State v. Watts

• Decision Date: 05 February 1996
• Docket Number: No. 2454,2454
• Citation: 467 S.E.2d 272,321 S.C. 158
• Parties: The STATE, Respondent, v. Kyle WATTS, Appellant.
• Court: South Carolina Court of Appeals

Page 272

467 S.E.2d 272

321 S.C. 158

The STATE, Respondent, v. Kyle WATTS, Appellant.

No. 2454.

Court of Appeals of South Carolina.

Submitted Dec. 5, 1995.

Decided Feb. 5, 1996.

Assistant Appellate Defender Robert M. Pachak, of South Carolina Office of Appellate Defense, Columbia, for appellant.

Attorney General Charles Molony Condon, Chief Deputy Attorney General John W. McIntosh, Assistant Deputy Attorney General Salley W. Elliott, and Assistant Attorney General William Edgar Salter, III, Columbia; and Solicitor W. Townes Jones, IV, Greenwood, for respondent.

PER CURIAM:

Appellant, Kyle Watts, was indicted and tried for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, and distribution of crack cocaine within one-half mile of a school. A directed verdict was granted on the conspiracy charge, and a jury convicted Watts on both distribution charges. On appeal, Watts first claims the trial judge erred in denying his motion for a mistrial when a witness for the State improperly attacked his character, although he had not placed his character in issue. He next contends the trial judge erred in failing to grant him either a directed verdict, a mistrial, or a continuance when the evidence presented by the State varied from the allegations in the indictment. We affirm. ¹

Scope of Review

Because Watts was found guilty by a jury, this court's jurisdiction extends merely to the correction of errors of law, and factual findings implicit in the jury's verdict will not be disturbed unless review of the record discloses no evidence which reasonably supports the jury's findings. We are not at liberty to pass upon the veracity of the witnesses or determine this case according to what we think is the weight of the evidence. State v. Bethea, 241 S.C. 16, 126 S.E.2d 846 (1962); see also Jones v. Sun Publishing Co., 278 S.C. 12, 292 S.E.2d 23 (1982); Hutson v. Cummins Carolinas, 280 S.C. 552, 314 S.E.2d 19 (Ct.App.1984). Furthermore, in ruling on a motion for a directed verdict, the trial court is concerned with the existence or non-existence of evidence, not its weight. State v. Bryant, 316 S.C. 216, 447 S.E.2d 852 (1994); State v. Morgan, 282 S.C. 409, 319 S.E.2d 335 (1984). The motion should be granted if the evidence merely raises a suspicion of the defendant's guilt, or is such to permit the jury to merely conjecture or speculate as to the accused's guilt. State v. Brown, 267 S.C. 311, 227 S.E.2d 674 (1976); State v. Barksdale, 311 S.C. 210, 428 S.E.2d 498 (Ct.App.1993). However, if the State presents any substantial evidence, either direct or circumstantial, which reasonably tends to prove the guilt of the defendant or from which the defendant's guilt may be fairly and logically deduced, the case must go to the jury. State v. Prince, 316 S.C. 57, 447 S.E.2d 177 (1993); State v. Poindexter, 314 S.C. 490, 431 S.E.2d 254 (1993). On appeal from the denial of a motion for directed verdict, this court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the State. Prince, 447 S.E.2d 177; State v. Schrock, 283 S.C. 129, 322 S.E.2d 450 (1984).

Facts

Viewed in the light most favorable to the State, the facts are as follows. Eleanor Savage, a special agent with the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), testified that on March 5, 1993, she along with Special Agent Ray Lominack was assisting the Greenwood City Police Department with an ongoing, undercover narcotics investigation in Greenwood. They worked directly with Greenwood's Assistant Chief of Police Mike Butler and Detective Felard as well as with a confidential informant. Between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m., the group met at a predetermined point and discussed their plans for the undercover operation. The officers frisked the confidential informant and determined he did not have any weapons or drugs in his possession. Agent Lominack outfitted Agent Savage with a beeper wire, a small transmitting device which allowed the other officers to perform audio surveillance of her and the confidential informant. As soon as they determined the beeper wire worked properly, they went to the Green Street area in the city.

Agent Savage and the informant traveled together in one car while the other officers performed surveillance from two different, unmarked cars. Agent Lominack and Detective Felard conducted audio surveillance by monitoring the beeper wire. Although Assistant Chief Butler could not monitor the beeper wire, he conducted surveillance roughly four blocks away from Savage. Agent Savage called out the street names that she passed as she drove down the road. When she and the confidential informant reached Watts's residence at 806 Green Street at about 2:30 p.m., Agent Savage stopped the car. She observed Watts and two other black males standing in the front yard of the residence. Once Agent Savage stopped the car, the informant asked Watts, "[D]o you have a thirty?" Watts gestured that he had the drugs.

