Court Opinion

ID: 4052711
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-09-29 02:06:17.226382+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:27:03.978097
License: Public Domain

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   The State of Texas                           § In the 86th District Court
                                                §
   Vs.                                          § In and For
                                                §
   Donald Gene Blanton                          § · Kaufman County, Texas

                    INDICTMENT - Tampering· With Physical Evidence
                                 Third Degree Felony

  IN THE NAME AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

         THE GRAND JURY, for the County of Kaufman, State of Texas, duly selected,

  empanelled, sworn, charged, and organized as such at the February Term A. D. 2005,

  of this Court for said County, upon their oaths present in and to said court at said term

  that Donald Gene Stanton, hereinafter styled Defendant, on or about July 10, 2004,

  and before the presentment of this indictment. in the County and State aforesaid, did

 theh and there,

         knowing that an investigation was in progress, intentionally or knowingly
         d~!!._r_:oy a thing, to-wit: cocaine, with intent to impair its availability as .
         evidence in the investigation;

 AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE

                                                  ~<~Jdn:&a~
                                                   Foreperson· of the Graryd Jury
                                                                                      .. · · ~         ·.• ·~ •.."'i

                                                                                                        .. · ..
                                                                                                .. ,                   ~·

 Recommended bond amount: $                                                                 ;    ·.~

                                                                                ·I
                                                                               ")

                                                                               .~~
                                                                                 ·:

Person ID: 12123
                                                     Cause No.   cX3SqJ__q .L£.
                                                                                  ~ ])is.fY\c...+ ~
            The State of Texas .                                 § In the Gow~ty Ceur=t at Law
                                                                 §
            vs                                                   § In and For
                                                                 §
            Donald Gene Blanton·                                 § Kaufman County, Texas

                                                       INFORMATION

           IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

                                  .                                           .
                     I, Ed Walton, Criminal District Attorney of Kaufman County, Texas, by and

           through the Assistant Criminal District "Attorney whose signature appears below, on the

           written affidavit of Ronnie Breathwit, a competent and credible person, herewith filed in
                 8/D..J+- J),t; irid CJ>UAJ-
           the CeeH"lt)· Oeufl: at Law in and for Kaufman County, Texas, do present in and to said

           Court that on or about July 10, 2004 in the County of Kaufman and State of Texas,

           Donald Gene Blanton, Defendant, did then and there:

                    Knowing that an investigation was pending or knowing that an offense has been

           committed, intentionally or knowingly alter, destroy, o"r conceal a thing, to-wit: cocaine

           and its packaging, with intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation, or

    ~&.

~·f2f:;:
           in any subsequent investigation related to the offense;

                                               :-'                                               00000.3
                                                               Complaint
                                     Charge(s): Tampering With Physical Evidence;

               Name: Donald Gene Blanton                         Assigned Prosecutor: Bi Hunt
               Address: P 0 Box-403                              Arresting Agency:
               Mabank Tx 75147

               DOB: 11/13/1962                                   Offense Date: 07/1 0/2004
               DL: TX-09578477                                   Personal tO: 12148

               IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

                            I, the undersigned investigator, being duly sworn, do state upon my oath

              ·that I have good reason to believe and do believe based upon the following

               information, to wit: the report of Joshua Jennings,the arresting authority, who

               is a commissioned peace officer of the State of Texas, and I charge that

               heretofore, and before the making and filing of this complaint, on or about July

               10, 2004, in the County of Kaufman and State of Texas, Donald Gene Blanton,

               Defendant, did then and there:

                            Knowing that an investigation was pending or knowing that an offense has

                be.en committed, intentionally or knowingly alter, destroy, or conceal a thing, to-

               wit: cocaine and its packaging, with intent to impair its availabiUty as evidence in

