Court Opinion

ID: 9941976
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-20 13:05:48.803832+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:47:34.073931
License: Public Domain

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA

                                      No. COA23-647

                                Filed 20 February 2024

Davidson County, No. 20CRS54440

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

             v.

MOSE COLEMAN JONES

      Appeal by defendant from judgment entered 3 November 2022 by Judge Carla

Archie in Davidson County Superior Court.         Heard in the Court of Appeals 24

January 2024.

      Attorney General Joshua H. Stein, by Assistant Attorney General Jodi P.
      Carpenter for the State.

      Phoebe W. Dee for the defendant-appellant.

      TYSON, Judge.

      Mose Coleman Jones (“Defendant”) appeals from judgment entered upon a

jury’s verdict of guilty of felony fleeing to elude arrest. Our review discerns no error.

                                 I.     Background

      Thomasville Police Officer Ryan Amos was routinely patrolling in a marked

patrol car while wearing his police uniform. Officer Amos observed Defendant driving

a motorcycle and turning onto James Avenue. The motorcycle did not display a

license plate.

      Officer Amos activated his lights and siren and attempted to conduct a traffic
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                                  Opinion of the Court

stop. Instead of stopping, Defendant motioned with his hand for Officer Amos to pass

him. Officer Amos stayed behind Defendant with his lights and siren activated.

Defendant crossed the center line and attempted to speak with Officer Amos about

going around him. When Defendant slowed to approximately five to ten miles per

hour, Officer Amos rolled his window down and told Defendant to pull over.

Defendant repeatedly asserted his “right of a traveler” to Officer Amos, and claimed

he was not required to display a license plate.

      When Defendant stopped at a stop sign, Officer Amos attempted to exit his

patrol car and remove Defendant from the motorcycle. Defendant drove off before

Officer Amos could stop him. Officer Jonathan Caldwell joined Officer Amos in

pursuit. Officers Caldwell and Amos attempted a rolling roadblock, but Defendant

went into the opposite lane of travel to avoid the roadblock. Defendant drove his

motorcycle through a residential property on Pineywood Road. Officer Caldwell

exited his vehicle and tried to restrain Defendant around his head and neck, but

Defendant accelerated the motorcycle and sped off, knocking Officer Caldwell to the

ground.

      Sergeant Rusty Fritz joined the pursuit while Officer Amos attended to Officer

Caldwell. Sergeant Fritz observed Defendant make a right hand turn at too great a

speed, lose control, and flip the motorcycle. Following a struggle, officers handcuffed

Defendant. Defendant was charged with felony fleeing to elude a law enforcement

officer, assault on a law enforcement officer causing physical injury, and possession

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with intent to sell or deliver a schedule VI-controlled substance. The State dismissed

the possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule VI-controlled substance prior

to trial.

       Defendant was convicted of felony fleeing to elude arrest and was acquitted of

assault on a law enforcement officer causing injury. Defendant was sentenced to an

active sentence of 5 to 15 months of imprisonment. Defendant appeals.

                                II.      Jurisdiction

       Defendant gave his oral notice of appeal during the sentencing hearing prior

to the trial court imposing sentence. Appellate entries were filed, and the Appellate

Defender was appointed to represent Defendant on appeal.

       Rule 4 of the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure provides that notice

of appeal from a criminal action may be taken by: “(1) giving oral notice of appeal at

trial, or (2) filing notice of appeal with the clerk of superior court and serving copies

thereof upon all adverse parties within fourteen days after entry of the judgment[.]”

N.C. R. App. P. 4(a). Defendant prematurely entered an oral notice of appeal before

entry of the final judgment, in violation of Rule 4 of our Rules of Appellate Procedure.

See State v. Lopez, 264 N.C. App. 496, 503, 826 S.E.2d 498, 503 (2019). Defendant

recognizes this error and has filed a petition for writ of certiorari. In the exercise of

our discretion, we allow Defendant’s petition for writ of certiorari to reach the merits

of his appeal.

                                      III.   Issues

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      Defendant argues the trial court erred by finding he had waived or forfeited

his right to counsel and committed plain error by allowing the State to introduce

foundationless expert testimony.

