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Williams v. State

Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
Mar 18, 1968
239 A.2d 599 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1968)

Opinion

No. 105, September Term, 1967.

Decided March 18, 1968.

APPEAL — Waiver Of Contentions Not Raised Below. Appellant's contention that the State should not have been allowed to introduce evidence pertaining to his prior narcotics conviction until he had been found guilty of the current offense, not having been raised below, was not properly before the Court of Special Appeals on appeal. Rule 1085. p. 388

Even if appellant had objected below, it would have been to no avail, since he had elected to be tried concurrently under Rule 713 and, therefore, had waived his right, even his constitutional right, to object. p. 388

Decided March 18, 1968.

Appeal from the Criminal Court of Baltimore (CULLEN, J.).

Woodrow Williams, Jr., was convicted in a non-jury trial of violating the narcotics laws and of being a subsequent offender, and, from the judgment entered thereon, he appeals.

Affirmed.

The cause was argued before MURPHY, C.J., and ANDERSON, MORTON, ORTH, and THOMPSON, JJ.

John R. Hargrove for appellant.

Alfred J. O'Ferrall, III, Assistant Attorney General, with whom were Francis B. Burch, Attorney General, Charles E. Moylan, Jr., State's Attorney for Baltimore City, and James B. Dudley, Assistant State's Attorney for Baltimore City, on the brief, for appellee.


Woodrow Williams, Jr., the appellant, was convicted of violating the narcotics laws and of being a subsequent offender, in the Criminal Court of Baltimore, Judge James K. Cullen presiding without a jury.

On October 20, 1966, Williams was arrested at the Trailways Bus Station in Baltimore by an officer of the narcotics unit of the Baltimore City Police Department on the basis of an outstanding warrant for burglary. The police officer searched the appellant and found heroin and narcotics paraphernalia. On January 6, 1967 Williams elected, pursuant to Maryland Rule 713, to be tried concurrently for the narcotics violation and for being a subsequent offender.

His only complaint on appeal is that the State should not have been allowed to introduce evidence pertaining to his prior narcotics conviction until he had been found guilty of the current offense.

This complaint was not raised below and is not properly before this Court under Maryland Rule 1085, Boone v. State, 2 Md. App. 80, 233 A.2d 476. See also Maryland Rule 522 d (2), Gaudio v. State, 1 Md. App. 455, 230 A.2d 700. Even if Williams had objected below, it would have been to no avail because he had elected to be tried concurrently under Maryland Rule 713; and therefore he had waived his right, even his constitutional right, to object, see Gaudio, supra. Williams relies heavily on Lane v. Warden, 320 F.2d 179 (4th Cir. 1963) which has been clearly overruled by Spencer v. Texas, 385 U.S. 554, 87 S.Ct. 648, 17 L.Ed.2d 606 (1967).

Lane v. Warden, supra held the section in the indictment pertaining to subsequent offenses could not be read to the jury at the commencement of the trial. The court further states that Maryland Rule 713, which was enacted after Lane's trial, alleviates this problem. Maryland Rule 713 provides that the jury should not be aware of the recidivist charge until the accused is found guilty of the current charge — it makes no reference of a nonjury trial.

Spencer v. Texas, supra allows the recidivist section of the indictment to be read to jury if they are properly admonished.

Judgment affirmed.


Summaries of

Williams v. State

Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
Mar 18, 1968
239 A.2d 599 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1968)
Case details for

Williams v. State

Case Details

Full title:WOODROW WILLIAMS, JR. v . STATE OF MARYLAND

Court:Court of Special Appeals of Maryland

Date published: Mar 18, 1968

Citations

239 A.2d 599 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1968)
239 A.2d 599

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