A state appeals court has upheld the conviction and sentence of life in prison handed down to a local man last year, after he was found guilty of dealing drugs.
Tyrone Denard Anderson of Greenville was sentenced as a habitual criminal, after having been previously convicted of at least four felony offenses.
The Sixth Court of Appeals in Texarkana issued a statement Thursday morning, denying Anderson’s appeal and affirming the conviction and sentence. However, the court did note that Anderson was improperly ordered to pay attorney’s fees in the case.
Justice Bailey C. Mosely said in the ruling that at first the court had no reason to consider an appeal in the case.
“Anderson’s attorney on appeal has filed a brief which states that she has reviewed the record and found no genuinely arguable issues that could be raised on appeal,” Bailey said.
But the court did determine that Anderson was indigent and should not have been assessed court-appointed attorney fees.
In response, Anderson filed his own appeal, raising multiple alleged points of error, which the court also denied.
“We have independently reviewed the entire record, as well as Anderson’s pro se response and the State’s response, and we find no reversible error,” Bailey wrote. “Therefore, with the exception of the improper assessment of court-appointed attorney fees, we conclude that no genuinely arguable issues support an appeal.”
Anderson was convicted by a jury in the 354th District Court in March 2014 of the charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, between 1 and 4 grams. Following a sentencing hearing, the jury assessed the life prison sentence.
The Hunt County District Attorney’s Office presented evidence that Anderson had been sentenced to prison on at least three previous occasions for two drug offenses and attempting to take a weapon from a peace officer.
Anderson was arrested in October 2013 on five separate drug-related charges.
The charge for which Anderson was convicted is typically subject to a maximum sentence of from two to 20 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000. Due to Anderson’s criminal history, he was subject to a punishment of from 25 years to life in prison.
Anderson received one indictment from the Hunt County grand jury in November 2013 for attempting to take a peace officer’s weapon. Anderson was alleged in the indictment to have attempted to remove a law enforcement officer’s firearm on Sept. 25, 2012.
The indictment indicated Anderson had been convicted of the same charge in 1997 and also had been convicted of three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of delivery of a controlled substance since 1991.