State v. Rice
State v. Rice
Opinion of the Court
Paul A. Rice appeals his convictions for trafficking in crack cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in crack cocaine, arguing his prosecution was barred by S.C.Code Annotated section 44-53-410 (1985). We affirm.
BACKGROUND
A federal grand jury indicted Rice on charges that he possessed crack cocaine with the intent to distribute and that he conspired with others to do the same. After a district court dismissed the charges with prejudice for a violation of the Speedy Trial Act, the State Grand Jury indicted him on these charges which evolve from the same facts as the federal indictments.
DISCUSSION
Rice argues that under section 44-53-410, the dismissal of his federal charges barred his prosecution in state court.
Section 44-53-410 is entitled “Prosecution in another jurisdiction shall be bar to prosecution” and provides:
If a violation of this article is a violation of a Federal law or the law of another state, the conviction or acquittal under Federal law or the law of another state for the same act is a bar to prosecution in this State.
S.C.Code Ann. § 44-53-410 (1985).
This court has previously jointly analyzed claims based on this statute and double jeopardy, finding the issues “closel-y intertwined.” State v. Harris, 342 S.C. 191, 198, 535 S.E.2d 652, 655 (Ct.App. 2000). However, the precise issue Rice now raises was not addressed in Harris. A claim of double jeopardy is not a question of subject matter jurisdiction and thus may not be raised for the first time on appeal. See Medlock v. One 1985 Jeep Cherokee VIN 1JCWB7828FT129001, 322 S.C. 127, 132, 470 S.E.2d 373, 376 (1996) (double jeopardy claim may not be raised for the first time on appeal). Therefore we must decide whether an alleged violation of section 44-53-410 involves subject matter jurisdiction even though a double jeopardy claim does not.
Essentially, section 44-53-410 extends protection against double jeopardy beyond the minimum constitutional requirements by barring the prosecution of a person under the narcotics and controlled substances statutes of this state when the person has been convicted or acquitted in federal court or the courts of another state of a violation based on the same conduct.
AFFIRMED.
. Earlier state charges stemming from the same alleged conduct were nolle pressed at the onset of the federal prosecution.
. Under the dual sovereignty doctrine, successive prosecution of the same conduct by separate sovereigns is not a violation of the federal constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy. Heath v. Alabama, 474 U.S. 82, 88, 106 S.Ct. 433, 88 L.Ed.2d 387 (1985).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.