beyond a reasonable 

doubt because the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard applied when determining 

whether there was a disciplinary infraction.

We review a trial court’s admission of evidence under the abuse-of-discretion 

standard. Moses v. State, 105 S.W.3d 622, 627 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003). A trial court 

abuses its discretion when its decision “lies outside the zone of reasonable 

disagreement.” Murchison v. State, 93 S.W.2d 239, 249 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th

Dist.] 2002, pet. ref’d) (citing Montgomery v. State, 810 S.W.3d 372, 391 (Tex. Crim. 

App. 1990)).

Texas Code of Criminal Procedure article 37.07 provides:

[E]vidence may be offered by the state and the defendant as to any 

matter the court deems relevant to sentencing, including but not limited 

to the prior criminal record of the defendant, his general reputation, his 

character, an opinion regarding his character, the circumstances of the 

offense for which he is being tried, and, notwithstanding Rules 404 and 
4

405, Texas Rules of Evidence, any other evidence of an extraneous 

crime or bad act that is shown beyond a reasonable doubt by evidence to 

have been committed by the defendant or for which he could be held 

criminally responsible. 

Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 37.07, §3(a) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.).

During the punishment phase, extraneous-offense evidence may be offered for 

any relevant purpose where the “State can offer proof that would allow a reasonable 

fact-finder to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant could be held 

criminally responsible for that act.” Delgado v. State, 235 S.W.3d 244, 252 (Tex. 

Crim. App. 2007); Fields v. State, 1 S.W.3d 687, 688 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999) 

(requiring the fact-finder may not consider extraneous-offense evidence unless it is 

satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the prior acts are “attributable to the 

defendant.”) 

The fact-finder in this case was the trial court. To admit the extraneous-offense

evidence, the trial court must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the appellant 

“could be held criminally responsible” for the offenses contained in the prison 

disciplinary records. See Delgado, 235 S.W.3d at 252. The fact that, for prison 

disciplinary purposes, the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard applies would not 

necessarily preclude the fact-finder in this case from deciding the reasonable-doubt 

standard was also satisfied. “A judge in a bench trial is presumed to have applied the 

correct law to the facts.” Coonradt v. State, 846 S.W.2d 874, 876 (Tex. App.—

Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, pet. ref’d); see also Fields, 1 S.W.3d at 688 (citing 

McMillan v. Pennsylvania, 477 U.S. 79, 91 (1986) (“[s]entencing courts have 

traditionally heard evidence and found facts without any prescribed burden of proof 

at all.”)). 

We hold that the trial court correctly applied the law and could have concluded 

beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant committed the offenses contained in the 
5

prison disciplinary reports because it had before it the contents of the records and

AuBuchon’s testimony corroborating some of the incidents in the reports confirming 

appellant was not a model prisoner early in his term. See Coonradt, 846 S.W.2d at 

876. Additionally, error in the admission of the prison disciplinary reports would be 

harmless for the reasons set forth in Section B. See Martinez v. State, 313 S.W.3d 

358, 369 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2009, pet. ref’d) (concluding that the omission of 

a reasonable-doubt instruction in a jury charge regarding unadjudicated offenses was 

not harmful error when the entirety of the evidence is reviewed). 

B. Contention Regarding Confrontation Clause

In another portion of his first issue, appellant contends that the disciplinary 

reports contain testimonial statements and thus their admission violated his Sixth 

Amendment right to confront witnesses. See U.S. Const. art. VI. The Confrontation 

Clause of the Sixth Amendment bars the admission of a non-testifying witness’s 

testimonial statements, unless the witness is unavailable and the defendant had a prior 

opportunity to cross-examine the witness. See Smith v. State, 420 S.W.3d 207, 223 

(Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2013, pet. ref’d) (citing Crawford v. Washington, 

541 U.S. 36, 59 (2004)). A statement is generally considered “testimonial” if it is a 

solemn declaration made for the purpose of establishing some fact. Id. (citing 

Crawford, 541 U.S. at 51). We review de novo a determination of whether a 

statement is testimonial because such a legal ruling is determined by the standard of 

an objectively reasonable declarant standing in the shoes of the actual declarant. See

Lilly v. Virginia, 527 U.S. 116, 137 (1999); Wall v. State, 184 S.W.3d 730, 742–43

(Tex. Crim. App. 2006). 
6

The disciplinary records contain the following descriptions of offenses:

On the date and time listed above, and at 12 Bldg. B Pod 63 Cell, 

[appellant] did assault [another inmate] without a weapon, by spitting on 

him. Moreover, the assault did not result in any injuries. 

