Case Name: John Allen BERRY, Appellant v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee
Court: Mississippi Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2007-06-19
Citations: 996 So. 2d 793
Docket Number: No. 2006-KA-00216-COA
Parties: John Allen BERRY, Appellant v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.
Judges: LEE, P.J., CHANDLER, BARNES AND ISHEE, JJ., CONCUR. MYERS, P.J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION, JOINED BY GRIFFIS AND CARLTON, JJ.; ROBERTS, J. JOINS IN PART. ROBERTS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY MYERS, P.J., GRIFFIS AND CARLTON, JJ. KING, C.J. NOT PARTICIPATING.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 996
Pages: 793–804

Head Matter:
John Allen BERRY, Appellant v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.
No. 2006-KA-00216-COA.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
June 19, 2007.
Rehearing Denied April 29, 2008.
David Clay Vanderburg, attorney for appellant.
Office of the Attorney General by Jeffrey A. Klingfuss, attorney for appellee.

Opinion:
IRVING, J.,
for the Court.
¶ 1. John Allen Berry was convicted in the Circuit Court of DeSoto County of Count I, conspiracy to possess precursor chemicals and Count II, possession of fifteen or more grams of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine knowing or under circumstances where one reasonably should know that the chemicals would be used to manufacture a controlled substance. He appeals, alleging that Count I of the indictment is defective, in that possession of precursor chemicals alone is not a crime. We agree. Therefore, we reverse and render his conviction and sentence in Count I.
FACTS
¶ 2. On February 22, 2005, an employee at a Walgreens drug store in Southaven, Mississippi contacted police after noticing Berry and Lemuel W. Webb, III, come into the store several times that day to purchase cold medication containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The pair left the Walgreens and went to a Fred's store, where the police found them seated in a vehicle in the parking lot. A search of the vehicle revealed several containers of cold medication which contained ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Consequently, Berry and Webb were arrested and later tried and convicted of conspiracy to possess precursor chemicals and possession of pseu-doephedrine and ephedrine.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUE
¶ 3. Whether an indictment is fatally defective is a question of law that this Court reviews de novo. Peterson v. State, 671 So.2d 647, 652 (Miss.1996). To avoid being rendered defective, an indictment must set forth all of the elements of the criminal offense. Id. at 653. "The purpose of the indictment is to provide the accused reasonable notice of the charges against him so that he may prepare an adequate defense." Brawner v. State, 947 So.2d 254, 265 (¶ 31) (Miss.2006) (citing Brown v. State, 890 So.2d 901, 918 (¶ 61) (Miss.2004)).
¶ 4. Berry challenges the validity of Count I of his indictment which provides:
That John Allen Berry and Lemuel W. Webb, III, late of the County and State aforesaid, on or about the 22nd day of February, in the year of our Lord 2005, in the County and State aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of this Court, did wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously, corruptly agree, conspire and confederate, each with the other and with divers others to the Grand Jury unknown, to commit a crime, to-wit: possession of precursors, in direct violation of Section 97-l-l(a), Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated, as amended, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.
Berry argues that Count I of his indictment is fatally defective. Specifically, he argues that Count I does not allege a crime, as possession of precursors alone does not violate the law. Mississippi law prohibits possession of two or more precursor chemicals with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance.' Further, a conspiracy occurs when two or more persons conspire to commit a crime. Thus, there can be no conspiracy under section 97-l-l(a) where there is no crime as the object of the conspiracy. Additionally, Count I does not charge a crime because it does not contain all of the elements that would make possession of precursor chemicals a crime, that is, it fails to include the element of "intent to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance." Count I, as written, also fails to put Berry on notice as to which precursor chemicals he is charged with possessing.
¶ 5. Moreover, as long ago as 1907, Mississippi's jurisprudence has recognized that "each count [of an indictment] must completely and accurately define the offense, giving all its essential constituent elements, embraced in that count; and, whenever a count in an indictment does that, it has perfectly fulfilled its office." Standing v. Mississippi, 90 Miss. 255, 256, 43 So. 952, 953 (1907). Recently, the Mississippi Supreme Court has held that "so long as a fair reading of the indictment, taken as a whole, clearly describes the nature and cause of the charge against the accused, the indictment is legally sufficient." Sanderson v. State, 883 So.2d 558, 561 (¶ 9) (Miss.2004) (quoting Farris v. State, 764 So.2d 411, 421 (¶ 28) (Miss.2000)).
