Trafficking in Cocaine Base Archives

S-2008-176

Post author:Staff
Post published:October 9, 2008
Post category:S

In OCCA case No. S-2008-176, the State of Oklahoma appealed its case against a person charged with multiple crimes, including trafficking in cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The trial court had ruled that some evidence obtained from a locked safe in the motel room during the arrest should be suppressed, meaning it couldn't be used in court. The State argued two main points in its appeal. First, they believed the trial court made an error by not allowing a detective to share specific statements from a witness who gave permission to search the hotel room. Second, they thought the officers had the right to search the locked safe without needing a warrant. After looking closely at the case and the reasons for the trial court's decisions, the court concluded that the trial judge had done the right thing. It found that the trial court's rulings about hearsay, which refers to using second-hand information as evidence, were not wrong. The judges decided the officers should have obtained a warrant before searching that locked safe. The court affirmed, meaning they agreed with the trial court's decision to suppress the evidence from the safe. A judge dissented but the main ruling stood.

F-2000-1062

Post author:Staff
Post published:February 1, 2000
Post category:F

In OCCA case No. F-99-710, Bruce Hampton appealed his conviction for Trafficking in Cocaine Base, Failure to Affix a Tax Stamp, and Public Intoxication. In an unpublished decision, the court decided to affirm the judgment on Counts 2 and 3, but modified the fine on Count 1 to $10,000. One judge dissented. Bruce Hampton was found guilty of serious crimes. The jury decided he should go to jail for a long time, giving him a total of fifty years for one charge and another fifty years for another charge, along with thirty days in jail for being publicly drunk. The judge agreed with the jury's decision. However, there was a problem with the fine that was placed on Bruce Hampton for the serious crime of Trafficking in Cocaine Base. The court discovered that the fine given was not correct according to the law. The law said the maximum fine should only be $10,000, not the higher amount that was initially decided. Because of this mistake, the court changed the fine to the correct amount but did not change the jail time sentences. So, the court said that Bruce's time in jail and other sentences would stay the same except for the fine, which was lowered.