Bamberg v. State
Bamberg v. State
Opinion
The appellant, Gerald Bamberg, was convicted of the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, marijuana, a violation of §
The state's evidence tended to show that on November 18, 1989, John Wayne Smith purchased $30 worth of marijuana from the appellant. Smith was a volunteer who worked with several law enforcement officers in purchasing illegal substances. Before Smith went to the appellant's house, he was searched and a body mike was placed on his person. Police monitored the drug transaction between Smith and the appellant.
This court has appellate jurisdiction only. Trawick v. State,
Moreover, even if this issue was properly before us, we fail to see how this line of questioning could have prejudiced the appellant. During the questioning of the venire, the individuals were not identified as "drug dealers." No error occurred here that could possibly have affected the appellant's "substantial rights." Rule 45, A.R.App.P.
"Q [Prosecution] — Had you been there [the appellant's house] before, sir, at the request of law enforcement?
"A — One time.
"Q — You let them know what you found when you went there?
"A — Yes, sir.
"[Defense counsel]: Your Honor, I object. May we approach the bench, please?
"(Whereupon an off-the-record discussion was held at the bench between Counsel and the Court.)"
"Q — And on this occasion, sir, when you. . . ."
From the above dialogue, we do not know what the ground for the objection was or what the trial court's ruling on the objection was. "An adverse ruling by the trial judge is prerequisite for preserving an alleged error in a criminal trial for appellate review." Nept v. State,
"Q [Defense Counsel] — Wiring everything up; you mean wiring up Mr. Smith?
"A — Wiring up Mr. Smith like at 1:50. We had three agents at roughly $10 a piece. We had two vehicles. We had around $5,000 worth of electronic equipment, excluding the radio. Wear and tear on vehicles. Plus, this was not the first time that we had been involved in working something with Mr. Bamberg.
"Defense counsel: Your Honor, I object, and ask that be stricken from the record.
"The Court: You asked him what it [the fee] is and to explain it."
The witness's response was a valid answer to a question posed by defense counsel. If in fact the jury did view the witness's response as a reference to past criminal conduct on the part of the appellant, we cannot hold that reversible error occurred here. The appellant cannot invite error and seek to profit by it. "[A] party cannot allege as error proceedings in the trial court that were invited by him or were a natural consequence of his own action." Fountain v. State,
Furthermore, the trial court instructed the jury that any comments made by counsel were not to be considered as evidence. No reversible error occurred here.
However, if appellate counsel is different than trial counsel, the issue of ineffective assistance of trial counsel can be raised for the first time in a post-trial motion, i.e., motion for new trial. Ex parte Jackson,
"If newly appointed counsel files a motion with the court within 14 days after his appointment, requesting that the running of the time within which to file a motion for a new trial be suspended until such time as the reporter's transcript is prepared and filed, then in that event, the 30-day period within which to file a motion for new trial shall be computed from the date of the pronouncement of sentence, as provided for in Rule 24, A.R.Crim.P."Jackson was released almost two months after the appellant was appointed new counsel on appeal. But the appellant is not precluded from raising this claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in a petition for post-conviction relief under Rule 32, A.R.Crim.P., because he will have had no opportunity to raise this issue before to any post-conviction proceeding.
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment in this case is due to be affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Gerald Bamberg v. State.
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published