Court Opinion

ID: 9776726
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 19:43:00.559778+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:41.849897
License: Public Domain

DOUGLAS, Judge
(dissenting).
This is an appeal for the unlawful possession of marihuana. Upon a plea of guilty, the jury assessed the punishment for possession of twelve bags of marihuana which was offered for sale at twenty-five years.
The record reflects that the appellant was admonished by the court of the consequences of his plea and that the plea was voluntarily made. The record reflects that the appellant showed undercover agents twelve packages of marihuana (enough to make 400 cigarettes) for which he said the price would be $144. He also told the agent that he was expecting about a pound of cocaine to be coming in that night or the next day. As soon as the narcotics officers entered the premises, the police officers knocked on the front door and served a search warrant on the appellant. The narcotics in question were seized.
Appellant took the stand and admitted the marihuana was his and that he had arranged for sale of marihuana to the two undercover agents.
The majority reverses this conviction because of the argument of the prosecutor. Before this argument was made, counsel for appellant argued for supervision under probation and the prosecutor countered that a probation officer had 350 probationers. When this argument was made, counsel stated: “Objection, Your Honor.” There was no objection that this was outside the record but yet the majority reverses on that ground.
In Thurmond v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 445 S.W.2d 525, some objections were sustained and other general objections were overruled, and this Court held in part that the failure to specify any particular argument or give any grounds therefor upon “objecting” to the argument failed to reveal reversible error.
In Howe v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 380 S.W.2d 615, there was a blanket objection to the admission of testimony, “We object to that, Your Honor, at this time.” Judge Morrison, in writing for the Court, held that such an objection was not sufficient to preserve error. See 56 Tex.Jur.2d, Trial, Sections 162-63.
The argument against probation was made after the appellant had admitted guilt. The jury assessed the punishment at twenty-five years. In Alexander v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 482 S.W.2d 862, three cases were tried at the same time. There the defendant contended that the jury was foreclosed from returning more than one probated sentence in three cases. Judge Roberts, speaking for the Court, wrote: “The issue of probation was submitted to the jury in each case and a verdict of 35 years was returned in each case. Therefore, the question is moot as to whether or not the jury could or would have granted probation.”
In the present case the jury assessed the punishment at twenty-five years and under the decision of Alexander v. State, supra, the question as to the argument on probation is moot.
*233Under Article 42.12, Vernon’s Ann.C.C. P., probation cannot be assessed where the punishment is in excess of ten years. It is inconceivable that the jury would add more than fifteen years for the statement of the prosecutor even if it be construed that the argument was not invited. No reversible error is shown.
The judgment should be affirmed.