People v. Schlig

• Decision Date: 20 December 1983
• Docket Number: No. 82-618,82-618
• Citation: 120 Ill.App.3d 561,76 Ill.Dec. 144,458 N.E.2d 544
• Parties: , 76 Ill.Dec. 144 PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Melanie SCHLIG, Defendant-Appellant.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 544

458 N.E.2d 544

120 Ill.App.3d 561, 76 Ill.Dec. 144

PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Melanie SCHLIG, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 82-618.

Appellate Court of Illinois Second District.

Dec. 20, 1983.

Lyle B. Haskin, Wheaton, for defendant-appellant.

J. Michael Fitzsimmons, State's Atty., Barbara Preiner, Asst. State's Atty., Wheaton, Phyllis J. Perko, Raymond L. Beck, State's Attys. Appellate Service Com'n, Elgin, for plaintiff-appellee.

NASH, Justice:

Defendant, Melanie Schlig, was found guilty after a bench trial of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance containing more than 30 grams of cocaine (Ill.Rev.Stat.1981, ch. 56 1/2, par. 1401(a)(2)) and sentenced to imprisonment for six years. On appeal, she challenges the admission in evidence of expert testimony concerning the nature and weight of the substance in question and the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain her conviction.

Defendant was tried jointly with Gregory Duerr, not a party to this appeal, for the delivery of a quantity of cocaine on November 3, 1981. Paul Toledo, who had been acting as a confidential informant for the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, testified that during the last part of October 1981, he had several conversations with Carla Szfarek (who testified at trial under her married name, Carla Szfarek Spinato) concerning the purchase of cocaine. She was Gregory Duerr's girl friend and a friend of defendant.

Detective Michael Tellone testified that at approximately 9 p.m. on November 3, 1981, he accompanied Toledo to the parking lot of the Golden Bear restaurant in Addison, Illinois. At that time Tellone had in his possession $4,000 in currency. After they parked in the lot, defendant approached the vehicle and asked why they were so late and stated "that John and Greg were waiting for us. They had the coke, but that we would have to go to the Outlaws on North Avenue to meet with John and Greg". Defendant further stated that John and Greg "wanted $5,000 for the cocaine for two ounces" and Tellone responded that he would have to discuss the matter with them. Defendant asked Tellone and Toledo to accompany her in her car, but Tellone insisted that he and Toledo were to follow her to the Outlaws. The cars proceeded to a shopping center and parked some distance from the Outlaws, in front of the Seven Brothers restaurant. Defendant again approached Tellone's vehicle and said "that John and Greg were there and that they had the coke". Defendant walked away from the car and returned a few seconds later in the company of Gregory Duerr. A conversation ensued between Duerr and Tellone, during which defendant remained standing next to Duerr. Duerr asked Tellone for $5,000 and when Tellone displayed the $4,000 which had previously been furnished to him, Duerr said, "That's good enough for me" and then brought a third subject, John Simpson, to the car. Simpson got into the back of Tellone's vehicle and handed Tellone an envelope containing a substance later analyzed as cocaine. Tellone began to open the envelope and requested that Duerr and defendant move away from the car; at that point defendant and the others involved in the transaction were arrested. Tellone acknowledged that he did not see defendant either with the money or the cocaine.

Paul Toledo testified that he was introduced to the people involved in this transaction through Carla Szfarek, whom he first met at a Denny's restaurant in October 1981, and he discussed the purchase of a gram of cocaine with Szfarek and Gregory Duerr. Toledo thereafter made a purchase of one gram of cocaine from Szfarek outside her apartment on October 28. Detective Tellone was in Toledo's car at that time and inquired about the purchase of a larger quantity. Toledo called Szfarek on November 2 and inquired about the purchase of two ounces of cocaine, and a transaction was agreed upon for the following evening. When Toledo arrived at Szfarek's residence the following evening, defendant was present. Toledo was unable to make the transaction immediately, and Szfarek directed defendant to call "Greg" and inform him that they would be late. Toledo overheard defendant dial a telephone number and ask for Greg, and at the conclusion of the call was informed by defendant that "there shouldn't be no problem at all". Toledo overheard defendant make a second telephone call, after which she informed him that the price would be $5,000 for two ounces of coke and that the meeting would be between 9 and 9:30 at the Golden Bear restaurant in Addision. As the parties were leaving Szfarek's apartment for the restaurant, defendant asked if she could accompany Toledo in his car, but he replied that he was going to pick up his cousin and declined. Toledo then picked up Detective Tellone and arrived at the Golden Bear at about 10 o'clock. Toledo's account of the ensuing events was generally consistent with Tellone's, although he testified that during the conversation at the Golden Bear defendant stated, "They've got the coke, and if we don't get over there, they are going to kill us". Toledo's testimony concerning his prior record was confused, but he appeared to acknowledge prior convictions for burglary, two convictions for theft, and two convictions for forgery. He also had three pending charges for burglary and one for theft.