                           IV.      Waiver of Counsel

      Defendant argues the trial court erred by finding Defendant had waived his

right to counsel. This Court previously articulated two means by which a defendant

may lose his right to be represented by counsel: (1) a knowing and voluntary waiver

after being fully advised under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242; and, (2) forfeiture of the

right by serious misconduct in State v. Blakeney, 245 N.C. App. 452, 459-61, 782

S.E.2d 88, 93-94 (2016), holding:

             First, a defendant may voluntarily waive the right to be
             represented by counsel and instead proceed pro se. Waiver
             of the right to counsel and election to proceed pro se must
             be expressed clearly and unequivocally. Once a defendant
             clearly and unequivocally states that he wants to proceed
             pro se, the trial court must determine whether the
             defendant knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waives
             the right to in-court representation by counsel. A trial
             court’s inquiry will satisfy this constitutional requirement
             if conducted pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 15A-1242.

             ....

             The second circumstance under which a criminal
             defendant may no longer have the right to be represented
             by counsel occurs when a defendant engages in such
             serious misconduct that he forfeits his constitutional right
             to counsel. Although the right to counsel is guaranteed by
             the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United
             States Constitution and Article I of the North Carolina
             Constitution, in some situations a defendant may lose this

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             right:

                 Although the loss of counsel due to defendant’s own
                 actions is often referred to as a waiver of the right to
                 counsel, a better term to describe this situation is
                 forfeiture. Unlike waiver, which requires a knowing
                 and intentional relinquishment of a known right,
                 forfeiture results in the loss of a right regardless of the
                 defendant’s knowledge thereof and irrespective of
                 whether the defendant intended to relinquish the
                 right. A defendant who is abusive toward his attorney
                 may forfeit his right to counsel.

Id. (internal citations, ellipses, alterations, and quotation marks omitted).

      This Court in Blakeney also describes a third manner, a mixture of waiver and

forfeiture, in which a defendant may lose the right to counsel:

             Finally, there is a hybrid situation (waiver by conduct) that
             combines elements of waiver and forfeiture. Once a
             defendant has been warned that he will lose his attorney if
             he engages in dilatory tactics, any misconduct thereafter
             may be treated as an implied request to proceed pro se and,
             thus, as a waiver of the right to counsel. Recognizing the
             difference between forfeiture and waiver by conduct is
             important. First, because of the drastic nature of the
             sanction, forfeiture would appear to require extremely
             dilatory conduct. On the other hand, a waiver by conduct
             could be based on conduct less severe than that sufficient
             to warrant a forfeiture. This makes sense since a waiver
             by conduct requires that a defendant be warned about the
             consequences of his conduct, including the risks of
             proceeding pro se. A defendant who engages in dilatory
             conduct having been warned that such conduct will be
             treated as a request to proceed pro se cannot complain that
             a court is forfeiting his right to counsel.

Id. at 464-65, 782 S.E.2d at 96 (citation, ellipses, and quotation marks omitted).

                              A. Standard of Review

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      This Court “reviews conclusions of law pertaining to a constitutional matter de

novo.” State v. Bowditch, 364 N.C. 335, 340, 700 S.E.2d 1, 5 (2010) (citation omitted);

see State v. Watlington, 216 N.C. App. 388, 393-94, 716 S.E.2d 671, 675 (2011) (“Prior

cases addressing waiver of counsel under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242 have not clearly

stated a standard of review, but they do, as a practical matter, review the issue de

novo. We . . . review this ruling de novo.”) (citations omitted)).

      Whether a defendant was entitled to, waived, or forfeited counsel is also

reviewed de novo. State v. Poole, 305 N.C. 308, 318, 289 S.E.2d 335, 341-42 (1982)

(citations omitted); Blakeney, 245 N.C. App. at 459, 782 S.E.2d at 93.

                                B. Waiver of Counsel

      Both the Constitution of the United States and the North Carolina

Constitution expressly recognize criminal defendants have a right to assistance of

counsel. U.S. Const. Amend. VI.; N.C. Const. Art I, §§ 19, 23; see also Powell v.

Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 66, 77 L.Ed. 158, 169 (1932); State v. McFadden, 292 N.C. 609,

611, 234 S.E.2d 742, 744 (1977) (citations omitted); State v. Montgomery, 138 N.C.

App. 521, 524, 530 S.E.2d 66, 68 (2000).

      Criminal defendants also have the absolute right to waive counsel, represent

themselves, and make trial strategy decisions without the assistance of counsel.