            );~';the investigation, or in any subsequent investigation .related to the offense;
,
~~~         ") .,r                  .<'·'    . •   ..,..   •      .

               AGAINST THE PEACE            ANfu~bltf~NITY OF THE;STATE OF TEXAS.

                   Sworn to and Subscribed Before Me by the abov~named lnvestigator,;known
            to me to be a credible person,· on the )]f-~~day of ( J,. ~ .       · .,
            200      z:-.

                                                                                                  000004 .
    '   .
:-:,-;:...... );.

                    Bi Hunt

                                             .···.. ~...~

                              ·!':"-

                                       ·,   ~~  ..
                                            '·.··
                                                     Cause No. 23579-86

              The State of Texas                                                      In the 86th District Court

              vs                                                                      In and For

              Donald Gene Blanton                                                     Kaufman County, Texas

                                                                       ~~·\

                       The State of Texas by and throu    ~              iQ1inal District Attorney moves this

          Court to dismiss this cause of action        and\~·~~l!Jp~~J1•.thereof would show as follows:
                                                            .'10··:"·~~:0 . . :':)i
                       1. The Defendant is charged with th~ offense1of Tampering With Physcial
                                                 .            ~-                  ,)
                                                               \".                    ,·"~
                                                                \'·.              '      '
          Evidence.                                                           i;t'''\sA
                       2. The State moves to dismiss this cause of action in the interest of justice.

                       WHEREFORE, the State of Texas respectfully requests that the Court dismiss

          this cause of action.

                                                                        Respectfully Submitted
                                                                        Ed Walton
                                                                        Criminal District Attorney
                                                                        100 W. Mulberry
                                                                        Kaufman, Texas 75142
                                                                        (972) 932-4331
                                                                        (972) 932-0357 (Facsimile)
                         ::;:
                   0     0
                         r-

                                                                       "-i-\.~~-~ (. ::J ~ A

'0....:::.,
L.L- :.~.
                                                                                N: 24027081         o'Dlct   b')(C,
                                                                   ,
                                                              .··<"1

                   The State of Texas

                   vs

                   Donald Gene Blanton                      _ ~-~@Jfman County, Texas

                         .                  ·
                                                      .   cr~:~=~iit-;,:\
                                                ORDER ~~iS~JSSAL
                                                                                ··      .
                                                            ~;·,:~~~~~~::~t~\
                        On this date, the Motion to Dismiss ®~!_~~!~~t~, of Texas was presented to the

             Court. The Court is of the opinion that such tt.f2tf~shbuld be, in all things, granted.
                                                                  ~~tf''t~·                      . .
                        IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that t igjcause of action is hereby dismissed.
                                                                                       ,

                        SIGNED this     -l- day of

 :r:: .
 O~<:i·.:
'-'- ::r::: , __
au....
w:::l
....Jc{
i::l:t:
                                      Certificate of Service

·          This is to certify that a true and correct c~:~:yof this instrument was this day
    forwarded to:                                     . \f.i.,if"- .

          Deborah A. Beesley .
          P 0 Box 1589 ·
          Forney Texas 75126

           signed this   "3.., ~of --~-U---=-,J____,'=:-___,               <
                                                                      ,200_.
                                                                                    139

           1           A.       From November to July.

                       Q.       And how       ~any   months is that?

           3           A.       Nine.

                       Q.

           s     yotrr ·c.a·i · vi'.cie o?

           6           A.       No.

           7           Q.       Could you explain why not?

           8           A.       My car W·aS .. not equippe.d wi:th. videci and audio

            9    capabilities .at .tha.t time.

          10            Q.      At     -~    in 2002 didn't all police cars supposed

          11     t6 be        eq~ipped       with audio video?

          12            A.      .Mil3::o.e. was not working, .sir.

          13            Q.       Was .it not working or you didn't turn it on?

          14            A.      ·No, . sir,     it. was not w·or'king.

          ·15           Q.       Officer didn't tell you not to ttirn it on

          1.6    corning to the seen, did he?

           17           A.       No,    sir,    he did not.

           18           Q.·.     When you arrived to .the scene,         can you explain

          ·19    what'you Been?

          .20           A;       Officer Jennings had initiated· a traffic stop

           21    on a silver pickup.                 And at that time r exited my

           22     patrol vehi~le an6.cohferred with Officer ~ennings.

           23           Q.       And you never searched the accused vehicle?

          J,24          A,       No,    sir.

           25            Q.      Did you see -- did you see any cocaine in the
     .'

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    1'A'-'~1Vr.
   . · t(). --
   ~~·~.,JC~.
        TX
                           MABANK POLICt DtPARTMENT
CHIEF OF POLICE
·ALEX SMITH
                              September 17, 2004

 P.O. Box 293                Mr. Donald Gene Blanton
  129 E. Market Street     , Inmate Kaufman County Jail
 ~Texas           75147.     1900 E. Hwy 175
                             Kaufman, TX. 75142

 P!me: M78                   Dear Mr. Blanton:
  Fax: 00l-88742B8                   This letter is in response to the letters that you have flooded my office with. Under
                             Tex:as Govemrrient Code 552.028(a)(l), my office is not required to comply with an open
                             record request from a person confmed in a correctional facility. However, I am forwarding a
                             copy of the arrest report to you. Texas Government Code 552.029 that you referred to has to
                             deal with your information being released as a.n inmate, not your right to information as an
                             inmate.

                             In response to your allegation of corruption in this department and the allegation that Officer ·
                             Jennings took drugs from the trunk of his patrol car and placed in your possession. I find no
                             evidenceofthis fact. The evidence we have in custody that you have been charged with can