On the date and time listed above, and at Z-wing 1-row, [appellant] did 

expose his penis to [Officer] with intent to arouse the sexual desire of 

himself. 

On the date and time listed above, and at cell Z-122, [appellant] did 

intentionally damage the food slot door on his cell front door, by 

banging the door numerous times until it broke off the hinges said 

property belonging to [The State]. 

On the date and time above, and at H-119, [appellant] did possess 

contraband, namely 2 pair of shorts, which is in excess of the amount 

authorized, such amount being 1 pair of shorts. 

On the date and time above, and at cell M-210, [appellant] did possess a 

weapon intended to be used to injure another person, namely two 6 inch 

toothbrush handles with razor blades melted into the end. 

On the date and time above, and at bldg hallway, [appellant] did engage 

in a fight without a weapon with [another inmate]. [Appellant] was 

ordered by [Officer] to stop fighting and face the wall and [appellant]

failed to obey the order. 

On the date and time above, and at a-turnout door, [appellant] refused to 

turn out for his work assignment without a legitimate reason. 

The Court of Criminal Appeals has held that a defendant’s jail records, 

introduced at the punishment phase of trial, “chronicling the defendant’s violation of 

jail rules, cell transfers, and fighting, is not inadmissible hearsay; rather, the jail 

records qualify as records made in the regular course of business.” Jackson v. State, 

822 S.W.2d 18, 30–31 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990) (en banc); see Tex. R. Evid. 803(6). 

Evidence that falls within a firmly rooted exception to the hearsay rule does not 

violate the Confrontation Clause, and the business-records exception provides such a 

foundation. See Russeau v. State, 171 S.W.3d 871, 880 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005). 

However, the disciplinary reports should not contain testimonial statements, unless 
7

the strictures of the Confrontation Clause have been satisfied. Id. at 881. Otherwise, 

such testimonial statements amount to the very type of evidence the Confrontation 

Clause intended to prohibit: “unsworn, ex parte affidavits of government employees.” 

Id. The Russeau court ruled that the trial court erred in admitting the defendant’s 

disciplinary records containing inadmissible testimonial statements because the 

Confrontation Clause’s requirements had not been met. Id. at 880. In Russeau, the 

defendant’s disciplinary offenses included “threatening physical harm and even death 

to others, refusing to work or cooperate, breaking out of his cell at night, exposing 

himself and masturbating in front of jailers and other inmates, verbally abusing jailers 

and other inmates, fighting with other inmates, and possessing contraband, including 

improvised weapons.” Id. In concluding that the disciplinary report contained 

inadmissible testimonial hearsay, the Russeau court found particularly persuasive 

“the detailed and graphic” nature of the report that recounted appellant’s numerous 

offenses. Id. 

In contrast, our court’s review of a similar situation involving testimonial 

hearsay and prison disciplinary records found that a sterile recitation of the 

defendant’s offenses and the punishments received contained no testimonial content 

and thus did not violate the Confrontation Clause. See Ford v. State, 179 S.W.3d 

203, 209 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2005, pet. ref’d). The accounts 

considered in Ford were the following: 

February 5th, 2004, the defendant was charged fighting. Seven days loss 

of privileges, found guilty, October 15, 2003, extortion. June the 11th, 

2003, extortion, ten days loss of privileges. April the 21st, 2003, assault 

on an inmate. April 21st, 2003, horseplaying, altercation, five days’ loss 

of privileges. February the 24th, 1998, 25 days loss of privileges for 

fighting. February the 18th, 1998, fighting. February the 18th, 1998, 

fighting. And again February the 18th, 1998, fighting.