State v. Mems, 281 N.C. 658, 670-71, 190 S.E.2d 164, 172 (1972).

      Before a defendant is allowed to waive counsel, a trial court must conduct a

statutorily-required colloquy to determine that “constitutional and statutory

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safeguards are satisfied.” State v. Moore, 362 N.C. 319, 322, 661 S.E.2d 722, 724

(2008) (citation omitted). Courts “must determine whether the defendant knowingly,

intelligently and voluntarily waives the right to in-court representation by counsel.”

Id. (citation omitted).

      The statutory procedure to waive counsel is codified in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-

1242 (2023). Courts may only enter an order to allow defendants to waive their right

to counsel after being satisfied the movant: (1) has been clearly advised of his rights

to the assistance of counsel, including his right to the assignment of appointed

counsel when he is so entitled; (2) understands and appreciates the consequences of

the decision; and, (3) comprehends the nature of the charges and proceedings and the

range of permissible punishments. Id. (citation omitted). A “trial court must obtain

a written waiver of the right to counsel.” State v. Thomas, 331 N.C. 671, 675, 417

S.E.2d 473, 476 (1992) (citation omitted).

      The record does not contain a signed waiver and certification by the superior

court judge, which should provide whether a proper inquiry and disclosure was made

to Defendant in compliance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1242 (2023). This absence in the

record does not per se invalidate Defendant’s waiver. See State v. Heatwole, 344 N.C.

1, 18, 473 S.E.2d 310, 318 (1996) (holding inter alia the lack of a written waiver

neither alters the conclusion that the waiver was knowing and voluntary, nor

invalidates the defendant’s waiver of counsel); State v. Fulp, 355 N.C. 171, 176, 558

S.E.2d 156, 159 (2002) (re-affirming the holding in Heatwole “that a waiver was not

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                                   Opinion of the Court

invalid simply because there was no written record of the waiver.” (citation and

internal quotation marks omitted)).

      The transcript shows trial court attempted to conduct a colloquy with

Defendant to determine whether he desired or waived his right to counsel. Defendant

refused to answer the questions presented to him and instead attempted to challenge

the jurisdiction of the court, sought the oath of office for the presiding judge, and he

refused to answer other questions regarding his level of education and age.

      The trial court attempted to counsel Defendant on the complexity of handling

his own jury trial and warned that she, as the judge, would neither offer legal advice

to Defendant nor excuse non-compliance with any rules of evidence or procedure.

      The transcript also shows the trial court addressed the seriousness of the

charges and apprised him of the maximum possible punishment. Defendant clearly

waived his right to further court-appointed counsel. Blakeney, 245 N.C. App. at 464-

65, 782 S.E.2d at 96. Defendant’s argument is overruled.

                             C. Forfeiture of Counsel

      Presuming, without deciding, Defendant did not give a knowing and voluntary

waiver of his right to counsel, we examine whether Defendant forfeited his right to

counsel.

      Our Supreme Court has long held “the right to be defended by chosen counsel

is not absolute.” McFadden, 292 N.C. at 612, 234 S.E.2d at 745 (citation omitted).

“[A]n indigent defendant does not have the right to have counsel of his choice to

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represent him.” State v. Anderson, 350 N.C. 152, 167, 513 S.E.2d 296, 305 (1999)

(citing State v. Thacker, 301 N.C. 348, 351-52, 271 S.E.2d 252, 255 (1980)).

      “Forfeiture of counsel is separate from waiver because waiver requires a

knowing and intentional relinquishment of a known right[,] whereas forfeiture

results in the loss of a right regardless of the defendant’s knowledge thereof and

irrespective of whether the defendant intended to relinquish the right.” State v.

Schumann, 257 N.C. App. 866, 879, 810 S.E.2d 379, 388 (2018) (citation and

quotation marks omitted).

      This Court has held when a defendant has forfeited their right to counsel, then

a “trial court is not required to determine, pursuant to [N.C. Gen. Stat.] § 1242 that

[the] defendant knowingly, understandingly, and voluntarily waived such right

before requiring him to proceed pro se.” State v. Leyshon, 211 N.C. App. 511, 518, 710

S.E.2d 282, 288 (2011) (citation omitted).

      In Montgomery, this Court examined the issue of a criminal defendant

forfeiting their right to counsel as an issue of first impression. Montgomery, 138 N.C.

