SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
A-5359-95T4
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff/Respondent,
v.
CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH WILLIAMS,
Defendant/Appellant.
___________________________________________________________________
Argued: March 10, 1998 - Decided: April 14, 1998
Before Judges Pressler, Wallace and Carchman.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New
Jersey, Law Division, Middlesex County.
Lon Taylor, Assistant Deputy Public Defender,
argued the cause for appellant (Ivelisse Torres,
Public Defender, attorney; Mr. Taylor, of counsel
and on the brief).
Catherine A. Foddai, Deputy Attorney General,
argued the cause for respondent; Peter Verniero,
Attorney General, attorney; (Linda A. Rinaldi,
Deputy Attorney General, of counsel and on the
brief).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
WALLACE, JR., J.A.D.
Defendant Christopher J. Williams was convicted by a jury of
third degree possession of cocaine, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(a)(1) (count
one); second degree possession with the intent to distribute one-half ounce or more of cocaine, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5(b)(2) (count two);
and third degree possession of cocaine with the intent to
distribute within a school zone, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7 (count three).
The judge granted the State's motion to impose an extended term and
sentenced defendant to a twenty year term, with a ten year period
of parole ineligibility.
On appeal, defendant makes the following arguments:
POINT I:
N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(2), WHICH PROSCRIBES THE POSSESSION OF
ONE-HALF OUNCE OR MORE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS "INCLUDING ANY
ADULTERANTS OR DILUTANTS," MUST BE INTERPRETED TO MEAN
THAT MOST OF THE SUBSTANCE CONSISTS OF THE ILLEGAL DRUG.
(Not Raised Below).
POINT II:
THE TRIAL COURT'S JURY INSTRUCTION THAT "THE STATE NEED
NOT PROVE THE DEFENDANT'S KNOWLEDGE AS TO THE QUANTITY OF
THE DRUGS" WAS ERRONEOUS. (Partially Raised Below).
POINT III:
THE MAXIMUM EXTENDED TERM OF 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT WITH
10 YEARS OF PAROLE INELIGIBILITY ON THE DRUG CHARGE WAS
EXCESSIVE.
Defendant, also submitted a supplemental pro se brief, in which he
contends:
POINT I:
THE STATE'S MISUSE OF EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY TO: (a)
BOLSTER THE TESTIMONY OF THE STATE'S FACT WITNESSES, (b)
TO OPINE ON SUBJECTS BEYOND THE KEN OF THE JURY, AND (c)
TO INFER DEFENDANT'S GUILT FROM COMMON CONDUCT OF DRUG
DEALERS DEPRIVED DEFENDANT OF DUE PROCESS OF LAW AND A
FAIR TRIAL. (Not Raised Below).
POINT II:
THE CORRELATION OF REFERENCES TO DEFENDANT'S PRIOR
CONVICTIONS, ARRESTS BY "NARCOTICS UNIT" DETECTIVE OELS
AND THAT THE NARCOTICS UNIT WAS INVESTIGATING DEFENDANT,
DEFEATED THE SANITIZATION OF DEFENDANT'S CONVICTIONS AND
CREATED THE INFERENCE THAT DEFENDANT WAS DISPOSED TOWARDS
THE CRIMINAL CONDUCT CHARGED, THEREBY DEPRIVING DEFENDANT
OF AN IMPARTIAL JURY AND A FAIR TRIAL.
POINT III:
THE ADMISSION OF TESTIMONY THAT A NON-TESTIFYING WITNESS
HAD TOLD POLICE THAT DEFENDANT POSSESSED DRUGS DEPRIVED
DEFENDANT OF THE RIGHT TO CONFRONTATION AS GUARANTEED BY
THE SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND
ART. I, PARA. 10 OF THE NEW JERSEY CONSTITUTION. (Not
Raised Below).
We have carefully considered defendant's arguments in his main
brief and pro se supplemental brief, and, except for his sentencing
argument, his contentions are without merit. R. 2:11-3(e)(2).
