Commonwealth v. Swan

17 Mass. L. Rptr. 374
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedFebruary 27, 2004
DocketNo. 0211920104
StatusPublished

This text of 17 Mass. L. Rptr. 374 (Commonwealth v. Swan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Swan, 17 Mass. L. Rptr. 374 (Mass. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Brassard, J.

Introduction

The defendant, David Swan, (“Swan”) is charged with two counts of Open and Gross Lewdness in violation of G.L.c. 272, §16, and two counts of Disorderly Conduct in violation of G.L.c. 272, §53. He now moves pursuant to Mass.R.Crim.P. 13 to dismiss the indictments under the state and federal constitutions, Commonwealth v. O'Dell, 392 Mass. 445 (1984), and Commonwealth v. McCarthy, 385 Mass. 160 (1982). Specifically, he claims that the Commonwealth presented misstatements of fact and withheld material exculpatory information from the Grand Jury, that there was insufficient evidence to support the indictments, and that the statutes, as applied to him, are unconstitutional. For the reasons that follow, the motion is DENIED.

[375]*375Background

1. The Indictments

At the time the indictments were returned, Swan had been a custodian in the Lexington public schools for eighteen years, and employed at the Fiske Elementary School for fourteen years. He was one of two custodians at that school. The indictments allege inappropriate behavior towards three school boys occurring between September 1, 2000 and June 30, 2001 in the boys’ bathroom at the Fiske school. For purposes of this decision, the boys shall be referred to as “AA,” “BB” and “CC.”

With respect to AA, the indictments charge Swan with both Open and Gross Lewdness and Disorderly Conduct. Specifically, AA alleges that while he was in the fourth grade, Swan “showed his privates to kids” in the bathroom on more than one occasion. AA alleges that on numerous occasions Swan would stand back from the urinal while urinating with his penis exposed so that AA would see it. Swan would always use the small urinalone designed lower to the ground for shorter children. When he was alone with Swan in the bathroom, Swan’s penis appeared “stiff’ and “straight,” but it appeared “droopy” when other boys were in the bathroom. AA also alleges that while AA was urinating, Swan would approach another urinal and AA could feel Swan staring at him. According to AA, the defendant “look[ed] threatening” and his conduct made AA very uncomfortable and “scared.”

With respect to BB, a fifth grader, the indictments charge Swan with one count of Open and Gross Lewdness. Specifically, BB alleges that Swan would stand next to him at the adjacent urinal exposing himself, and would try to engage BB in conversation. Even when no one else was in the bathroom, Swan would occupy the urinal immediately adjacent to BB and stand far back from the urinal exposing himself to BB. BB found the conduct “weird” and “disgusting.” Even though Swan knew BB’s name, he would always address him in the bathroom as “boy.” According to BB, Swan also made several “crude” comments to him, such as his desire to get a “penis ring,” how it would feel good to pull a tight leotard over his “pecker,” that another student sounded constipated while going to the bathroom, and that he was mad at another student for urinating on the bathroom floor and that he would “beat” him.

With respect to CC, a kindergartener at the time, the indictments charge Swan with Disorderly Conduct. CC alleges that Swan stared at his “privates” while CC was “doing his business.” It made CC “uncomfortable” and he “didn’t really like it” and it made him “feel a little sort of mean, sort of furious,” but CC was “afraid” to tell Swan to stop because he was bigger.

2. The Evidence Presented to the Grand Jury

On August 8, 2002, the Commonwealth presented two witnesses before the Grand Juiy: Ann Beck (“Beck”), a child interviewer from the District Attorney’s office, and Lieutenant Detective Mark Corr (“Lt. Det. Corr”). Three videotaped interviews ofAA, BB and CC were marked as exhibits. The minutes do not reflect whether the Grand Jury actually watched the videotapes. However, they did have a VCR in their deliberating room.

a. Ann Beck

Beck conducted the videotaped interviews of the three complainants. She authenticated each of the videotapes, which were then marked as exhibits, and proceeded to testify as to the contents of each interview. Swan has noted several misrepresentations or misstatements Beck made and asserts that those misstatements materially tainted the integrity of the Grand Jury process. These alleged misrepresentations are as follows.

With regard to AA’s interview:

Beck twice testified that AA said while he and Swan were using urinals, Swan would try to engage AA in conversation. In AA’s taped interview, AA actually states that Swan did not say anything to him at the urinals.
Beck testified that while urinating AA said he could see Swan’s “whole penis” “and eveiything that was there.” AA actually stated only that he could see “most of his penis.”
Beck testified that AA said that Swan would always use the urinal immediately next to him. AA actually said that Swan always used the same urinal at the end of the bathroom.
Beck testified that AA said Swan would watch him urinate in the bathroom and that he “could see, he could sense that Mr. Swan was looking right at him.” She then stated that AA said Swan was looking “at his private parts.” In AA’s interview, when asked where Swan was looking, AA stated: “I don’t really know ‘cuz you . . . I. . . you know how you can feel people staring at you . . . Like I can’t really tell where somebody’s eyes are looking at.”
Finally, Beck testified that AA “repeatedly said that it was disgusting to him how Mr. Swan would tiy to strike up a normal conversation while tiying to go to the bathroom.” AA did not state this in his interview.
With regard to CC’s interview:
Beck inaccurately quoted CC. However, the quote is substantially identical, and contains no serious differences.
Beck stated that CC said that “he knew Mr. Swan’s pants had come down” in the bathroom. CC did not say this. CC stated that while going to the bathroom Swan would use his hand to hold his shirt or his “privates.”
Beck stated that CC said he never asked Swan to stop looking at him because Swan was bigger than [376]*376him, and “he didn’t know what [Swan] would do.” CC actually said that he was afraid to say anything to Swan “cuz I know he’s bigger than me . . . And I will be sort of afraid to say that." When Beck asked him what he was afraid of, CC responded, “that really . . . really nothing, but I don’t really want to say that ‘cuz he’s really . . . sometimes really nice to me.”

With regard to BB’s interview:

Beck testified that BB said that “no matter where he was in the bathroom, Mr. Swan would come up and use the urinal that was right next to him and that Mr. Swan would undo his pants . . . and that he would pull his penis out to go to the bathroom.” This was not precisely what BB said. BB stated that Swan would use an adjacent urinal even though there were others available
Beck testified that BB said that Swan said “look at this” when he was in the bathroom. This did not occur in the interview.

b. Lt. Det. Mark Corr

Lt. Det. Corr relayed information from a report compiled by a DSS investigator.

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Bluebook (online)
17 Mass. L. Rptr. 374, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-swan-masssuperct-2004.