App. at 524, 530 S.E.2d at 69 (“Although the loss of counsel due to defendant’s own

actions is often referred to as a waiver of the right to counsel, a better term to describe

this situation is forfeiture.”). This Court held, inter alia, “a defendant who is abusive

toward his attorney may forfeit his right to counsel.” Id. at 525, 530 S.E.2d at 69

(citing U.S. v. McLeod, 53 F.3d 322, 325 (11th Cir. 1995)).

      This Court further held “[a] forfeiture results when the state’s interest in

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maintaining an orderly trial schedule and the defendant’s negligence, indifference, or

possibly purposeful delaying tactic, combine[ ] to justify a forfeiture of defendant’s

right to counsel[.]” Id. at 524, 530 S.E.2d at 69 (citing LaFave, Israel, & King

Criminal Procedure, § 11.3(c) at 548 (1999) (quotation marks omitted)).            The

defendant had been afforded “ample opportunity” to obtain counsel over a period of

over a year; had twice fired appointed counsel and had retained a private attorney;

had been disruptive in the courtroom, causing the trial to be delayed; had refused to

cooperate with his counsel when his counsel was not allowed to withdraw; and, had

physically assaulted his counsel. Id. at 525, 530 S.E.2d at 69. This Court ultimately

held the defendant had forfeited his right to counsel and the trial court did not have

to follow the waiver procedures outlined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242. Id.

      Since the decision in Montgomery, this Court has upheld a forfeiture only in

“situations involving egregious conduct by a defendant.” See Blakeney, 245 N.C. App.

at 460, 782 S.E.2d at 93. The Supreme Court of North Carolina first examined and

recognized a defendant’s forfeiture of counsel in State v. Simpkins, 373 N.C. 530, 535,

838 S.E.2d 439, 445-46 (2020) (“We have never previously held that a criminal

defendant in North Carolina can forfeit the right to counsel.”). Our Supreme Court

recognized a defendant’s forfeiture, holding: “in situations evincing egregious

misconduct by a defendant, a defendant may forfeit the right to counsel.” Id. at 535,

838 S.E.2d at 446.

      While the Supreme Court’s opinion in Simpkins recognized the ability of a

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criminal defendant to forfeit the right to counsel by “egregious misconduct,” the

Court held the defendant’s conduct under the facts in that case did not rise to a

forfeiture. Id. at 539, 838 S.E.2d at 448. The defendant did not employ counsel before

appearing at trial and put forth “frivolous legal arguments about jurisdiction

throughout the proceedings.” Id. at 540, 838 S.E.2d at 448. The defendant had

different counsels representing him previously during the pre-trial proceedings. Id.

      The trial court did not conduct a colloquy to determine if the defendant was

waiving his right to counsel under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242. Our Supreme Court

held this was error to fail to determine if the defendant desired to waive his right to

counsel using the proper procedure and further held, under the facts in Simpkins,

this defendant did not forfeit his right to counsel at trial. Id. at 540, 838 S.E.2d at

449. The record did not lead our Supreme Court to “conclude that h[is] failure to

retain counsel was an attempt to delay the proceedings, and certainly not an attempt

so egregious as to justify forfeiture of the right to counsel.” Id.

      In 2022, the Supreme Court of North Carolina further examined the forfeiture

of counsel in both State v. Harvin, 382 N.C. 566, 879 S.E.2d 147 (2022) and State v.

Atwell, 383 N.C. 437, 881 S.E.2d 124 (2022).

      In Harvin, our Supreme Court analyzed over two decades of persuasive and

consistent Court of Appeals’ precedents and found two circumstances where forfeiture

of counsel could occur:

             The first category includes a criminal defendant’s display

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             of aggressive, profane, or threatening behavior. See, e.g.,
             id. at 536-39 (first citing State v. Montgomery, 138 N.C.
             App. 521, 530 S.E.2d 66 (2000) (finding forfeiture where a
             defendant, inter alia, disrupted court proceedings with
             profanity and assaulted his attorney in court); then citing
             State v. Brown, 239 N.C. App. 510, 519, 768 S.E.2d 896
             (2015) (finding forfeiture where a defendant “refus[ed] to
             answer whether he wanted assistance of counsel at three
             separate pretrial hearings [and] repeatedly and vigorously
             objected to the trial court’s authority to proceed”); then
             citing State v. Joiner, 237 N.C. App. 513, 767 S.E.2d 557
             (2014) (finding forfeiture where a defendant, inter alia,
             yelled obscenities in court, threatened the trial judge and a
             law enforcement officer, and otherwise behaved in a
             belligerent fashion); then citing United States v. Leggett,
             162 F.3d 237 (3d Cir. 1998) (finding forfeiture where a
             defendant physically attacked and tried to seriously injure
             his counsel); and then citing Gilchrist v. O’Keefe, 260 F.3d
             87 (2d Cir. 2001) (same)). . . .