                             plairu_y be seen on video being thrown from the vehicle you were driving as it travels down the
                             road.· ·                                                           '

                             I can assure you, that this office will not "negotiate" the charges against you. This is not the
                             functiol) of the Police Department. The Distri~t Attorney's office may offer Plea Bargains but
                             you wili have to contact that office in reference to that matter ..

                             As to your request for Motion of Discovery, that also is a matter that is handled through the
                             DA' s office.                                                                         ·

                             As to the allegation of Racial Pr()filing, this department along with every department in the ·.
                                                                                               yoo
                             State has a policy that pertft!;rt;-&;'&icfai Profiling. I can assure that an investigation will be
                             done in accordance with that policy.

                            ·Mr. Blanton, I appreciate your determination in your present legal situation however most of·
                            your efforts are being forwarded in the wrong direction. I recommend sending any further
                            correspondence to the District Attorney's Office
Chief of Police
Mabank Police Department ·
139). According to the applicant, all.patrol cars were required to be equipped with such

equipment and therefore, the officer's testimony to the contrary was a lie. But the

applicant provides no authority for the claim that all patrol cars are required to be

equipped with cameras, nor has he provided any evidence that Officer Swearingen's
         . .          • - x·(-] :.r-r       vt ~, ~ ·~ .                 ..          . .
patrol car had a dash c;mera. Thus, the applicant has not sustained his burden of .

pleading true facts that would entitle him to relief. 6 See Ex parte Maldonado, 688
S.W.2d at 116.

         The applicant also contends thai Officer Swearingen committed perjury because it

conflicts with Officer Jennings' testimony concerning where on the/ street the evidence

was found. The applicant does not provide record cites for his claim, but in any case, the

State notes that both officers testified that the evidence was found on top of the roadway

with most of the contents having been spilled out (RR 4 at 34, 140). Those are not

inconsistent statements. Therefore; the aoolicant's
                              .         ..._...     complaint
                                                    '  ..  .  is.meritless.                      .

         Finally, the applicant asserts that                   Offic~r   Swearingen committed perjury by

testifying that Officer Jennings never went to the trunk ofhis (Jennings') patrol car when

in fact Jennings testified that he placed the evidence in his trunk (RR 4 at 33-34, 146).

However, the record reflects that Officer Swearingen also testified that he did not observe

6
  According to counsel, OfficeJ_ ?.':Yearing<;:n's patrol car "':'as equip_p~2005 WL 615726,->~9 S.W.3d 808, 813 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999) (holding that

appellant bears the burden to affirmatively prove prejudice by showing through evidence

that the errors, if any, affected the outcome of the proceeding).

         Moreover, the record does not support the applicant's allegation that counsel f~iled

to interview the lab technician before trial. Indeed, according to her affidavit, counsel

conducted a pre-trial telephone interview with the lab technician in which she learned of

the testing procedures and his results. Se·e State's Exhibit A. Then at trial, counsel

thoroughly cross:-examined the lab technician, questioning his method of testing the

substances and whether his results were verified (RR 3 at 119-127). The record does not

reflect that counsel was surprised by the technician's testimony, nor that she was ill-

prepared to attack his results. See State's Exhibit A. Thus, the record does not
    .               ..                                        .               .
affirmatively show that counsel was ineffective in this regard. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at

687; Thompson, 9 S.W.3d at 813.

         Nor has the applicant shown that counsel's failure to secure a defense expert was

ineffective assistance of co-qnsel. The record reflects that counsel succeeded in having

the cocaine retested by an independent lab (CR at 119-120; RR 4· at 117-118). Then,

during the technician's testimony, counsel questioned why a different lab would

3
  The applicant points to State's Exhibit 1 to support his allegation that the bags were not ripped. See Applicant's
Appendix F. However, States' Exhibit 1 was only one of,the bags collected. Indeed, State's Exhibit 4 consisted of
two bags that were clearly ripped, which according to the Officer, were collected despite their contents having .been
spilt on the roadway due to the applicant's tampering of the bags and tossing them from the window (RR 4 at 42-43;
                                                                                                                        /
sx 4).
                                                                                  ..j£,   ill

                                                          6
                      -------------.-..: ---·
__..,.~~
           --·-·

                                                                                                                106
                                                      {BLANTON EXHIBIT-
                      1 · particularly worked personally yourself?

                      2            A.           Yes, I .did.

                                                      M,R •.   CAMERON:     May I approach the witness,

                       5                             ·'rfiE COURT:        You may.

                       6           Q.           MR·. ·CAM:ERON:     Let   me show you, Mr ..         Ma~ey,   some

                       7    envelo~es            that have been marked for identificatibn as

                      8     State's Exhibit 1, 2,                  ~,   and.4;    as~   if you can look at
                                                                                             .. -..
                                                                                                 ~

                       9    those       en~elopes         and if you're able to identify them.

                     10            A.   ~Numhe.r. 4:,.. ·:-r :c:aJ}not.       But Number    ·~\ 2 ~     and   -~;;   I

                     11    :¢an.

                     12            Q.           So Items 1, 2, and 3, how are you able to

                     13     identify those?

                     14            A.           They each have our unique laporatory case

                     15     number on them as well as my initials.

                     16                     Were Items 1, 2, anct·3 submitted to the DPS

                     17     crime laboratory in Garland .in a sealed condition?

                     18            A.       Yes, they were.

                     19            Q.       And when you receive an item like that, are

                    20     notes made in                           ords as to whether or not the

                    21     item was in a sealed                    ondition      wh~n   it was submitted?

                    22            .A•       Yes, there

                   . 23            Q.       And do you·                       in your. records how it

                    24     was received or who                      was received £rom?

                    25                      Yes, we do.