COURT OF APPEALS
SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS
FORT WORTH
NO. 2-08-219-CR
NO. 2-08-220-CR
NO. 2-08-221-CR
JAMES LLOYD FANNIN APPELLANT
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS STATE
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FROM THE 213TH DISTRICT COURT OF TARRANT COUNTY
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MEMORANDUM OPINION 1
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Appellant James Lloyd Fannin argues that the trial court erred by denying
his motion to suppress regarding evidence found during a search after he was
stopped for a traffic violation. In one point, Fannin argues that the trial court
found him guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, escape, and possession
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… See Tex. R. App. P. 47.4.
of a controlled substance based on the evidence that he claims should have
been suppressed. We will affirm.
At roughly 10:00 p.m. on April 10, 2007, Fort Worth police officer Joel
Parsons was patrolling the east side of Fort Worth in a marked police vehicle as
a member of the East Zero Tolerance Unit.2 Parsons testified that he witnessed
Fannin make a left turn without signaling. Parsons said that he initiated a stop
but Fannin did not immediately pull over. Parsons testified that he “issued a
few blasts” with his audible siren. Fannin still did not pull over. Parsons said
he then witnessed Fannin “dropping his shoulders, dipping a little bit.” Parsons
said that movements like this are consistent with concealing or retrieving
something, possibly a weapon. Fannin eventually pulled his vehicle into a
private driveway.
Parsons said that he called for backup. Parsons approached Fannin and
asked for Fannin’s driver license and insurance verification. Parsons said Fannin
appeared nervous and was looking around as if he was “about to flee or looking
for escape routes.” At this same time, Parsons observed “subjects at . . . the
residence [that Fannin had] pulled into . . . at the screen door popping out their
head[s].” Parsons said he made the decision not to ask Fannin to get out of the
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… Parsons’s patrol targeted the east side of Fort Worth based on recent
crime trends.
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car until his backup arrived. While he awaited backup, Parsons ran routine
checks on Fannin and discovered that Fannin had prior convictions for
aggravated robbery and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
After the assisting officer arrived, Parsons briefed the additional officer
and then had Fannin exit his vehicle. Parsons conducted a pat-down and felt
what he “immediately recognized to be a live round of ammunition” in Fannin’s
right front pants pocket. Parsons then looked under the front seat of Fannin’s
vehicle and found a revolver. Parsons said he then informed Fannin that he was
under arrest and handcuffed him. As Parsons conducted a more thorough
search of Fannin’s vehicle, Fannin ran away. The two officers pursued Fannin,
who fell but continued “kicking, yelling, and pulling at” the officers. After
subduing Fannin, Fannin yelled at the inhabitants of the residence he had pulled
into, stating “Get it all out. Get it all out of the car.” The officers eventually
discovered crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and additional ammunition.
Fannin was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, escape, and
possession of a controlled substance. Fannin waived his right to a jury, and the
trial court found Fannin guilty on each charge. The trial court sentenced Fannin
to fifteen years’ confinement for possession of a controlled substance, twenty-
five years’ confinement for escape, and thirty-five years’ confinement for
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possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The trial court set the sentences
to run concurrently. This appeal followed.
In his sole point, Fannin argues that Parsons’s having stopped him for
failure to signal was merely pretextual and that Parsons’s motive was to search
him and his vehicle. Thus, Fannin argues that the evidence seized from him and
his vehicle should have been suppressed, that his convictions based on that
evidence should be reversed, and that he is entitled to a new trial. We
disagree.
To preserve a complaint for our review, a party must have presented to
the trial court a timely request, objection, or motion that states the specific
grounds for the desired ruling if they are not apparent from the context of the
request, objection, or motion. Tex. R. App. P. 33.1(a)(1); Mosley v. State, 983
S.W.2d 249, 265 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998) (op. on reh’g), cert. denied, 526 U.S.
1070 (1999). Further, the trial court must have ruled on the request, objection,
or motion, either expressly or implicitly, or the complaining party must have
objected to the trial court’s refusal to rule. Tex. R. App. P. 33.1(a)(2); Mendez
v. State, 138 S.W.3d 334, 341 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004). And the complaint
made on appeal must comport with the complaint made in the trial court or the
error is forfeited. Heidelberg v. State, 144 S.W.3d 535, 537 (Tex. Crim. App.
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2004); Vafaiyan v. State, 279 S.W.3d 374, 383 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth
2008).
In his motion to suppress, Fannin argued that his “detention, search and
arrest . . . was unconstitutional based on the teachings of the Fourth
Amendment of the United States Constitution.” But trial counsel admitted that
the motion was “just a broad Fourth Amendment motion.” And trial counsel
specifically stated to the trial court that “what decides this case is [whether
Parsons acted] in a Constitutional manner when he pulled [Fannin] out of the
vehicle for the patdown.” Trial counsel further clarified his objection by stating,
“I think the critical point is did [Parsons] have reasonable suspicion under Terry
to walk back up to that vehicle, have [Fannin] get out of the vehicle [and] pat
him down[?]” It is clear to this court that trial counsel was objecting to
Parsons’s having patted Fannin down after Parsons had stopped Fannin for the
alleged traffic violation, run a background check, and then returned to the car
and asked Fannin to step out of his vehicle so that Parsons could frisk him.
This is a distinctively different argument than what Fannin now argues on
appeal.
Fannin now challenges the legality of the stop. Fannin argues that
Parsons stopped Fannin under the pretext of a traffic violation because Parsons
wanted to search Fannin and his vehicle. Specifically, Fannin argues that while
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Parsons “may have stated that he was making a traffic stop . . . [Parsons] was
really interested in searching [Fannin] and his vehicle.” But trial counsel made
it clear during the motion to suppress hearing that he was not challenging the
traffic stop but rather Parsons’s having frisked Fannin. Because the complaint
Fannin now makes on appeal does not comport with the complaint made to the
trial court, he has forfeited this error, if any. See Heidelberg, 144 S.W.3d at
537. We overrule Fannin’s sole point and affirm the trial court’s judgments.
PER CURIAM
PANEL: MEIER, J.; CAYCE, C.J.; and McCOY, J.
DO NOT PUBLISH
Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b)
DELIVERED: August 6, 2009
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