Opinion

State of Tennessee v. Gregory Ozier

Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
Filed
Apr 12, 2002
Status
Published
On the bench
Presiding Judge Gary R Wade
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 30.0%

The opinion

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

AT JACKSON

Assigned on Briefs March 12, 2002

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. GREGORY OZIER

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hardeman County

No. 9425 Jon Kerry Blackwood, Judge

No. W2001-02714-CCA-R3-CD - Filed April 12, 2002

The defendant, Gregory Ozier, an inmate at the Whiteville Correctional Facility, appeals an order

transferring his custody to Illinois to face a charge of first degree murder in the Criminal Division

of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Because the trial court properly granted the petition by the

State of Illinois for custody of the defendant, the judgment is affirmed.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3; Judgment of the Trial Court Affirmed

GARY R. WADE, P.J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which NORMA MCGEE OGLE and ALAN

E. GLENN, JJ., joined.

Didi Christie, Brownsville, Tennessee (on appeal), and Shana McCoy-Johnson, Senior Assistant

District Public Defender (at trial), for the appellant, Gregory Ozier.

Paul G. Summers, Attorney General & Reporter; Kim R. Helper, Assistant Attorney General; and

Elizabeth T. Rice, District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

OPINION

On August 12, 2001, a complaint for arrest was issued against the defendant, charging him

with the first degree murder of the victim, Juan D. Bratcher. The alleged offenses occurred in

Chicago, Illinois. Based upon the contents of the petition and the exhibits made a part of this record,

the trial court issued an order remanding the custody of the defendant to the proper officials of Cook

County, Illinois.

The documentation filed in the record includes an affidavit of identity signed by Extradition

Officer Alan G. Hanson, certifying the authenticity of a photograph of the defendant, who allegedly

has used the name William Drake as an alias. The document included a fingerprint record of

William Drake, who was born March 1, 1975, a criminal history of William Drake, and the Cook

County, Illinois, arrest warrant which identified the defendant by the name Gregory Ozier. The

defendant refused to consent to the transfer and, after the trial court entered an order of custody, filed

a notice of appeal and submitted an affidavit declaring that he would not file either a transcript or

a statement of the evidence.

In this appeal, the defendant complains that the evidence presented by the State of Illinois

was insufficient to establish that he was the individual charged with the murder. The defendant

argues that the state had neither provided proof that the fingerprints in the record were his nor

established that he had used the name William Drake or any other alias. The defendant also asserts

that the trial court failed to comply with Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-9-112(1), the

Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, which requires Illinois to have shown that "the accused was

present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, and thereafter fled

from the state." See also de la Beckwith v. Evatt, 819 S.W.2d 453 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1991). He

contends that the information provided by Illinois indicates that he was in Wisconsin at the time of

the crime.

Initially, it is the duty of the appellant to prepare an adequate record on appeal. Tenn. R.

App. P. 24(b). The state claims that the inadequacy of this record and the failure to include a

transcript precludes consideration of the issue. See State v. Ballard, 855 S.W.2d 557, 560-61 (Tenn.

1993).

This court addressed a similar issue in State v. Day, 882 S.W.2d 409 (Tenn. Crim. App.

1994). Day, who was charged with first degree murder in Arizona, complained that the trial court

had insufficient identifying information to order transfer pursuant to the Interstate Compact on

Detainers. As in this case, Day chose to rely exclusively on the documents furnished by Arizona to

support his claim that the identification was inadequate. Concluding that the defendant had the

burden to establish that he was not the person sought, this court affirmed the order of transfer.

The Interstate Compact on Detainers, codified at Tennessee Code Annotated sections 41-23-

101 to -209, has as its primary purpose to provide cooperative procedures among the states for the

expeditious and orderly disposition of charges against a prisoner. Dillon v. State, 844 S.W.2d 139

(Tenn. 1992). The compact seeks to ensure that detainers are filed only when substantial grounds

exist for bringing a prisoner of this state to trial in another jurisdiction. State v. Hill, 875 S.W.2d

278 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1993). The procedure results in only a temporary transfer. State ex rel.

Young v. Rose, 670 S.W.2d 238 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1984).

Extradition, an entirely different procedure than detainer, is governed by Tennessee Code

Annotated section 40-9-101, the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act. It applies to "any person within

the state" who is charged in another state. Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-9-103. The extradition procedure

provides a means by which individuals in this state may be arrested and lawfully transported to

another state; typically, one charged with a crime in one state who has fled to this state but is not yet

in custody is subject to extradition. State ex rel. Lea v. Brown, 166 Tenn. 69, 64 S.W.2d 841 (1933).

Because the defendant is a prisoner and subject to the Interstate Compact on Detainers, the

provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated sections 40-9-101 to -130, do not, as argued by the

defendant, apply.

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As indicated, under the Interstate Compact on Detainers, the prisoner, not the state seeking

his presence, has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he is not the individual

sought. State ex rel. Johnson v. Turner, 207 Tenn. 93, 96, 338 S.W.2d 558, 559 (1960); State v.

Whitt, 753 S.W.2d 369, 370 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1988). The defendant did not meet that burden in

this instance. Thus, the State of Illinois is entitled to the transfer of custody.

Accordingly, the judgment is affirmed.

___________________________________

GARY R. WADE, PRESIDING JUDGE

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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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