¶ 6. Although an indictment should be read as a whole, our research has not revealed any case law that allows an essential element omitted from one count to be imported from a subsequent count in the indictment. In Sanderson, the court affirmed a defendant's conspiracy conviction even though the conspiracy count failed to list the name of the victim. Sanderson, 883 So.2d at 561 (¶ 10). The court noted that the name of the victim of the conspiracy alleged in Count II was included in Count I. Consequently, the court found that "[u]sing the Farris rule, and reading both counts as a whole, Sanderson was given fair and adequate notice of the crimes for which he was tried." Id. at 561 (¶ 9). The court concluded that the indictment was not defective because the omission was not an essential element of the offense: "[t]here is no suggestion that a victim's name is an element of conspiracy." Id. at (¶ 8). However, the court affirmed that an indictment must state the essential elements of the offense: "an indictment must state the name of the victim of an offense where that is an element of the offense.... " Id. (quoting Burks v. State, 770 So.2d 960, 963 (¶ 12) (Miss.2000)).
¶ 7. Here, unlike in Sanderson, the omission in Count I is twofold. First, the specific names of the precursor chemicals are missing. Second, a necessary element of the crime is also missing. If the only problem were the omission of the name of the precursor chemicals, perhaps the indictment would not be defective, because the identification and name of the drugs in Count II would lead a reasonable person to believe that the conspiracy was based on possession of the pseudoephedrine or the ephedrine that is alleged in Count II. Sanderson, 883 So.2d at 561 (¶ 9). However, there is an impediment to this approach. We discuss that next.
¶ 8. Count II alleges the chemicals in the disjunctive, thereby preventing a reasonable interpretation that Berry conspired to possess both. Conspiring to possess either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine is not a crime unless the amount possessed is two hundred fifty (250) dosage units or fifteen (15) grams in weight and the possessor knows, or under circumstances reasonably should know, that the pseudoephedrine or ephedrine will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance. Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-313(2)(c)(i). Further, as stated, a necessary element is missing from Count I. As written, Berry was not informed as to whether he was conspiring to possess precursor chemicals in violation of section 41 — 29—313(l)(a)(i) or section 41-29 — 313(l)(a)(ii). Therefore, we find Sand-erson distinguishable. We also find that the omission of the names of the two precursor chemicals in Count I of Berry's indictment is fatal, because without them, Berry was not placed on notice of the crime of which he was said to have conspired to commit. By reading the indictment as a whole, he may have been placed on notice as to one of the drugs, either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, but it takes possession of both of these precursors to constitute a crime unless the possession is in the amount of two hundred fifty (250) dosage units or fifteen (15) grams in weight and the possessor knows, or under circumstances reasonably should know, that the pseudoephedrine or ephedrine will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance.
¶ 9. The dissent by Judge Roberts would have us ignore the plain wording in Count I. Count I charges that Berry conspired to commit the crime of possession of precursor chemicals. Under Judge Roberts's rationale, Count I placed Berry on notice that he was charged not with conspiring to possess precursor chemicals but with conspiring to possess one precursor chemical, either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, as identified in Count II. Judge Roberts reasons that because pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are isomers of each other, possessing the same chemical composition and molecular formula, they are identical drugs. We cannot agree that these two drugs are the same chemically, but see no need to engage in a debate regarding their chemical structure. It is sufficient to say that the legislature, as reflected in Mississippi Code Annotated section 41-29-313(l)(b)(iv) and (v) (Rev.2005), has determined that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are legally different precursors, no matter any shared chemical or molecular structure that may exist between them. In said section, "pseudoephedrine" and "ephedrine" are listed separately among the twenty-six chemicals declared to be a precursor drug or chemical.
¶ 10. As an additional reason for urging the affirmance of Berry's conviction on Count I, Judge Roberts points out that the defense was attempting to achieve some tactical advantage by waiting until after announcing ready for trial to raise the issue of the defect in Count I. Judge Roberts reasons that had defense counsel really been confused about what Berry was actually charged with in Count I, he would not have announced ready for trial. To this argument, we make two points. First, the law is not concerned with whether an accused's lawyer is confused, but with whether the State may take away the liberty of a single person without first properly charging the person with a crime. Second, there is nothing unethical, improper, diabolical, or nefarious about a defense lawyer taking maximum advantage of the mispleading of the State to benefit his client. In our judicial system, the defense lawyer's sole loyalty is to his client. He must zealously defend him. To do otherwise could subject the defense lawyer to a claim of malpractice or ineffective assistance of counsel. Of course, the defense lawyer, in his representation of his client, must remain within the ethical and legal parameters as established by our judicial system. What occurred here, however, does not in any way traverse those parameters.