Before turning to the sentencing issue, we offer brief comment on
defendant's assertion that N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5(b)(2) is
unconstitutionally vague and therefore, his conviction for second
degree possession with intent to distribute must be reduced.
At trial, the State presented evidence that on June 8, 1994,
between nine and ten p.m., Detective William Oels and several other
officers, based upon information received from a confidential
informant, conducted a surveillance of buses returning to New
Brunswick from New York City. Specifically, the officers expected
defendant to return with a quantity of cocaine from New York. The
officers observed defendant depart from a bus and light a
cigarette.
Oels stated that defendant dropped his cigarette as he saw the
officers approaching and threw a plastic bag on the sidewalk.
Another officer recovered the bag which contained cocaine. After
a brief struggle, defendant was arrested. The State presented
Sergeant Christopher Engram as an expert, in the use and
distribution of controlled dangerous substances. Engram testified
that the contents of the bag, with a net weight of 15.84 grams
tested positive for cocaine. The State and the defendant agreed
upon and entered into a stipulation that the contents of the
recovered bag were properly analyzed, and that the contents tested
positive for cocaine in the amount of 15.84 grams, over one-half
ounce.
Defendant testified on his own behalf. He admitted the police
officers' version of events was correct, except he denied turning
his back to the officers and throwing anything on the ground.
Defendant now contends that N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(2) is
unconstitutionally vague and, therefore, his conviction for second
degree possession with intent to distribute must be reduced.
A facially vague statute is one that is impermissibly vague in
all its applications; it proscribes no conduct with sufficient
certainty. Village of Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman
Estates, Inc.,
455 U.S. 489, 495,
102 S. Ct. 1186, 1191,
71 L. Ed.2d 362, 369 (1982).
Under the prior version of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(2) to "make out
an offense for either a first or second degree crime, the State had
to prove that at least 3.5 grams of the total weight of the
substance was `pure freebase drug'." State v. Gosa,
263 N.J.
Super. 527, 536, n.4 (App. Div.), certif. denied,
134 N.J. 477
(1993). However, the Legislature deleted the requirement for a
minimum quantity of pure free base drug in a drug-adulterant
mixture in 1988. Cannel, New Jersey Criminal Code Annotated,
comment 3 on N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5 (1998).
In Gosa, we held that under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b, when
determining the weight of the drug for the various offenses, the
listed drugs include "any adulterants or dilutants." Gosa, supra,
263 N.J. Super. at 536. Further, we noted that "[o]ther
jurisdictions have held that for purposes of sentencing, the weight
of the [controlled dangerous substance] takes into account the
weight of the mixture of the cocaine and any cutting agents, not
just the weight of the pure cocaine." Ibid. (citing United States
v. Touby,
909 F.2d 759, 772 (3d Cir. 1990), aff'd,
500 U.S. 160,
111 S. Ct. 1752,
114 L. Ed.2d 219 (1991); Commonwealth v. Vallejo,
616 A.2d 974, 976-77 (Pa. 1992)). Thus, under the plain meaning of
the statute, a defendant who possesses one-half ounce of cocaine
including the weight of any adulterants or dilutants may be charged
with a second degree crime. See also State v. Land,
136 N.J.
Super. 354, 358 (App. Div. 1975), rev'd on other grounds,
73 N.J. 24 (1977) (holding that the stalks and seeds of marijuana are
adulterants and may be included in the weight of marijuana
charged). We are convinced the statute is clear on its face and
prohibits the possession of one-half ounce or more of cocaine and
any adulterants, not just the weight of the cocaine itself.
We turn now to defendant's sentencing argument. The State
filed a motion for an extended term. On June 23, 1995, after
argument on the motion, the trial judge stated:
Well, I have reviewed the presentence report
in this matter. I have reviewed the papers.
I grant the motion for the extended term.
