Coates v. the State

BARNES, Presiding Judge.

A jury found Hubert Coates guilty of one count of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The trial court sentenced Coates separately on each count, with the sentences to run consecutively Coates filed a motion for new trial and to amend his sentence, which the trial court denied. On appeal, Coates argues that the trial court should have merged his four firearm convictions. We disagree and affirm.

Following a criminal conviction, we construe the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict.…