Opinion ID: 2999921
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Taylor’s Trial and Post-Trial Motions

Text: Taylor’s trial commenced on March 7, 2005. The government’s case-in-chief included testimony by Detectives No. 05-3819 7 Atteberry and Bays regarding the discovery of the marijuana plants and their methodology for counting them: Detective Bays found the plants in Taylor’s yard located next to a privacy fence, surrounded by boards and other debris, and enclosed by a wrought iron fence. Within the enclosure, the plants were growing in multiple styrofoam cups filled with soil. The cups were placed in four large plastic flats. Without removing the plants from the flats, Detective Bays transported them from Taylor’s home to the Bloomington Police Department to be counted. There, Detective Bays, Atteberry and a third detective, Tim McCoy, divided up the four flats between them and counted their respective share of the plants. The detectives counted the plants by pulling the stalks from the styrofoam containers and counting each stalk that had roots and leaves as a plant. Detective Bays then added the detectives’ individual counts together for a total of 1417 plants, which he recorded in the police report.3 The detectives later destroyed their notes of their individual count of the plants and the tabulation of the counts; they also destroyed the styrofoam cups in which the plants were found. Detective McCoy did not testify. Neither Detective Atteberry nor Detective Bays testified as to the number of plants that he had individually counted. Taylor’s counsel cross-examined both detectives and made no hearsay objections concerning the number of plants counted. Detective Bays also testified regarding a video recording that he had taken of the plants as they were growing in Taylor’s yard and after they were transported to the police station, which was played for the jury during his testimony. The still photo images that Bays made from the video were also admitted into evidence. In addition, the 3 The police report was not offered or admitted as evidence. 8 No. 05-3819 jury was able to view the actual marijuana plants that were seized from Taylor’s backyard; however, they were not in their original form. Rather, the plants were displayed with their leaves separated from their stalks. In presenting his defense, Taylor testified and denied knowingly manufacturing or possessing with the intent to manufacture more than 1000 marijuana plants. He also presented witnesses who had visited his home in the days leading up to the execution of the search warrant who said they did not observe or detect anything illegal or unusual in his driveway or near his fence. On March 9, 2005, the jury found Taylor guilty of manufacturing with the intent to manufacture marijuana. The jury also completed a form to indicate its special finding of the number of plants for which Taylor was responsible. The form listed the following options: ___ 1000 or more marijuana plants ___ 100 or more but less than 1000 marijuana plants ___ 50 or more but less than 100 marijuana plants ___ less than 50 marijuana plants The jury selected the first option. Following the entry of the jury’s verdict, Taylor filed a motion for a new trial, or alternatively, to vacate the jury’s special finding that he was responsible for 1000 or more marijuana plants. In the motion, Taylor claimed that the jury’s finding was based solely on the testimony from Detectives Atteberry and Bays concerning the total number of the plants, which was based on inadmissable hearsay. Taylor argued that the admission of this testimony was a violation of his rights guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause and constituted plain error. Taylor’s motion also argued that the government’s evidence was legally insufficient to prove No. 05-3819 9 that Taylor was responsible for 1000 or more marijuana plants. After hearing arguments regarding Taylor’s motion and reviewing the evidence of the marijuana plants submitted to the jury, the court denied Taylor’s motion for a new trial.