             The second broad type of behavior which can result in a
             criminal defendant’s forfeiture of the constitutional right
             to counsel is an accused’s display of conduct which
             constitutes a “[s]erious obstruction of the proceedings.”
             Simpkins, 373 N.C. at 538. Examples of obstreperous
             actions which may justify a trial court’s determination that
             a criminal defendant has forfeited the constitutional right
             to counsel include the alleged offender’s refusal to permit a
             trial court to comply with the mandatory waiver colloquy
             set forth in N.C.G.S. § 15A-1242, “refus[al] to obtain
             counsel after multiple opportunities to do so, refus[al] to
             say whether he or she wishes to proceed with counsel,
             refus[al] to participate in the proceedings, or [the]
             continual hir[ing] and fir[ing of] counsel and significantly
             delay[ing] the proceedings.” Id. at 538. In Simpkins, we
             further cited the decisions of the Court of Appeals in
             Montgomery and Brown, inter alia, as additional
             illustrations of this second mode of misconduct which can
             result in the forfeiture of counsel.

Id. at 587, 879 S.E.2d at 161.

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      In Harvin, the court had appointed five attorneys to represent Defendant prior

to trial. Id. at 590, 879 S.E.2d at 163. Two of the defendant’s attorneys withdrew

due to no fault of the defendant, and two others withdrew as a result of “respective

incompatible attorney-client relationships with [the] defendant [and] did so not

because of [the] defendant’s willful tactics of obstruction and delay” but “due to

differences related to the preparation of [the] [d]efendants defense” not a “refus[al] to

participate in preparing a defense.” Id. (citation omitted).

      The defendant in Harvin, at a hearing held approximately one month before

trial, had indicated his intent to not represent himself at trial. Id. at 574, 879 S.E.2d

at 154. At a pre-trial hearing held three weeks prior to trial, the defendant’s stand-

by-counsel stated he was prepared to serve as standby counsel, but counsel was not

prepared to assume full representation of the defendant. Id. On the morning of trial,

the defendant also indicated his intent to not represent himself during a colloquy

with the court to comply with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242. Id. at 575, 879 S.E.2d at

154. The trial court took a recess and attempted to locate any of the prior counsel

who could come in to represent him, but none could. Id. at 579, 879 S.E.2d at 156.

      The Supreme Court of North Carolina held the trial court erred by finding the

defendant had forfeited his right to counsel and requiring the defendant to proceed

pro se. Id. at 592, 879 S.E.2d at 164. The Supreme Court further held the defendant’s

behavior in requesting two of his counsel to be removed, seeking to proceed pro se,

and then deciding he needed the help of counsel before proceeding at trial, while

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remaining polite, cooperative, and constructively engaged in the proceedings, was not

“the type or level of obstructive and dilatory behavior which [would] allow[ ] the trial

court . . . to permissibly conclude that [the] defendant had forfeited the right to

counsel.” Id.

      The Supreme Court further examined forfeiture of counsel and applied

reasonings from both Simpkins and Harwin in State v. Atwell. During a pretrial

hearing, the State had requested the case to proceed, after previously agreeing to a

continuance to allow more time for the defendant to hire a private attorney. Atwell,

383 N.C. at 448-54, 881 S.E.2d at 132-35. The defendant, appearing pro se, told the

trial court “she had made payments to a private attorney”, but could not afford to

continue to make payments and wanted another court-appointed attorney. Id. at 440,

881 S.E.2d at 127. The trial court then responded with a history of her firing two

prior attorneys, signing four waivers of appointed counsel, and asking why she now

wanted another continuance to hire yet another attorney. Id.

      The trial court, in Atwell, did not conduct an N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1242

colloquy and entered an order stating the defendant had forfeited her right to counsel

through her delay tactics prior to trial. Id. at 454, 881 S.E.2d at 135. The Supreme

Court held this was reversible error.