From the record, we infer, but we cannot be sure, that the trial
judge sentenced defendant to a mandatory extended term under
N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(f). The judge also found aggravating factors
three, the risk that defendant will commit another offense; six,
the extent of the defendant's prior record; and nine, the need for
deterring the defendant and others from violating the law under
N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1, and found no mitigating factors.
The trial judge merged count one, the third degree possession
of a controlled dangerous substance, into count two, the third
degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent
to distribute, and sentenced defendant to an eighteen year term
with a nine year parole bar on count two. On count three, the
judge sentenced defendant to a ten year term consecutive to count
two, with a five year parole disqualifier.
The judge revisited defendant's sentence on June 28, 1995,
because of an error which had occurred in sentencing on June 23,
1995. The judge vacated the sentence of June 23, and merged count
three, the possession with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of
school property with count two, third degree possession of a
controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. See
State v. Gonzalez,
241 N.J. Super. 92 (App. Div. 1990). However,
the judge, without giving any reason, modified her prior sentence
of eighteen years with a nine year parole disqualifier on count
two, to a twenty year term with a parole ineligibility period of
ten years.
Here, at resentencing the court imposed the maximum term of
twenty years with ten years of parole ineligibility. The
presumptive sentence for a third degree extended sentence is
fifteen years. N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(f)(1)(b). The judge did not
explain her reasons for imposing an extended sentence above the
presumptive period or give reasons for the parole ineligibility
period.
In this regard, although addressing a mandatory extended
Graves Act term, our Supreme Court held in State v. Jefimowicz,
119 N.J. 152, 163 (1990), that in determining a mandatory extended
term, the trial judge "should weigh aggravating and mitigating
factors to determine the `base term' and to fix the period of
parole ineligibility as . . . outlined in Dunbar." Thus,
consistent with State v. Dunbar,
108 N.J. 80, 92 (1987), the
sentencing judge must be "clearly convinced that the aggravating
factors substantially outweigh the mitigating factors" before
imposing a parole disqualifier. The Dunbar court instructed:
[i]n determining parole ineligibility it would
clearly be necessary to take into account the
defendant's entire prior record as part of the
weighing process. The reasoning that supports
the differing role of the prior record in the
two settings of base term and parole
disqualifier is that if the court gives
qualitative weight to the prior offenses in
setting the range of the extended term, it
will almost always end up at the higher range
of an extended sentence. The Legislature
probably did not intend that. But if the
court does not consider the prior offenses in
setting parole ineligibility, it may often end
up with no parole ineligibility since there
might not be sufficient other aggravating
factors to clearly and substantially outweigh
ythe mitigating factors, a result the
Legislature also probably did not intend.
[Dunbar, supra, 108 N.J. at 93.]
Further, in explaining the difficulty in weighing aggravating
and mitigating factors, the Court noted:
[t]he reasoning that harmonizes the imposition
of parole ineligibility on a presumptive term
for an extended sentence is the same reasoning
that leads to the conclusion that the prior
offenses should not be considered (or at least
not as much) in deciding whether the sentence
should be increased above or decreased below
the presumptive term but should be used in
deciding on parole ineligibility . . .
[Id. at 94] (emphasis added).
We also note our concern in the judge's decision to increase
defendant's sentence on count two. Again the record is devoid of
any reasons for this increase. Clearly, defendant should have an
opportunity to mount his arguments against any increase in his
prior lawful sentence on count two.
We, therefore, remand the entire sentence for reconsideration
in light of our concerns. See e.g., State v. Pennington,
301 N.J.
Super. 213, 220 (App. Div.), certif. denied,
151 N.J. 466
(1997)("[i]nadequate explanation of the sentencing judge's reasons
for each of the sentences prevents us from exercising meaningful
review and generally requires a remand for resentencing.")
The judgment of conviction is affirmed. The sentences are
reversed and remanded for resentencing consistent with this
opinion.