Gardner v. State

569 S.W.2d 74, 263 Ark. 739, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2078
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 26, 1978
DocketCR-77-196
StatusPublished
Cited by85 cases

This text of 569 S.W.2d 74 (Gardner v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gardner v. State, 569 S.W.2d 74, 263 Ark. 739, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2078 (Ark. 1978).

Opinion

John A. Fogleman, Justice.

Earl Ray Garnder was found guilty of the crime of rape in violation of Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1803 (Repl. 1977) and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He asserts the following points for reversal:

I
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING APPELLANT’S MOTION FOR DIRECTED VERDICT.
II
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING THE DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SUPPRESS THE CONFESSION.
III
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO DISQUALIFY THE DEPUTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY RESULTING IN A DENIAL OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT OF CONFRONTATION OF ALL WITNESSES.
IV
THE COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING DEFENDANT’S MOTION THAT THE JURY HEAR THE ENTIRE TAPE OF THE DEFENDANT’S ALLEGED CONFESSION RATHER THAN A PORTION OF SAID TAPE AFTER THE JURY HAD BEEN RETIRED FOR THEIR DELIBERATION.
V
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY THAT IT COULD RECOMMEND A SUSPENDED SENTENCE.
VI
THE COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING THE TAPED STATEMENT OF THE DEFENDANT TO BE PLAYED AND ADMI1TED INTO EVIDENCE OVER THE TIMELY OBJECTION OF DEFENDANT AS THERE WAS NOT A PROPER FOUNDATION LAID FOR ADMISSION OF SAID TAPE.
VII
THE COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO REVIEW THE TAPED INTERVIEW OF DEFENDANT IN CAMERA AFTER TIMELY REQUEST BY THE DEFENDANT.

I

Appellant’s argument on this point is directed to one issue only, i.e., that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that all the elements of the crime took place in the State of Arkansas. He argues that, assuming that evidence of penetration was sufficient, there is no evidence that it took place in the State of Arkansas.

Although Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-110 (Repl. 1977) provides that jurisdiction must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, we are not to decide whether there is a reasonable doubt about the matter. Of course, the requirement for conviction by a jury is that it find the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Such a requirement, however, does not mean that, on appellate review, the reviewing court must also find that the evidence eliminates reasonable doubt. The test, on appeal, is whether there is any substantial evidence to support the findings of the jury, and we do not disturb a finding on a fact issue unless there is no substantial evidence to support it. Dennison v. Mobley, 257 Ark. 216, 515 S.W. 2d 215. There is no logical reason why a more stringent test of evidence should be applied on appellate review to one element of the overall fact-finding than to the overall question of guilt. Therefore, review of the evidence on the jurisdictional question does not require that we be persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt or that we find that a preponderance of the evidence supports the finding on jurisdiction. We only determine whether there is substantial evidence to support the finding.

The state is not required to prove jurisdiction unless evidence is admitted that affirmatively shows that the court lacks jurisdiction. Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-110 (2) (Repl. 1977). The commentary to this subsection eliminates any argument that lack of proof on behalf of the state is equivalent to an affirmative showing. In other words, before the state is called upon to offer any evidence on the question of jurisdiction, there must be positive evidence that the offense occurred outside the jurisdiction of the court.

In this case, we might be justified in saying that there is no positive evidence that this alleged offense occurred outside Arkansas (i.e., in Texas). There is substantial evidence that it occurred in Arkansas. There was evidence that the rape occurred while Gardner and the alleged victim, a 16 year old girl named Sanders, were backseat passengers in Gardner’s automobile, which was being driven by Lynn Sullivan and in which Finis “Bubba” Toomer was then a frontseat passenger. The automobile had been driven from the victim’s home near Foreman, Arkansas, to Idabel, Oklahoma. There, according to Miss Sanders, Gardner, who had identified himself to her as Earl Jones, got in the back seat with her and Toomer, who had been in the back seat, then got in the front seat. From Idabel, the party apparently went into Texas, when the driver missed a turn that would have taken them into Arkansas from Oklahoma. Sanders testified that, along the way, the automobile was stopped and Toomer and Gardner pulled off Sanders ’ blue jeans and underpants and Gardner took his pants off. Then, according to her, Gardner got back into the back seat of the car and performed the acts constituting the rape. She did not know where they were at this time, but could see fields, wooded areas and a fence along the highway.

Lynn Sullivan, who was a student at Foreman High School, decided to go home while they were in Idabel. He was then driving and said he had intended to return to Foreman by going through Hayworth and Tom, Oklahoma, but missed a turn. He stated that he stopped the vehicle on a little road just outside of Foreman near the residence of David Walker, in Little River County, Arkansas. According to Sullivan, he got out of the car and saw Miss Sanders in the back seat with her pants off and Gardner on top of her with his body moving as if they were having sexual intercourse. He said that the group remained at this point for some 30 minutes after they stopped. Sullivan said that he had lived for eight years in the area in which the Walker house was located.

The prosecutrix testified that while Gardner was on top of her in the back seat of the car with his pants off, he tried to put his penis in her, and that it “went in but not far” and that although he was unable to have an erection sufficient to complete his entry, he did have sufficient erection to “penetrate me.” She was sure that he “entered her.”

It is not essential to a prosecution in this state that all the elements of the crime charged take place in Arkansas. It has been said that it is generally accepted that if the requisite elements of the crime are committed in different jurisdictions, any state in which an essential part of the crime is committed may take jurisdiction. State v. Scofield, 7 Ariz. App. 307, 438 P. 2d 776 (1968). Carnal knowledge of the victim is an essential element of the crime of rape by sexual intercourse. Kitchen v. State, 61 Okla. Cr. App. 435, 69 P. 2d 411. See also, State v. Lamb, 251 Ark. 999, 476 S.W. 2d 7. To say the least, a state has jurisdiction of a crime consummated within its borders. State v. Scofield, supra. Cf. Mortensen v. State, 214 Ark. 528, 217 S.W. 2d 325; Cousins v. State, 202 Ark. 500, 151 S.W. 2d 658. The crime of rape of a female by a male by sexual intercourse is consummated by his having carnal knowledge of the female. Miller v. State, 65 Okla. Cr. App. 26, 82 P. 2d 317 (1938). See also, Reed v. State, 175 Ark. 1170, 299 S.W. 757; Kitchen v. State, supra.

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Bluebook (online)
569 S.W.2d 74, 263 Ark. 739, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2078, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gardner-v-state-ark-1978.