      Relying on the analysis of Harvin, the Supreme Court of North Carolina held

“the record likewise does not permit an inference, much less a legal conclusion, by the

trial court or a reviewing court that defendant engage[d] in the type of egregious

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misconduct that would permit the trial court to deprive defendant of [her]

constitutional right to counsel.” Id. at 453, 881 S.E.2d at 135 (internal quotation

marks omitted). The defendant had not forfeited her right because she had “ongoing,

nonfrivolous concerns about her case.” Id. at 454, 881 S.E.2d at 135. The defendant

could not waive her right to counsel without expressing “the express[ ] desire to

proceed without counsel” through the statutory colloquy of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-

1242. Id.

      A defendant may also forfeit their right to counsel by engaging in “serious

misconduct.” Blakeney, 245 N.C. App. at 460, 782 S.E.2d at 93. This Court has

recognized forfeiture by misconduct when a defendant (1) engages in “flagrant or

extended delaying tactics, such as repeatedly firing a series of attorneys;” (2) employs

“offensive or abusive behavior, such as threatening counsel, cursing, spitting, or

disrupting proceedings in court;” or (3) “refus[es] to acknowledge the trial court’s

jurisdiction or participate in the judicial process, or insist[s] on nonsensical and

nonexistent legal ‘rights.’” Id. at 461-62, 782 S.E.2d at 94.

      This Court recently examined this issue and held a defendant’s conduct before

trial and during trial to threaten his attorney with harm, intimidating his attorney

and the district attorneys prosecuting the case with filing frivolous bar complaints,

and dilatory conduct to delay proceedings constituted both a waiver and forfeiture of

counsel. State v. Moore, __ N.C. App. __, __, 893 S.E.2d 231, 256 (2023).

      Here, Defendant engaged in serious delaying tactics to stall the trial for over

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two years. Defendant was twice found by the court to be in direct criminal contempt.

Defendant continued to frivolously challenge the trial court’s jurisdiction over him.

Defendant’s conduct attempted to delay, disrupt, and obstruct the proceedings. In

addition to a waiver, Defendant forfeited his right to counsel. Id.         Defendant’s

argument is overruled.

                             V.    Expert Testimony

      Defendant argues the trial court committed plain error in admitting the

testimony of Officer Amos defining a “sovereign citizen” in violation of Rule 702. N.C.

Gen. Stat. § 8B-1, Rule 702 (2023). Defendant failed to object at trial.

                              A. Standard of Review

      “Unpreserved error in criminal cases . . . is reviewed only for plain error.” State

v. Lawrence, 365 N.C. 506, 512, 723 S.E.2d 326, 330 (2012). In order for a defendant

to prove plain error, he must show a fundamental error occurred and establish

prejudice. Id. at 518, 723 S.E.2d at 334.

      Defendant bears the burden of showing that the unpreserved error “rises to

the level of plain error.” Id. at 516, 723 S.E.2d at 333. Defendant must show “the

error had a probable impact on the jury’s finding that the defendant was guilty.” Id.

(citations and quotation marks omitted).

                                     B. Analysis

      Officer Amos testified he had received over 1,000 hours of instruction including

handling alleged sovereign citizens.     The State asked Officer Amos to define a

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sovereign citizen:

             THE STATE: You mentioned sovereign citizen training.
             What is a sovereign citizen, to your knowledge.

             OFFICER AMOS: Brief description is they kind of believe
             laws don’t apply to them. They have an idea that there’s
             another set of laws out there they can abide by.

      In the absence of an objection and preservation, Defendant alleges the

admission of this testimony constitutes plain error. Presuming error, Defendant has

failed to show “the error had a probable impact on the jury’s finding that the

defendant was guilty.” Id. Defendant’s argument is overruled.

                                VI.      Conclusion

      Defendant knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to counsel by his

answers and conduct before trial after being repeatedly advised and informed of the

consequences of this decision. Defendant’s conduct during pre-trial and throughout

trial also supports a finding and conclusion he forfeited his right to counsel.

      Defendant failed to show the trial court plainly erred in allowing Officer Amos

to define “sovereign citizen.” Defendant received a fair trial, free from preserved or

prejudicial errors. We discern no error in the jury’s verdicts or in the judgments

entered thereon. It is so ordered.

      NO ERROR.

      Judges WOOD and STADING concur.

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