¶ 11. In summary, subsections (l)(a)(i) and (l)(a)(ii) of section 41-29-313 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, make it illegal to possess two or more precursor chemicals with either the intent to manufacture a controlled substance or with knowledge, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the precursor chemicals will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance. Subsection (2)(c)(i) makes it illegal to possess two hundred fifty (250) dosage units or fifteen (15) grams in weight of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the pseudoephedrine or ephedrine will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance.
¶ 12. Count I of the indictment charged Berry with conspiring to possess precursor chemicals which were not named or otherwise identified. It did not charge him with conspiring to possess these unidentified precursors with either the intent to manufacture a controlled substance or with knowledge, or under circumstances where he reasonably should have known, that the precursor chemicals would be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance. Further, Count I did not charge Berry with conspiring to possess two hundred fifty (250) dosage units or fifteen (15) grams or more of either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine with knowledge, or under circumstances where he reasonably should have known, that the pseudoephedrine or ephedrine would be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance. We conclude that the wording used in Count I failed to place Berry on notice as to whether he was being charged with conspiring to commit the crime specified in either subsections (l)(a)(i), (l)(a)(ii), or (2)(c)(i) of section 41-29-313. The use of the phrase "precursor chemicals" in Count I precludes the applicability of subsection (2)(c)(i) since this subsection precludes possession of a certain amount of either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, and the evidence was that the contraband was twenty-four grams of pseudoephedrine, which is only one precursor chemical. As previously noted, Count I failed to identify the precursor chemicals involved, and for reasons already stated, this omission was not supplied by reading Count I in conjunction with Count II. Further, we find that Count I of the indictment fails to charge the necessary element under either of the subsections discussed, leading to the inescapable conclusion that it fails to allege a crime. Therefore, we reverse and render Berry's conviction in Count I but affirm his conviction in Count II.
¶ 13. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF DESOTO COUNTY OF CONVICTION OF COUNT I, CONSPIRACY TO ILLEGALLY POSSESS PRECURSOR CHEMICALS, IS REVERSED AND RENDERED, AND THE CONVICTION OF COUNT II, POSSESSION OF FIFTEEN GRAMS OR MORE OF PSEUDOEPHEDRINE OR EPHEDRINE, KNOWING OR UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE ONE REASONABLY SHOULD KNOW THAT THE CHEMICALS WOULD BE USED TO MANUFACTURE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, AND SENTENCE OF FIVE YEARS, $1,000 FINE, AND $100 RESTITUTION, IS AFFIRMED. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO DESOTO COUNTY.
LEE, P.J., CHANDLER, BARNES AND ISHEE, JJ., CONCUR. MYERS, P.J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION, JOINED BY GRIFFIS AND CARLTON, JJ.; ROBERTS, J. JOINS IN PART. ROBERTS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY MYERS, P.J., GRIFFIS AND CARLTON, JJ. KING, C.J. NOT PARTICIPATING.
. Berry does not challenge his conviction for count II of the indictment; therefore, we affirm his conviction for this count without addressing the substance of it.
. Mississippi Code Annotated section 41-29-313(1)(a)(i) (Rev.2005) provides:
Except as authorized in this section and in Section 41-29-315, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly or intentionally: purchase, possess, transfer, manufacture, attempt to manufacture or distribute any two (2) or more of the listed precursor chemicals or drugs in any amount with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance. (emphasis added).
. Mississippi Code Annotated section 97 — 1— 1(a) (Rev.2006) provides: If two (2) or more persons conspire: to commit a crime . such persons, and each of them, shall be guilty of a felony. . .
. Mississippi Code Annotated section 41-29-313(b) (Rev.2005) designates twenty-six drugs as precursor drugs or chemicals.
. Subsection (l)(a)(i) of section 41-29-313 makes it unlawful 'to knowingly or intentionally purchase, possess, transfer, manufacture, attempt to manufacture or distribute any two (2) or more of the [chemicals listed in subsection (b)] in any amount with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance." Subsection (1)(a)(ii) makes it unlawful "to knowingly or intentionally purchase, possess, transfer, manufacture, attempt to manufacture or distribute any two or more of the [chemicals listed in subsection (b)] in any amount, knowing or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the listed precursor chemical or drug will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance."
.Count II of the indictment alleged:
That John Allen Berry and Lemuel W. Webb, III, late of the County and State aforesaid, on or about the 22nd day of February, in the year of our Lord 2005, in the County and State aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of this Court, did wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously, knowingly and intentionally possess, purchase, transfer or distribute fifteen (15) grams in weight of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the pseudoephedrine or ephedrine will be used to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance, in direct violation of section 41-29-313, Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated, as amended, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.