Agent Savage then got out of her car and walked towards Watts and his two friends. Watts immediately reached down and retrieved a piece of aluminum foil containing a small piece of crack cocaine which was hidden in a drainage ditch near the house. He handed the crack to one of his friends, whom Agent Savage identified as Harold Baylor. Baylor had another piece of crack cocaine in his hand as well. Baylor handed both pieces to Agent Savage. After giving Baylor thirty dollars in State funds, Agent Savage asked him if he could get her some powdered cocaine. Baylor indicated that he could. The third man present, Germaine Williams, nodded his head and made gestures during this conversation, indicating he agreed with Baylor.

When this conversation ended, Agent Savage returned to her car and left the scene. Using the beeper wire, she immediately relayed the details of the transaction, and described Watts, Baylor and Williams for Agent Lominack and Detective Felard. Because she had previously met Watts on two separate occasions, she did not have any problems identifying him as one of the participants.

She told Agent Lominack that one of the people who had given her the drugs was wearing a leather jacket with an eight ball depicted on the side of it. Because Agent Savage did not recognize Baylor, she asked Assistant Chief Butler to ride by the scene. By the time he arrived, Watts was wearing the "eight ball" jacket and both Baylor and Williams were present on the scene.

Thereafter, all the officers met at their predetermined point. Agent Savage placed the crack cocaine Watts sold her in an evidence bag and labeled it. Officers later arrested Watts. Agent Savage had no difficulty identifying Watts in court as the person she bought the crack cocaine from on March 5, 1993.

I.

On appeal, Watts first argues the trial court erred in refusing to grant a mistrial after the solicitor pursued a line of questioning which placed his character in issue. Specifically, he maintains that during the direct examination of Agent Lominack, the assistant solicitor asked if the agent knew Watts, and the agent's response raised an improper inference that Watts had a prior record and placed a legally spurious presumption of guilt in the minds of the jurors. The challenged question and the objection directed to it appear in the following exchange taken from the trial transcript:

Q. Did you know Kyle Watts on--

A. No.

Q. --March the 5th?

A. No. I had been on a previous undercover operation, I had overheard her making some buys, but I've never met him before.

Mr. Wise: Your Honor, I have a matter for the court.

Claiming the assistant solicitor placed his character in issue because a reasonable inference from Agent Lominack's testimony was that Watts had a prior record, Watts moved for a mistrial. The trial court, however, did not view the testimony in the same light as Watts. He did not think the jury would infer that Watts previously sold drugs from this testimony. Therefore, he denied the motion for a mistrial. Still, he offered to strike the testimony from the record or give a curative instruction. Watts declined, noting that by bringing this again to the attention of the jury, Agent Lominack's objectionable statement would only be accentuated instead of diminished.

The granting or refusing of a motion for a mistrial lies within the sound discretion of the trial court whose ruling will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of an abuse of discretion amounting to an error of law. State v. Washington, 315 S.C. 108, 432 S.E.2d 448 (1992); State v. Tuckness, 257 S.C. 295, 185 S.E.2d 607 (1971); State v. McFadden, 318 S.C. 404, 458 S.E.2d 61 (Ct.App.1995). A mistrial should not be granted except in cases of manifest necessity and ought to be granted with the greatest caution for very plain and obvious reasons. State v. Prince, 279 S.C. 30, 301 S.E.2d 471 (1983). The burden is upon the movant to demonstrate not only error, but resulting prejudice in order to justify a mistrial. Tuckness, 257 S.C. at 303, 185 S.E.2d at 610.

In rejecting the trial court's offer to strike the testimony or give a curative instruction, Watts waived any complaint he had to the challenged testimony. Because Agent Lominack had already answered the assistant solicitor's question, a motion to strike was necessary to preserve any claim of error on appeal. State v. Wingo, 304 S.C. 173, 403 S.E.2d 322 (Ct.App.1991) (alleged improper testimony not preserved for appellate review where defendant did not move to strike testimony after his objection was sustained). Furthermore, since the error, if any, in this testimony is not manifest, a curative instruction clearly could have eliminated any conceivable prejudice. State v. Dawkins, 297 S.C. 386, 377 S.E.2d 298 (1989); see also State v. Hartley, 307 S.C. 239, 414 S.E.2d 182 (Ct.App.1992) (holding the State's attempt to impeach the defendant by asking him about his prior convictions afforded no basis for an appeal because the defendant refused the trial court's...