Carla Szfarek testified for the prosecution that defendant was present at the Denny's restaurant on the evening of her initial contact with Paul Toledo. Defendant had been at a table with Gregory Duerr and another individual named Denny Reynolds when Szfarek told Duerr that Toledo wished to speak with him about buying cocaine. During this conversation, however, defendant was engaged in conversation with Reynolds. Szfarek also testified that Duerr and defendant had been present at her residence at the time she made the October 28 one-gram sale. After that sale, Szfarek had returned inside and given the $100 proceeds to Duerr, informing him that Toledo was interested in making a two-ounce purchase. At 6 p.m. on November 2, defendant had been present at Szfarek's apartment when Paul Toledo came to inquire about the two-ounce purchase. Szfarek had placed a telephone call to John Simpson and handed the telephone to Toledo. Toledo handed the phone to defendant and defendant then asked numerous questions concerning the arrangements for the sale, including whether two ounces of cocaine could be obtained by the following day, the amount of the price, whether defendant should call back and what time. After the call, defendant informed Szfarek that Simpson could only obtain one ounce immediately and would call someone else to see if a second ounce could be obtained by the next day, also that Simpson would call back concerning the price. Szfarek then related the events leading up to her arrest with defendant at the Seven Brothers restaurant on November 3 and acknowledged informing Toledo that Duerr wanted $5,000 for two ounces of cocaine, stating that defendant was present during this conversation.

John Simpson, Duerr's roommate, testified that someone called his apartment three of four times on the evening of his arrest asking to speak to Greg. Simpson responded that Greg was not in, "and the next time the phone rang, it was Melanie, and she said that she couldn't get ahold [sic] of Greg, and she wanted to know how much the coke was. That's the one ounce." After Simpson quoted defendant a price of $2,300, she put Paul Toledo on the phone who inquired about the price for two ounces and was told that the price would double. Although the caller identified herself as "Melanie" Simpson did not independently recognize her voice. However, he told her that he had tested the cocaine, "and it was okay". On cross-examination, Simpson was asked about his conversation with defendant "on or about November 2 of 1981" and stated that he could not remember if it was defendant or Paul Toledo who inquired about a two-ounce purchase.

Defendant testified on her own behalf that just before Halloween she had overheard Paul Toledo and Carla Szfarek talking in Carla's apartment. Toledo arrived while defendant was there and told Carla he had tried the cocaine and liked it. Defendant had had a further occasion to visit Szfarek's apartment on November 2 and when she arrived between 5 and 6 p.m. she found Toledo already there. At one point when Szfarek was out of the room, defendant and Toledo had a conversation in which Toledo said that Gregory Duerr's roommate was going to get him some cocaine. This conversation ended when Szfarek entered the room. On the following afternoon, November 3, defendant arrived at Szfarek's apartment between 4:30 and 5 p.m. There was no mention of cocaine during the evening, until about 8:30 or 9 o'clock. At that time, defendant overheard Szfarek talking on the telephone. After Szfarek hung up, she told defendant that everyone was waiting for Toledo to come back with the money. Szfarek then explained that Toledo was going to buy some cocaine from John Simpson and that Szfarek was supposed to bring Toledo to the Seven Brothers restaurant to meet him. Later that same evening, Szfarek received a call from Duerr which caused her to start to cry. Defendant took the telephone from Szfarek and asked Duerr what was going on. Duerr replied that Simpson was threatening him. Simpson himself then came on the line and, expressing impatience with the delay, warned defendant that someone could get hurt. Szfarek, who was worried about Duerr, then asked defendant to accompany her. Toledo telephoned shortly thereafter, and Szfarek directed him to come to the Golden Bear in Addison at 10 o'clock. Szfarek then called Simpson and informed him that they would eventually meet at the Seven Brothers. Szfarek and defendant proceeded to the latter's car. As they were getting in, Szfarek told defendant, "When we get there, we have to introduce Paul and Greg to each other." Defendant resp...