Id. at 208. 
8

In a subsequent case, our court contrasted Ford with Russeau to further 

delineate between testimonial and non-testimonial statements. See Grant v. State, 

218 S.W.3d 225, 231 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2007, pet. ref’d). Relying on 

Ford, our court explained that the “presence or absence of a subjective narration of 

events related to [the defendant’s] guilt or innocence” establishes the difference 

between testimonial and non-testimonial statements:

[I]n Ford, we conceptualized the difference . . . as dependent in part on 

the extent to which the statements are a sterile recitation of facts or a 

subjective narration of events related to appellant’s guilt or innocence. 

In Ford, the statements in the disciplinary reports were objective 

statements that particular punishments were assessed for the identified 

disciplinary infractions by the appellant; they were not narratives by 

witnesses against the appellant relating to his guilt or innocence of the 

infractions described. Consequently, the statements were nontestimonial. In contrast, the statements in Russeau contained subjective 

narrations of the very actions by the appellant that constituted the 

offenses for which he is punished. Thus, the presence of a subjective 

narration of events related to the appellant’s guilt or innocence is a 

significant difference between the statements at issue in Russeau and 

Ford.

Id. 

The Court of Criminal Appeals has adopted this rationale for delineation of 

testimonial versus non-testimonial nature of records in similar circumstances. See

Smith v. State, 297 S.W.3d 260, 277 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). The Smith court held 

that “boilerplate” language which does not contain any such testimonial statements,

narratives of specific events, or written observations is admissible. Id. at 276; see 

also Segundo v. State, 270 S.W. 3d. 79, 108–07 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). Likewise, 

the First Court of Appeals has held the following language went beyond “boilerplate” 

language and contained subjective observations from non-testifying witnesses:

. . . was disrupting in Ms. Richmond's class. He was sent out to security. 

Youth refused to go. Student was counseled by staff and refused to 

comply. Mr. Henderson tried counseling with . . . [Youth]. He refused 
9

all counseling. Youth then moved away from staff trying to run. I 

grabbed . . . [Youth] to place him in a standing PRT. . . . balled his fists 

up and swung at staff. Mr. Henderson took . . . [Youth] and placed him 

into a part. At this time Mr. Spearman . . . came to assist. I then went 

down and secured his legs.

Smith, 420 S.W.3d at 225. 

While some of the incident reports in the present case align closely with Ford’s 

sterile model, we conclude that three reports include testimonial descriptive phrases 

and brief narrative accounts resembling those found in Smith. See id. Specifically, 

the three disciplinary reports we conclude were testimonial in nature are the 

following descriptions: (1) fighting with another inmate enters into a narrative track 

when it states that “[appellant] was ordered by Lt. T. Brown to stop fighting and face 

the wall” and included that “said inmate failed to obey the order”; (2) appellant’s 

exposure of himself adds that the act was committed “with intent to arouse the sexual 

desire of himself”; and (3) possession of weapons describes them as “two 6 inch 

toothbrush handles with razor blades melted into the end” which were “intended to be 

used to injure another.” We conclude the reports contain testimonial statements 

regarding appellant’s conduct. See Smith, 297 S.W.3d at 276–77.

The extraneous phrases in the written observations that make it more probable 

that the appellant was guilty of the offense charged are testimonial in nature. See id.

We determine that the detail used to describe appellant’s guilt of the extraneous 

offenses is testimonial hearsay and is inadmissible without appellant’s prior 

opportunity to cross-examine the pertinent witness or a showing that the witness was 

unavailable. See id. Thus, we hold that the trial court erred in admitting three of 

appellant’s disciplinary reports which included testimonial hearsay. 

Having found constitutional error as to the three offenses described, we “must 

reverse [the] punishment unless [we] determine beyond a reasonable doubt that the 

error did not contribute to the. . . punishment.” Tex. R. App. P. 44.2(a); see also
10

Smith, 297 S.W.3d at 277 (citing Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24 (1967)). 

We hold that beyond a reasonable doubt the admission of appellant’s disciplinary 

records did not contribute to his punishment. 

The State did not reference appellant’s prison disciplinary infractions during its 

closing argument. Rather, the State emphasized the callous nature of the present 

offense, noting that appellant reoffended after only seven months’ parole and within 

hours of receiving a five-hour pass from the halfway house in which he was living. 

