Sanders v. State

467 S.W.2d 821, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 27, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 391
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 9, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 467 S.W.2d 821 (Sanders v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanders v. State, 467 S.W.2d 821, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 27, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 391 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

OPINION

O’BRIEN, Judge.

This cause is before this Court on appeal from a jury conviction and sentence in the Criminal Court of Shelby County, Tennessee. John Allen Sanders, the plaintiff in error, was convicted of assault and battery on a female under the age of twelve years with intent to carnally know her, and was sentenced to fifty years in the State Penitentiary. Motion for a new trial was overruled and appeal granted. A sixty day extension of time was allowed within which to perfect the appeal. The Bill of Exceptions was not timely filed.

Under the provisions of TCA Sec. 27-111, as amended by Chapter 475 of the Public Acts of 1970, this Court directed the filing of the Bill of Exceptions. The cause is now properly before this Court.

Defendant, John Allen Sanders, was found to be indigent by the trial court and the public defender, in the person of G. Edward Draper, Esq., was appointed as counsel. Subsequent to his trial and conviction, the defendant was represented by private counsel in the course of effecting his appeal. The Bill of Exceptions was approved by G. Edward Draper as attorney for the defendant. ' Retained counsel filed a Brief and Assignments of Error in this Court on October 5th, 1970. A very comprehensive Brief and Assignments of Error was filed on June 9th, 1970, by Hugh Stanton, Sr., public defender for Shelby County, as attorney for the appellant.

Briefs filed by retained counsel and the Public Defender, and all Assignments of Error will be considered in order that a complete review may be made.

The pertinent facts disclosed from the record indicates that on December 30th, 1967, Lorrie Jean Betts, the prosecutrix, was eleven years old and apparently had been a deaf mute from birth. On December 30th, 1967, two Memphis Police Officers, Patrolmen Cantrell and Simpson, on routine patrol, at approximately 8:00 o’clock P.M., discovered a yellow and white 1959 Ford station wagon parked beyond a barricade on Old Millington Road near its intersection with Overton Crossing Road. Old Millington Road was not in public use at that point and the area was generally used for a dumping ground by local residents. Upon investigation to determine • whether the car was parked or abandoned, they found the vehicle to be occupied by the defendant, and Lorrie Jean Betts.

The testimony of Lorrie Jean Betts was adduced utilizing the services of an instructor in deaf education classes in the Memphis City School System who served as interpreter. The child gave a detailed account of the events which transpired and her testimony is summarized.

[823]*823On December 30th, 1967, the date on which the alleged events occurred, she was eleven years of age. She made an in court identification of the defendant as the individual who inveigled, or forced her into an automobile in the street in front of her home where she had been left in the charge of an older sister while her mother was at her place of employment, some two and a half blocks distant. After following a circuitous route, during the course of which her hands were tied behind her for a time in a painful manner, they stopped in the isolated area where they were subsequently discovered by the police officers. Defendant told her he intended to have sexual intercourse with her, explored her private parts, with his hands, and touched the upper areas of her body with his mouth after pulling up her shirt or blouse. At various times he threatened her with a knife, struck, shook and pushed her. She kicked him, stomped his foot, and pushed him away when he endeavored to put his body against her. She further identified defendant as a friend of former neighbors.

The sister of the prosecutrix identified defendant as a friend of neighbors and testified he had previously, on at least two occasions, asked if the child could go home with him. That after Lorrie returned home on the night in question, she had handprints or red marks on her shoulders, her hands, wrist and face.

The testimony of the two arresting officers was similar to the effect that they initiated their investigation because of the location and the circumstances under which they observed the vehicle of defendant parked. As they approached the vehicle, it was apparent that a struggle was taking place between its occupants. They identified defendant and the prosecutrix as the vehicle’s occupants and when Patrolman Simpson opened the right hand door of the vehicle the child jumped into his arms and the defendant was directed to step out. The child was trembling and in a highly agitated and emotional state. The child made various gestures, pointing to her lower extremities, pulling her arms and kicking. There were bruises on her arm, and she made the gesture, indicated by the interpreter to mean sexual intercourse, and then pointed at the defendant.

Lt. C. Y. McDaniel, a Memphis police officer, testified that in conjunction with Lt. Davis, he interviewed the defendant on the morning of December 31st, 1967, at which time a standard form, referred to as a rights card, was read to defendant. This card contained the following verbiage.

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a Court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer, either of your own choice or Court appointed, if you cannot afford one, and to talk to your lawyer before answering any questions, and to have him with you during ques-tionning, if you wish.”

Defendant was asked if he understood the card, and replied in the affirmative, further stating that he would answer questions. He did answer questions freely and voluntarily, without the use of force. Utilizing a paper writing made at the time of the interrogation to refresh his recollection, Lt. McDaniel further testified that defendant stated he knew the little Betts girl. That she was walking down the sidewalk when he picked her up and gave her a ride. That he was going over to his sister’s house. That he had given her rides on four or five other occasions. That he went to a liquor store on Chelsea Avenue and bought a bottle of wine. That he denied doing any of the things to the little girl, of which he was accused. That the only time he touched the child was to attract her attention to tell her that the car motor had quit running.

It may be noted that medical examination indicated the child was virginal, but there was evidence to indicate that her vaginal area was tender and swollen.

The defendant declined to take the witness stand after informing the Court that [824]*824he fully understood the Court’s inquiry and explanation of the required procedure in that regard.

The Assignments of Error relied on in the Brief submitted by the public defender will be first considered.

Assignment of Error No. 1:
(a) “There is no evidence to sustain the verdict of the jury.
(b) The verdict of the jury is contrary both to the law and the evidence.
(c) The evidence in the case did not sustain a verdict of assault and battery with intent to carnally know female under twelve. The only possible thing that the evidence could have supported was assault and battery with intent to fondle, and the defendant respectfully hinges upon the Court that this is what the defendant should have been convicted of in the verdict.”

We have carefully reviewed the entire record.

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Related

Wiggins v. State
498 S.W.2d 92 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
467 S.W.2d 821, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 27, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 391, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanders-v-state-tenncrimapp-1971.