Bellinder v. State

230 N.W.2d 770, 69 Wis. 2d 499, 1975 Wisc. LEXIS 1544
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 30, 1975
DocketState 41
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 230 N.W.2d 770 (Bellinder v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bellinder v. State, 230 N.W.2d 770, 69 Wis. 2d 499, 1975 Wisc. LEXIS 1544 (Wis. 1975).

Opinions

Connor T. Hansen, J.

Writ of error issued to review an order denying the sec. 974.06, Stats., postconviction motion of Thomas Bellinder, plaintiff in error (hereinafter defendant).

Relevant to this appeal are two September 14, 1972, convictions of the defendant. The defendant was convicted of one count of indecent behavior with a child, sec. 944.11 (2), Stats., and a second count of lewd and lascivious behavior, sec. 944.20 (2). Trial was to a jury.

[501]*501As a result of the conviction on sec. 944.11 (2), Stats., count, sec. 975.01 of the Sex Crimes Law mandated that the trial judge commit the defendant to the department of health & social services for a presentence social, physical and mental examination. It was ultimately determined that the defendant was in need of specialized treatment and he was ordered committed to the H&SS department for treatment. The commitment was stayed, and he was placed on probation for five years with a requirement that he avail himself of certain prescribed specialized treatment. This probation period was ordered to run concurrently with a period of probation imposed on the sec. 944,20 (2) conviction.

The sec. 944.11 (2), Stats., conviction arises out of an incident alleged to have occurred between February 1, 1972, and February 25,1972.

The sec. 944.20 (2), Stats., conviction arises out of an incident alleged to have occurred on April 12, 1972.

The convictions are primarily based upon the testimony of three minor male witnesses, ages thirteen, fourteen and seventeen years at the time of trial. It appears that these three minors and others had been employed by the defendant to do various kinds of work around and in his house. As a result, they spent considerable time at the defendant’s house during the times they were working and otherwise engaged. Among other things, at least some of them consumed beer at defendant’s house. It is disputed as to how they came into possession of the beer.

The sec. 974.06, Stats., postconviction motion was filed with the trial court on March 5, 1974. It raised issues relating to the right of the defendant to cross-examine juvenile state witnesses regarding their probationary status and juvenile adjudications of delinquency. The trial court denied the motion by written opinion, without a hearing, on April 17,1974.

[502]*502Subsequently the state moved this court for summary affirmance. The defendant filed a motion for summary reversal of the order denying postconviction relief.

November 26, 1974, this court entered an order summarily affirming the judgment and conviction and also denying the defendant’s motion for summary reversal of the denial of the defendant’s motion for postconviction relief.

January 23, 1975, this court entered a further order with respect to its November 26, 1974, disposition of the motions. It was ordered that the parties file briefs limited to arguing the scope and retroactive application of Davis v. Alaska (1974), 415 U. S. 308, 94 Sup. Ct. 1105, 39 L. Ed. 2d 347.

After reviewing the record in the instant case, we are of the opinion that the defendant’s failure to properly preserve the issues by raising them in the trial court at the time of trial and by making a factual record sufficient to permit this court to determine the application and effect of the Davis ruling, constitutes a waiver of the issues by the defendant. We consider the Davis ruling only for the purpose of disclosing the inadequacies of the record before us.

In Davis v. Alaska, supra, the defendant was charged and convicted of larceny and burglary arising out of an incident at the Polar Bar. The key prosecution witness was a juvenile (Green), sixteen years of age at the time of the incident, and seventeen years of age at the time of the trial. Before trial, the prosecutor moved for a protective order to prevent any reference to Green’s juvenile record by the defense in the course of cross-examination. Green was on probation at the time, having been found delinquent for burglarizing two cabins. Counsel made these facts clear in opposing the protective order. It was also clear that the introduction of Green’s juvenile delinquency adjudications for the two cabin burglaries and the fact that he was on probation would [503]*503not be for the purpose of general impeachment of Green’s character as a truthful person. The record of Green would be revealed only as necessary to probe Green for bias and prejudice and not generally to call Green’s good character into question.

Based upon the provisions of the Alaska Rule of Children’s Procedures, the Alaska court granted the protective order. The United States Supreme Court reversed, holding “In this setting we conclude that the right of confrontation is paramount to the State’s policy of protecting a juvenile offender.” Davis v. Alaska, supra, page 319. The case was resolved on the basis of sixth amendment rights of the United States Constitution. The sixth amendment guarantees the right of an accused in a criminal prosecution “to be confronted with the witness against him.” Thus, founded upon the sixth amendment rights and based upon the record before it, the United States Supreme Court held that the right of confrontation and the right of cross-examination existed.

There is nothing in Davis v. Alaska, supra, which holds or suggests that the constitution confers a right in every case to impeach the general credibility of a witness through cross-examination about his past delinquency adjudications.

We now examine the record of the instant case as it relates to the Davis ruling.

March 5, 1974, approximately fifteen months after conviction, the state public defender filed the postcon-viction motion here under review. This motion is supported by an affidavit of the defendant’s trial counsel. This affidavit, in pertinent part, states:

“(3) That on information and belief, your affiant, while preparing for trial in the above-captioned action, found that certain minor witnesses had previously been adjudicated delinquent;
“(4) That your affiant, on information and belief, felt that the law disallowed such evidence on impeachment of juvenile witnesses in a trial of this nature

[504]*504The affidavit of trial counsel in support of the post-conviction motion also reflects that inquiry into the juvenile court records would have been directed toward the impeachment of the juvenile witnesses. There is no inference that the purpose was to demonstrate bias and prejudice under the Davis rule.

A careful examination of the record of the 1972 trial reflects that there is not a scintilla of evidence or any other type of indication or inference that any one of the three state juvenile witnesses was on probation at the time of assisting the police and the prosecution for having been adjudged delinquent for any reason, especially one similar to that with which the defendant was charged. In fact, there is absolutely nothing in the record which relates to any juvenile court proceeding. There is no offer of proof in the record.

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798 F.2d 268 (Seventh Circuit, 1986)
State v. Russell
625 S.W.2d 138 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1981)
Bellinder v. State
230 N.W.2d 770 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
230 N.W.2d 770, 69 Wis. 2d 499, 1975 Wisc. LEXIS 1544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bellinder-v-state-wis-1975.