Carter v. State

497 S.E.2d 812, 231 Ga. App. 42, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 1818, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 295, 1998 WL 188110
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedFebruary 27, 1998
DocketA98A0073, A98A0074
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 497 S.E.2d 812 (Carter v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carter v. State, 497 S.E.2d 812, 231 Ga. App. 42, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 1818, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 295, 1998 WL 188110 (Ga. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

Eldridge, Judge.

This Fayette County case arose as a part of a lengthy, ongoing dispute between appellant Anthony Carter and a neighbor, Lester Walden, which dispute was, apparently, referred to locally as the “Carter/Walden feud.” In this instance, a jury found appellant Carter guilty of misdemeanor criminal trespass for piling dirt against Walden’s fence, thereby causing damage to the fence and to Walden’s property. 1 In addition to the above conviction, appellant, who represented himself at trial, ignored numerous warnings by the trial court and repeatedly cast aspersions upon Lester Walden during his cross-examination of Walden, thereby engendering another conviction for criminal contempt of court. Pro se, Carter appeals both convictions. We affirm both.

Case No. A98A0074: Criminal Trespass

1. Upon arrest and prior to the presentment of the accusation charging him with criminal trespass, appellant filed a pro se demand for speedy trial. He claims he was denied his speedy trial rights. We disagree. To the extent that appellant’s pro se contentions encompass such right pursuant to OCGA § 17-7-170 (a), the demand was not filed timely. A demand for speedy trial pursuant to the provisions of this section may not be made until an indictment has been returned or an accusation preferred. State v. Black, 213 Ga. App. 331, 332 (444 SE2d 368) (1994), rev’d on other grounds in Hurst v. Grange Mut. Cas. Co., 266 Ga. 712 (470 SE2d 659) (1996). To the extent that appellant’s contentions raise a constitutional claim, appellant has failed to demonstrate how the 18-month period between his arrest and trial resulted in any impairment of appellant’s defense. Barker v. Wingo, 407 U. S. 514, 515 (92 SC 2182, 33 LE2d 101) (1972); State v. Auerswald, 198 Ga. App. 183, 184 (401 SE2d 27) (1990).

2. Next appellant contends that this case should have been dismissed as res judicata because the same issues had allegedly been raised in a prior civil case filed in the Superior Court of Fayette County, Civil Action No. 91V-0481. Because of the different standards of proof, the “judgment in a civil action is not admissible in a criminal action to prove any fact determined in the civil action.” Flynt v. State, 153 Ga. App. 232, 243 (264 SE2d 669) (1980). Further, no final judgment in the prior civil case was introduced, thereby precluding the application of the doctrine of res judicata or collateral *43 estoppel under OCGA § 9-12-40. Quinn v. State, 221 Ga. App. 399 (471 SE2d 337) (1996). 2

3. There was no error in the trial court’s refusal to allow the appellant, following the guilty verdict, to “poll” the jury by asking them: (1) if they had “made a decision [based] on the Carter — Walden fued [sic] going on in local papers for about 7 years”; and (2) if they “felt sorry for Lester Walden and did not go by evidence presented to them.” A defendant’s right to poll a jury following the verdict does not encompass questioning which attempts to impeach the verdict. See, e.g., OCGA § 17-9-41.

4. Next appellant contends that he was hampered in presenting his defense because he was intimidated by the trial court. We have reviewed the record in the instant case. The only factor that could possibly be considered “intimidating” was the trial court’s appropriate attempts to require appellant to comply with rules of evidence and procedure, which task appellant willingly undertook when he decided to represent himself. Further, if appellant was “intimidated” by the trial court, such was not apparent by his conduct during the presentation of his defense, and appellant has failed to show any harm resulting from his alleged “intimidation.” “Both error and harm must be shown affirmatively by the record to authorize a reversal on appeal. [Cit.]” Robinson v. State, 212 Ga. App. 613, 616 (2) (442 SE2d 901) (1994).

5. The trial court did not err in denying appellant’s motion for directed verdict. The state introduced numerous pictures taken by Walden which showed appellant using a tractor to push dirt and debris up against the combination of hog wire and chain link fence that separated their common boundary line. In addition, Lester Walden testified that he had his property surveyed three times, and that the fence was on his property; that appellant, without consent, continually piled dirt up to and over the fence, which caused damage to the fence and the property on the other side; and that appellant’s acts were in retaliation for other benign acts committed by Walden.

Appellant, on the other hand, testified that the fence may have been on the property line originally, but rainwater had pushed the fence over onto his land; that since the fence was on his land, he could rightfully push his own dirt up against his own fence if he chose to do so; and that Walden filed these charges in retaliation for other benign acts committed by appellant.

“ Tt is the province of the jury, and theirs alone, when considering conflicting evidence and statements of defendant ], to decide *44 what evidence to believe or disbelieve.’ [Cit.]” Crews v. State, 133 Ga. App. 764, 765 (213 SE2d 34) (1975). Further, “the intent with which an act is done is peculiarly a question of fact for determination by the jury.” Brown v. State, 174 Ga. App. 913 (331 SE2d 891) (1985). There was no error.

6. Appellant next contends that the deputy who investigated Walden’s complaint and the magistrate who issued the arrest warrant “were bias [sic] and lied in Court,” because both allegedly testified that Walden’s allegations against appellant were investigated before appellant’s arrest. Appellant contends that “Court Records show incident was investigated 30 days after arrest. Court records were falsified by adding a date to original Sept. Stamp.” It appears to this Court that the date on which Walden’s allegations were “investigated” does not impact on the validity of the investigation. Nor does it impact on the jury’s credibility determination regarding the “swearing contest” of conflicting testimony presented by appellant and Walden as to the essential elements of the crime for which appellant was convicted. However, that aside, appellant has made no effort to identify the allegedly biased and false testimony of the deputy and the magistrate by page reference to the transcript; he has not identified on what basis he claims court records were falsified; he presents no legal argument other than bare contentions; and he presents no relevant citations of authority. This claim of error is abandoned. Court of Appeals Rule 27 (c) (2) and (3) (i); Elrod v. State, 195 Ga. App. 571 (394 SE2d 548) (1990).

7. Contrary to appellant’s claim of error, the failure to establish the exact

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Bluebook (online)
497 S.E.2d 812, 231 Ga. App. 42, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 1818, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 295, 1998 WL 188110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-state-gactapp-1998.