Glaskox v. State

659 So. 2d 591, 1995 WL 456210
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 3, 1995
Docket91-KA-01268-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 659 So. 2d 591 (Glaskox v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glaskox v. State, 659 So. 2d 591, 1995 WL 456210 (Mich. 1995).

Opinion

659 So.2d 591 (1995)

Eric Lane GLASKOX
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 91-KA-01268-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

August 3, 1995.

*592 Brian B. Britt, Ocean Springs, for appellant.

Michael C. Moore, Atty. Gen., Jackson, Pat S. Flynn, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee.

En Banc.

SMITH, Justice, for the Court:

Eric Lane Glaskox (Glaskox) appeals to this Court the judgment of the Circuit Court of Jackson County resulting in his conviction of gratification of lust involving his six year old daughter and sentence to ten years in the custody of the Department of Corrections. Glaskox's appeal alleges sixteen assignments of error, fifteen of which are totally without merit and one which requires discussion. After thoroughly considering these issues, we find they are without merit and we must affirm the trial court.

FACTS

D.G., wife of the defendant testified that she returned home from her job at Hardee's at approximately 1:00 a.m. on January 15, 1989, and found her husband, Glaskox, in bed with their six year old daughter, A.G.. Both Glaskox and A.G. were naked and A.G. was underneath Glaskox with his penis lying across her leg. D.G. noticed that A.G. was covered with a greasy substance and her vaginal area was red. Glaskox was asleep or passed out. A.G. started crying when D.G. picked her up, and stated that her daddy had hurt her. When D.G. woke Glaskox to ascertain what was occurring he replied "nothing" and promptly went back to sleep. A.G. testified that Glaskox had touched her in her vaginal area, rubbed himself on her and put Crisco on her as she pointed to her vaginal area.

Diane Spence, an emergency room nurse who examined A.G., testified that the child was bruised in the vaginal area and had an oily substance on her vaginal area. Spence took a medical history from A.G. She testified that A.G. said her father had touched her with his hand and with "the hard thing" and had kissed her "down there."

Dr. Richard Bucci, the emergency room physician, testified that A.G.'s genital area was severely hemorrhaged and bruised, caused by bleeding under the skin all around the vulva and vaginal area. Dr. Bucci stated that there was "much trauma" to the child's vaginal area. Detailed photographs were admitted into evidence depicting the severity of the injuries sustained by the child. Although Glaskox suggested the redness to the child's vagina was the result of bedwetting, Spence and Dr. Bucci completely refuted this allegation. Additionally, Dr. Bucci, qualified as an expert in the field of sexual abuse, testified:

This is trauma. This is injury. This is a bruising from a friction, from just severe trauma to this tissue. Any of the other conditions mentioned produce a kind of — a more of an irritation of the skin. A diaper rash has to be long standing for it to produce any kind of actual breakdown of the skin. There can be some local irritation where a little pink, maybe a pink rash might appear, but any of the conditions mentioned would not produce this severe redness. It's a redness from blood. Its not a redness from irritation. Blood is from the trauma. The blood vessels and the microcapillaries were broken actually from the severe trauma caused to this soft tissue that actually bleeds profusely under the skin, giving that bright red color. This is not a rash by any means and it is so localized to the vaginal area, again, one would expect a diaper rash to be diffused or underwear problem to the outlying of the area. This child was spotless other than the oil and the injury to her. The rest of her body really showed no signs of any kind of illness. (emphasis added).

Glaskox testified that D.G.'s uncle, James Pitts, was also at their home on the night in question. Glaskox had put the children in their own beds at 8:30 p.m. Glaskox testified that he went to bed that night and didn't remember anything else until he awakened to D.G. hitting him. He stated that A.G. had looked as red as the pictures introduced in evidence from rashes that she had on prior occasions. However, on cross-examination, Glaskox's statement that he gave to police at his arrest was introduced into evidence. *593 Glaskox's statement revealed that he had remembered A.G. getting into bed with him and "scooting up" to him. Glaskox further claimed in the statement that "I can think I had been dreaming or something."

Glaskox called D.G. as an adverse witness, but was denied the opportunity to impeach her with time cards and payroll records from Hardee's. Glaskox intended to attack her credibility by using the records to rebut D.G.'s statement that she had worked from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the night in question.

DISCUSSION OF LAW

WHETHER THE DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE WAS PROPERLY EXCLUDED DUE TO GLASKOX'S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE DISCOVERY RULE.

The trial judge held that Glaskox had made no attempt to comply with reciprocal discovery and the evidence concerning the time cards was excluded. During the State's case in chief, D.G. was asked what time she left work at Hardee's on the night in question. She responded that she left at 11:00 p.m., and that was not challenged on cross-examination. Defense counsel did not offer the time card into evidence during cross-examination. Instead, during Glaskox's case in chief, D.G. was called as an adverse witness and the attempted impeachment by use of the time card records occurred. The State objected on discovery violation grounds. Glaskox claimed that he was not required to reveal evidence offered in direct rebuttal. Glaskox had the time records subpoenaed for some time prior to trial to use as surprise rebuttal. This is exactly the type of tactics which the discovery rule was specifically created to prevent.

Rule 4.06, Uniform Criminal Rules of Circuit Court Practice, controls discovery between both parties in criminal cases and is just as binding on one as the other. Coates v. State, 495 So.2d 464 (Miss. 1986); Darghty v. State, 530 So.2d 27 (Miss. 1988).

This Court has held that evidence offered in rebuttal is subject to the discovery rule. In Johnson v. State, 491 So.2d 834 (Miss. 1986), this Court stated:

Under our holding in Jackson v. State, 426 So.2d 405 (Miss. 1983); and Morris v. State, 436 So.2d 1381 (Miss. 1983), there is no distinction in an incriminating statement being offered by the state's case in chief, or reserving it for rebuttal, the accused is nevertheless entitled to discovery so as not to be caught by surprise at trial... .

Johnson, 491 So.2d at 837.

This Court has set out the procedure for trial courts to follow when a discovery violation has occurred. Commencing with Box v. State, 437 So.2d 19 (Miss. 1983), this Court has held that trial courts should before trial or during trial, upon objection by a party, give that party a reasonable opportunity to interview witnesses or inspect the evidence. After such opportunity, if the party believes it may be prejudiced by lack of opportunity to prepare, it must request a continuance. Failure to so request constitutes acquiescence in proceeding with the trial as if no violation of discovery occurred. However, if the discovery violator is not willing to proceed without the evidence, the circuit court must grant the continuance. Houston v. State, 531 So.2d 598, 611-12 (Miss. 1988); See also Alexander v. State, 610 So.2d 320 (Miss. 1992); Cole v. State, 525 So.2d 365 (Miss. 1987).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Fagan v. State
881 So. 2d 851 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2003)
Byrom v. State
863 So. 2d 836 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2003)
Scott v. State
831 So. 2d 576 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2002)
Gray v. State
799 So. 2d 53 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2001)
Blakley v. State
791 So. 2d 326 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2001)
Langston v. State
791 So. 2d 273 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2001)
Michelle Byrom v. State of Mississippi
Mississippi Supreme Court, 2000
Viola Gray v. State of Mississippi
Mississippi Supreme Court, 1999
Mims v. State
730 So. 2d 76 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 1998)
De La Beckwith v. State
707 So. 2d 547 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
659 So. 2d 591, 1995 WL 456210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glaskox-v-state-miss-1995.