Robert M. Rosales v. State of Texas

• Court: Court of Appeals of Texas
• Decided: May 15, 2008
• Docket: 11-06-00284-CR
• Status: Published

Opinion

Opinion filed May 15, 2008

Opinion filed May 15, 2008

                                                                        In The

    Eleventh Court of Appeals

                                                                   __________

                                                          No. 11-06-00284-CR

                                   ROBERT M. ROSALES, Appellant

                                                             V.

                                        STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                                         On Appeal from the 106th District Court

                                                         Dawson County, Texas

                                                  Trial Court Cause No. 05-6392

                                             M E M O R A N D U M   O P I N I O N

The jury convicted Robert M. Rosales of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, one count of indecency with a child by exposure, and one count of indecency with a child by touching.  The jury assessed his punishment at confinement for ninety-nine years and a $10,000 fine for each aggravated sexual assault, confinement for ten years and a $5,000 fine for the indecency by exposure, and confinement for twenty years and a $5,000 fine for the indecency by touching.  We affirm.

                                                                Evidence at Trial

There is no challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. The record reflects that the victim was thirteen years old at the time of trial.  She identified appellant as her grandmother=s former boyfriend and testified that, beginning when she was six or seven, appellant Astarted touching [her] and stuff.@  Appellant would call her into the house and touch her private with his private and with his hands.  Appellant would pull his pants down and pull her pants down.  Then he would touch the inside of her private with his private.  Appellant would also touch his private to her Abutt.@  The victim stated that, when she would try to push appellant off her, he would hit her.  It hurt when he did these things.  The victim stated that he only tried to put his private in her butt once but that he did the other things more than once.  Sometimes, she would hide in the closet because she was afraid of appellant.  When appellant would find her, he would throw her on the bed and would try Asticking it in@ her front.  Appellant would be on top of her moving, and she would cry.

The victim stated that she knew that appellant had done these things to her sister.^[1]  She would try to go into the bedroom when appellant was alone with her younger sister but the door would be locked.  The victim testified that appellant told her that, if she ever told, he would Ago after@ both her and her sister.

Appellant gave a written statement that was admitted into evidence.  Appellant did not admit to any misconduct with the victim but described several incidents with the victim and her sister.  Appellant stated that the victim had walked in once while he was urinating and watched him.  When he finished, the victim reached out and touched his penis.  Another time, the victim and her sister had peeked through the shower curtain while he was in the shower.  Her younger sister had sat on his lap one time when she was wearing only a T-shirt and he was in his underwear.  Appellant did not think that his penis Acame out@ of his underwear.  Another time, appellant said that he grabbed a towel and dried her younger sister off after her grandmother (his girlfriend) had bathed her.  Appellant concluded his statement by stating that both the victim and her sister would hug him and kiss him on the mouth every time they saw him after he and their grandmother had separated.

 Medical evidence established that the victim had a scar near the base of her hymen consistent with the type of sexual assault she described.

                                                                  Issue on Appeal

In his sole issue on appeal, appellant contends that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting his statement.  Because he was taking medication on the day he gave his statement, appellant argues that there was an insufficient showing that he had waived his right to remain silent and his right to counsel.  At trial, appellant objected to the admission of his statement pursuant to Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 38.22 (Vernon 2005).  To the extent that appellant=s complaints on appeal match the objections he raised before the trial court, appellant has preserved his arguments for appellate review.  Tex. R. App. P. 33.  To the extent that appellant=s complaints on appeal do not match, those complaints are not properly before this court and are overruled.

                                                   Hearing on Appellant=s Statement

Dawson County Deputy Sheriff Alex Sauseda testified that he was a Lamesa police officer at the time he investigated the present offenses.  The victim had identified appellant as her assailant, and Deputy Sauseda went to appellant=s parents= house to talk to him.  Appellant voluntarily agreed to go to the police station.  Deputy Sauseda waited on appellant to get ready and then drove him to the police station.  Appellant was not under arrest and was free to leave at any time.  Deputy Sauseda advised appellant of his Miranda rights.^[2]  Appellant indicated that he understood and that he wished to waive his rights and make a statement.  Deputy Sauseda took appellant=s statement, typed it up, and presented it to appellant for his review.  Appellant initialed each of the various warnings and signed the statement.

Deputy Sauseda stated that, while appellant had informed him that he was taking medication for his liver and that he had been in an accident, appellant did not state what the medication was.  The record reflects that Deputy Sauseda initially contacted appellant at his parents= home at 12:30 p.m. and that appellant signed his statement at 4:15 p.m.

Appellant testified for the purpose of determining the admissibility of his statement.  Appellant stated that he had sustained a head injury in a 1979 motorcycle accident.  He stated that he could barely see, that he had been taking medication including hydrocodone at the time he talked to Deputy Sauseda, that he had vomited blood while he was at the police station, and that Deputy Sauseda did not give him his rights until after he had signed his statement.  Appellant also testified that Deputy Sauseda saw Athe black in [his] stool@ when he passed blood.  When the State questioned him, appellant stated that he understood that he was on trial, that he went voluntarily because he wanted to answer some questions, and that he had not been wandering around in a fog since his accident. The record reflects that Deputy Sauseda was not questioned concerning appellant=s statements that Deputy Sauseda was aware that appellant had vomited blood and passed blood in his stool.

The trial court found that appellant=s statement was voluntary and overruled his objections.

                                                                        Analysis

In reviewing a trial court=s ruling on a motion to suppress, appellate courts must give great deference to the trial court=s findings of historical facts as long as the record supports the findings.  Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).  Because the trial court is the exclusive factfinder, the appellate court reviews evidence adduced at the suppression hearing in the light most favorable to the trial court=s ruling.  Carmouche v. State, 10 S.W.3d 323, 327 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000).  We also give deference to the trial court=s rulings on mixed questions of law and of fact when those rulings turn on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor.  Guzman, 955 S.W.2d at 87. Where such rulings do not turn on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor, we review the trial court=s actions de novo.  Guzman, 955 S.W.2d at 87; Davila v. State, 4 S.W.3d 844, 847-48 (Tex. App.CEastland 1999, no pet.).  

The record supports the trial court=s determination that appellant voluntarily gave his statement and that the provisions of Article 38.22 did not apply as appellant was free to leave at any time.  We specifically note that appellant=s claims concerning due process were not raised in the trial court and have not been preserved for appellate review.  Rule 33.  The sole issue on appeal is overruled.

                                                               This Court=s Ruling

The judgments of the trial court are affirmed.

RICK STRANGE

JUSTICE        

May 15, 2008

Do not publish.  See Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b).

Panel consists of:  Wright, C.J.,

McCall, J., and Strange, J.

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^[1]In a joint trial, appellant was convicted of committing the same type of offenses on the victim=s younger sister.  Today, this court has affirmed those convictions in Cause No. 11-07-00260-CR.

^[2]Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).