Opinion ID: 1575903
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Background Proceedings and Facts.

Text: On March 19, 2005, police officer Brian Meskimen observed George Eugene Maxwell drive out of a convenience store parking lot onto Aurora Avenue in Urbandale. Officer Meskimen noticed Maxwell was not wearing his seatbelt. Meskimen followed Maxwell on Aurora. Not wanting to pull Maxwell over on the busy one-lane street, Meskimen waited to activate his top lights until Maxwell turned down a side street. After Meskimen turned on his top lights, Maxwell proceeded down the side street for about one-hundred feet before turning into the driveway of his home. Maxwell stopped the vehicle in the driveway, got out, and started walking toward his home. By the time Meskimen asked Maxwell to return to his vehicle, Maxwell had reached the front stoop of his house. Maxwell complied with Meskimen's request and returned to the vehicle, a silver 1983 Oldsmobile Delta. As Meskimen was advising Maxwell why he stopped him, Meskimen noticed the smell of marijuana on Maxwell. Meskimen also saw a pack of Newport cigarettes sitting in plain view between the two front seats of the vehicle. The front seats in Maxwell's Oldsmobile were larger seats, more similar to bench seats than bucket seats, with a slit and an armrest to separate them. The cigarette pack was open, and Meskimen could see a plastic baggie protruding from the pack. Meskimen testified in his five years of experience as a police officer, he knew narcotics were often transported in empty cigarette packs, so he read Maxwell his Miranda rights and asked him for his driver's license. Meskimen placed Maxwell in the back of his squad car, and out of safety concerns, asked for Maxwell's consent to search his person. Meskimen found nothing on Maxwell other than a full pack of Newport cigarettes. Meskimen then asked Maxwell if he would consent to a search of the vehicle. Maxwell told Meskimen he was borrowing the car and was not sure what all was in the Oldsmobile, but that Meskimen could search it. Meskimen waited for officer Matthew McCarty to arrive on the scene before searching the vehicle. Officer McCarty arrived and watched Maxwell in the back of the patrol car while Meskimen searched the Oldsmobile. McCarty did not participate in the search or the collection of evidence. Meskimen removed the plastic baggie protruding from the pack of cigarettes found in the car. The baggie contained approximately ten rocks of a white-yellowish substance. Meskimen thought the baggie contained crack cocaine, so he took the cigarette pack and the baggie as evidence. No drug stamp was affixed to the substance or baggie. He continued to search the entire vehicle, but did not seize any other items. The substance was transported to the department of criminal investigation's laboratory. The DCI lab concluded the ten rocks were 2.77 net grams of cocaine base. The State charged Maxwell in two counts. In count one the State charged Maxwell with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a class C felony, in violation of Iowa Code section 124.401(1) ( c )(3). In count two the State charged Maxwell with failure to possess a tax stamp, a class D felony, in violation of sections 453B.3 and 453B.12. The State also sought a habitual offender enhancement of both charges under section 902.8. Maxwell waived his right to a speedy trial and pled not guilty. A jury trial was held. Under the first count, the jury found Maxwell guilty of the lesser-included offense of possession of a controlled substance in violation of section 124.401(5). Under the second count, the jury found Maxwell not guilty. Maxwell filed a motion for judgment of acquittal and a motion for new trial. Maxwell claimed the evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction for the offense of possession of a controlled substance and that the verdict was contrary to the evidence presented at trial. The court denied the motion without a hearing and without stating its reasons for the denial. After the jury verdict, the State moved to amend the trial information to permit the enhancement of the possession-of-a-controlled-substance charge based upon Maxwell's two prior convictions under chapter 124. The State also maintained its original request that the district court sentence Maxwell as a habitual offender. The district court permitted the amendment to the trial information without objection. Maxwell stipulated in open court to two previous felony convictions. Maxwell stipulated that on both November 5, 1999 and May 31, 2000, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. During the sentencing hearing Maxwell challenged the State's request to use the 1999 and 2000 felony convictions both to classify the possession offense as a felony and to sentence Maxwell as a habitual offender. Maxwell argued to the court that the prior felony convictions could be used to classify Maxwell's current possession offense as a class D felony, but those same felony convictions could not be used to sentence Maxwell as a habitual offender. The court rejected this argument, classified the possession conviction as a class D felony, and further enhanced the penalty by finding him to be a habitual offender. The court sentenced Maxwell as a habitual offender.