Furthermore, the trial court made no reference to appellant’s prison conduct in 

pronouncing his sentence. The records were admitted at the close of evidence, and 

the trial court then stated it would review the records during a brief recess. When 

announcing appellant’s sentence, the trial court made no mention of the prison 

disciplinary reports. The trial court expressed only that “at the end of the day, 

though, the Court cannot ignore the extreme violence and your criminal background,” 

and it took into account appellant’s plea of true on the enhancement paragraph and 

found it to be true. 

The record supports that the trial court would have assessed a life sentence 

irrespective of the disciplinary infractions, based on the extremely violent facts of the 

present offense, committed while appellant was on parole for sexual assault. After 

seven months’ parole for sexual assault and within hours of getting his first five-hour 

pass from the halfway house in which he was living, appellant drove to Galveston in 

a truck he had just received from his father. Appellant met various women and went 

to multiple bars while in Galveston. After leaving Galveston around midnight, 

appellant noticed complainant, who was driving alone in her car. Appellant decided 

to rob her, take her car, and, perhaps, “get some pussy, too.” Appellant followed the 

complainant on the highway and caused an automobile accident between his truck 

and complainant’s car. Complainant called her husband, a police officer, who 
11

instructed her to take note of the truck’s license plate number. Appellant asked 

complainant if she was injured, and he appeared to have a nice demeanor until he saw 

that she was on the phone. Complainant exited her car to obtain appellant’s license 

plate number. Appellant put both hands around the complainant’s neck and tried to 

strangle her. Complainant was unable to breathe for a short time and lost 

consciousness after being thrown to the ground. 

Complainant regained consciousness on the floorboard of appellant’s truck; 

appellant told her she was not “going anywhere, bitch.” Complainant attempted to 

grab the steering wheel in an attempt to have appellant stop the vehicle enough that 

she could exit it as she opened the door. Appellant pushed her away, reaching over 

with his left hand to close the door. Complainant grabbed hold of his hand and bit off 

part of his “pinkie” finger, spitting it on the floorboard of the truck. 

When complainant’s husband arrived at the scene, he noticed his wife’s car 

being driven by one male, and he found that suspicious. Complainant’s husband was 

in a Houston Police Department patrol car. He turned on his lights and siren 

attempting to stop appellant’s truck. Appellant rammed the police vehicle and would 

not stop. Complainant then rolled out of the truck. Appellant circled back and 

deliberately ran over her leg. Complainant’s husband’s patrol car collided with the 

truck, causing it to stop after appellant tried to ram the patrol car a third time. 

Complainant’s husband exited his patrol car and ordered appellant to show his hands, 

at which time appellant abandoned his truck and ran for cover. He was apprehended

the following day after attempting to avoid a police search.

In light of the evidence of appellant’s criminal background, to which he 

pleaded “true,” the facts of the present offense, and the trial court’s comments, we

conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the trial court’s admission of the 
12

disciplinary records did not contribute to appellant’s punishment. See Tex. R. App. 

P. 44.2(a); Smith, 297 S.W.3d at 277. We overrule appellant’s first issue. 

C. Contention Regarding Defective Notice

In his second issue, appellant contends that the trial court erred in admitting the 

disciplinary records because the State failed to provide proper notice of its intent to 

use extraneous offense. Appellant asserts the State’s notice reflected that every 

prison disciplinary offense occurred in Walker County, a county in which appellant 

argues he was never incarcerated. Although appellant lists this assertion as an issue 

at the outset of his brief, he cites no authority or record references to support this 

assertion. An appellant’s brief must contain “argument for the contentions made, 

with appropriate citations to authorities and to the record.” Tex. R. App. P. 38.1(i). 

Failure to properly brief an issue presents nothing for us to review; we are not 

required to make appellant’s arguments for him. See Lucio v. State, 351 S.W.3d 878, 

896 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (citing Busby v. State, 253 S.W.3d 661, 673 (Tex. Crim. 

App. 2008)). Accordingly, we overrule appellant’s second issue. 

We affirm the trial court’s judgment. 

/s/ John Donovan

Justice

Panel consists of Justices Boyce, McCally, and Donovan.

Do Not Publish — Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b).