Opinion ID: 1678008
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the circuit erred in granting the State's motion to amend the indictment to charge Cox as a habitual offender.

Text: ¶ 20. Cox alleges that the indictment against him was amended to charge him as a habitual offender and that this amendment is impermissible because it involved the substance of the indictment, and not its form. He cites Quick v. State, 569 So.2d 1197 (Miss.1990) for the proposition that the court has no power to amend an indictment as to the matter of substance without the concurrence of the grand jury by whom it was found, although amendments as to mere informalities may be made by the court. ¶ 21. Cox urges this Court to find that amending his indictment for armed robbery to include the habitual offender section is an amendment of substance. However, we have held that amending indictments to include a habitual offender charge does not affect the substance of the crime charged in any way. It affects only the sentencing of the crime. Adams v. State, 772 So.2d 1010, 1020 (Miss.2000). See also Newell v. State, 754 So.2d 1261 (Miss.Ct.App.1999) (holding that amendment of indictment for conspiracy to commit armed robbery to include habitual offender charge did not affect the substance of the crime charged, but only the sentencing). For these reasons, this argument lacks merit.