Berotte v. State

992 S.W.2d 13, 1997 WL 543042
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 8, 1998
Docket01-93-00525-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 992 S.W.2d 13 (Berotte v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Berotte v. State, 992 S.W.2d 13, 1997 WL 543042 (Tex. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinions

EN BANC OPINION

SCHNEIDER, Justice.

Appellant, Martin Kenny Berotte, pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecency with a child.1 A jury found him guilty of one count. In four points of error, appellant contends the trial court erred by (1) refusing to submit a defense exhibit to the jury; (2) admitting the results of a polygraph examination; (3) admitting the testimony of a child who was incompetent; and (4) admitting the complainant’s outcry statement. We affirm.

Background

Appellant’s first marriage to Veronica H. ended in divorce. The couple had two daughters, T.B. and R.B. After the divorce, the girls lived with their mother and appellant had visitation rights. Appellant’s second marriage was to Lisa Marie G., who had a child by a previous marriage, N.F.

N.F.’s grandmother was bathing her one evening, when the child cried out in pain and told her grandmother that her daddy had hurt her “tutu.” The grandparents took the child to Gulf Coast Hospital in Baytown, then to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Doctors suspected the child had been sexually abused because N.F. had injuries to her genital area; they informed the Baytown Police Department. Baytown police officer Marvin Currie arrested appellant, but eventually released him without charges in regard to N.F. Appellant voluntarily underwent polygraph testing.

While Currie was investigating the incident with N.F., he received a new report from Veronica H. alleging appellant had molested T.B. She told Currie that T.B. had made an outcry to her uncle, Felton [15]*15H. Appellant was indicted for aggravated sexual assault against T.B. This indictment was dismissed and appellant was reindicted for two counts of sexual indecency with T.B., for touching her breasts and her genitals. The jury convicted him for touching the child’s genitals. The trial court sentenced appellant to 10-years imprisonment, probated for 10 years, a $200 fíne, and 300 hours of community service.

The Videotape

In point of error one, appellant argues the trial court erred by not allowing the jury to see a videotape admitted into evidence and requested by the jury during its deliberations as part of a general request for exhibits. We disagree.

The videotape, which was made by appellant, included footage of appellant, his wife, and his children interacting in various settings — flying a kite, relaxing by the pool, celebrating Christmas — over a period of three years. While the trial court initially admitted the tape into evidence, after the jury had retired to deliberate, it reconsidered its earlier decision and announced that the jury would not be permitted to watch the tape. During deliberations, however, the jury asked to see “all” of the exhibits. Although all other exhibits were delivered to the jury room, the tape was not given to the jury. Approximately one hour later, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

The statement of facts does not include any other reference to the tape; however, the transcript contains a secondary charge to the jury advising them to view the tape only with the sound turned off. At the bottom of this supplemental charge is a handwritten entry, signed by the trial court:

This document was offered along with the videotape to the jury during its deliberation. Before accepting this document or the video, the bailiff was instructed by the jury that it did not want the video. Neither this instruction nor the video was seen by the jury.

It is uncontested that the jury never watched the videotape, even though it had been admitted as an exhibit and the jury had requested “all” exhibits, and even though defense counsel specifically objected to the trial court’s failure to give the videotape to the jury. The supplemental charge and handwritten entry indicate the trial court attempted to correct what it considered to be an erroneous ruling on the admissibility of the videotape, but the jury apparently concluded its deliberations before the trial court could present the supplemental instructions.

Appellant contends he was not informed of: (1) the proposed supplemental charge;2 (2) the jury’s decision not to look at the tape; or (3) the handwritten entry documenting the jury’s decision. He claims he did not learn what had transpired until he filed his appeal, and contends he was deprived of an opportunity to question the bailiff or object on the record.

We presume regularity of the proceedings, absent any showing to the contrary. Appellant bears the burden of overcoming that presumption of regularity. Dusenberry v. State, 915 S.W.2d 947, 949 (Tex.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1996, pet. ref d). The trial court is required to discuss any proposed supplemental charge to the jury with counsel. See Tex.Code Crim. P.Ann. art. 36.27. (Vernon 1989). The trial court also would have been expected to inform counsel of the jury’s rejection of the tape. Nothing in the record affirmatively supports appellant’s contentions that [16]*16the judge did not so inform the parties. Appellant’s contentions are presented for review for the first time in his brief, as no motion for new trial was filed.

While a motion for new trial is not required to preserve a point of error in an appeal of a criminal matter, it is the vehicle for presenting facts not otherwise shown in the record. Tex.R.App.P. 30(a); Mata v. State, 867 S.W.2d 798, 802 (Tex.App. — El Paso 1993, no pet.). A party has the duty to develop an adequate record'for appellate review. Before filing an appeal, a party has the opportunity, if not the obligation, to examine the transcript and statement of facts, and to challenge these if he finds inaccuracies. Here, counsel’s naked allegation is not sufficient to overcome the presumption of regularity. To hold otherwise is to invite parties to attack the proceedings based on unproven, unilateral assertions. Therefore, we will consider the supplemental charge and its handwritten entry in our examination of the issue, and turn our attention to the withholding of the tape.

The Code of Criminal Procedure requires the trial court to give the jury any exhibits admitted as evidence.3 If a jury requests an exhibit and the court refuses to comply with the request, it is reversible error. Parker v. State, 745 S.W.2d 934, 936 (Tex.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, pet. refd). Appellant characterizes the trial court’s actions as a “refusal” to supply a requested exhibit. The State argues we should not conclude from the handwritten entry on the second charge that the judge refused to supply the tape. Rather, the State would have us conclude that the jury, in effect, rescinded their request to see this specific exhibit. All that is in the record is the jury’s request for “all” of the exhibits, the supplemental charge, and the handwritten note. The authenticity of the trial court’s signature is not disputed, and the note shows the trial court did, in fact, offer the tape to the jury. In doing so, it complied with its statutory obligation. Because we cannot conclude the trial court" refused to supply the jury with this evidence, we are unwilling to call this fundamental error.

In Weatherred v. State, 833 S.W.2d 341, 355 (Tex.App. — Beaumont 1992, pet. refd), the court concluded the trial court erred when it sent an edited exhibit to the jury and conducted a harm analysis. Id. at 356.

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Bluebook (online)
992 S.W.2d 13, 1997 WL 543042, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/berotte-v-state-texapp-1998.