LeFlore v. State

704 S.W.2d 641, 17 Ark. App. 117, 1986 Ark. App. LEXIS 2063
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 26, 1986
DocketCA CR 85-157
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 704 S.W.2d 641 (LeFlore v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
LeFlore v. State, 704 S.W.2d 641, 17 Ark. App. 117, 1986 Ark. App. LEXIS 2063 (Ark. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

Donald L. Corbin, Judge.

Appellant, John LeFlore, was charged and convicted of committing the offenses of burglary and theft of property by a Sebastian County jury and sentenced to concurrent terms of five years with three years suspended. We find no merit to appellant’s six points for reversal and affirm.

Appellant first contends that the trial court erroneously permitted the introduction of his confession into evidence. The record reflects that between April 19,1984, and April 23,1984, a bank bag containing $4,675.20 was removed from a safe in the municipal clerk’s office of the Sebastian County Courthouse. Appellant was a maintenance worker for Sebastian County and had been so employed for approximately two years. Appellant was subsequently questioned about the burglary and theft by the police and gave a detailed confession. He testified at his trial to essentially the same facts as were contained in his confession. Appellant argues that his confession was not voluntary and that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the confession.

Detective Larry Hammond testified that he read the Miranda warning to appellant and that appellant signed the Waiver of Rights form before being interviewed. Appellant did not have any questions, did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, did not ask for an attorney and did not ask the officers to cease their questioning of him. Appellant initially denied any participation in the crime. Hammond suggested that appellant take a polygraph examination to which appellant agreed. Appellant was advised of his rights prior to the exam. Appellant dictated a three-page statement which Hammond typed after appellant was informed of the results of the polygraph examination. Hammond testified that nothing was offered appellant in exchange for submitting to the polygraph examination and that appellant was not threatened or coerced to give a statement. Hammond estimated that appellant was in custody for approximately five hours but was not questioned continuously during this period of time.

Appellant testified that he was advised on Monday by Bobby Collins, an employee of Sebastian County, that he should return to the courthouse. Upon his arrival there at approximately 10:00 a.m., he was informed that there was money missing and detectives wanted to interview him. Appellant was advised of his rights and he denied any involvement. He was told he could go to lunch and appellant went to the snack bar in the courthouse. He was subsequently told that the detectives wanted to interview him and the questioning began again at approximately 1:00 p.m. Appellant stated that Detective Chapman told appellant that it would be better for him to admit to the crime and produce the money and checks. He was not offered a specific deal. A polygraph examination was mentioned and appellant agreed to take it. He was informed following the test that the test revealed that appellant was not telling the truth. Appellant gave a statement and did not recall being advised of his rights again. He stated that he admitted to committing the offense because he knew that the officers had already interviewed his wife and he did not want her brought into it. Appellant admitted that he never asked for an attorney or for the questioning to stop and was not threatened or beaten. Appellant testified that he had read his statement and that it was fairly accurate.

Appellant LeFlore stated that he had been drinking all weekend prior to the questioning and that he was a diabetic. He had an 11th grade education. He further stated that if he drank, the insulin did not metabolize the liquor and that he was still feeling the effects of the three-day drunk on the Monday he was questioned. Appellant testified that in this condition he was not clear-headed and was more susceptible to pressure. He admitted that he had not drank in the twelve hours preceding his questioning.

Bobby Collins testified that he spoke to appellant the day appellant was questioned about the theft. He stated that appellant appeared clear-headed to him and did not smell of alcohol.

It is well settled that it is the duty of the state to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a custodial statement was voluntarily given. Richardson v. State, 274 Ark. 473, 625 S. W.2d 504 (1981). In ascertaining on appeal the voluntariness of a confession, we make an independent determination based upon the totality of the circumstances, resolving all doubts in favor of individual rights and constitutional safeguards, and, after doing so, we affirm the trial court’s finding unless clearly against the preponderance of the evidence. Thomerson v. State, 274 Ark. 17, 621 S.W.2d 690 (1981).

Under the totality of the circumstances existing in this case, we are unable to say that the state has failed to meet its burden of proof by showing through a preponderance of the evidence that appellant’s statement was not voluntarily made. Therefore, we hold the trial court’s denial of appellant’s motion to suppress and the introduction of the statement did not constitute error.

Appellant’s second assignment of error concerns the admission of testimony by a deputy municipal clerk as to the amount taken from the safe. He argues that the testimony of Susan Pierce and the records of the municipal court clerk’s office “indicate a lack of trustworthiness” and should not have been admitted. The witness testified that she was an employee in the clerk’s office at the time the money was stolen and that she and another clerk had closed the office on the Thursday night before Good Friday. She further testified that when they arrived for work on the following Monday, they noticed that $4,675.20 was missing from the safe. Her tabulation of that amount came from the record of receipts regularly kept by the clerk’s office in its daily course of business. She stated that she made most of the entries she referred to and that she had equal access to the records as did the clerk or custodian.

Appellant contends that the admission of this evidence was not harmless error and that his conviction should be reversed and a new trial held on this basis. We do not agree. Ark. Unif. R. Evid. 803(8) provides the following hearsay exception even though the declarant is available as a witness: It is evident in the case at bar that the witness’s testimony was clearly admissible pursuant to Rule 803(8) and the trial court did not err in admitting this evidence.

To the extent not otherwise provided in this paragraph, records, reports, statements, or data compilations in any form of a public office or agency setting forth its regularly conducted and regularly recorded activities, or matters observed pursuant to duty imposed by law and as to which there was a duty to report, or factual findings resulting from an investigation made pursuant to authority granted by law.

Appellant contends on appeal that there was insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction of burglary. A person commits burglary if he enters or remains unlawfully in an occupiable structure of another person with the purpose of committing therein any offense punishable by imprisonment. Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-2002 (Repl. 1977). The essence of appellant’s argument here is that the state failed to prove appellant either entered or remained unlawfully in the courthouse.

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Bluebook (online)
704 S.W.2d 641, 17 Ark. App. 117, 1986 Ark. App. LEXIS 2063, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leflore-v-state-arkctapp-1986.