State ex rel. W.V.

246 So. 3d 34
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 18, 2018
DocketNO. 2018–CA–0001
StatusPublished

This text of 246 So. 3d 34 (State ex rel. W.V.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. W.V., 246 So. 3d 34 (La. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

Judge Edwin A. Lombard

The juvenile, W.V., appeals his adjudication as a delinquent for one count of simple battery in violation of La. Rev. Stat. 14:25. After review of the record in light of the applicable law and arguments of the parties, we affirm W.V.'s adjudication. However, we vacate the disposition as well as the $55 court costs and the $150 probation fee imposed. Lastly, we remand this matter to the juvenile court to conduct a disposition hearing in accordance with La. Ch.C. art. 892.

Facts and Procedural History

W.V. was arrested on March 24, 2017, in New Orleans as a result of his mother, L.V., calling the New Orleans Police Department to report that W.V. choked her and assaulted one of his siblings. At the adjudication hearing, L.V. gave varying accounts of what transpired.

Initially, L.V. testified that on March 24, 2017, W.V. slapped his younger brother and slapped his younger sister on the arm. Later, she clarified that W.V. had slapped his younger brother on another day, but had only slapped his sister during the incident at issue. L.V. related that she did not approve of W.V. hitting his younger siblings, which she called to his attention. While chastising him, L.V. testified that *36she grabbed W.V. to punish him. In response, W.V. raised his hands and pushed against her. She related that W.V. grabbed her by the chest, but did not choke or strike her.

L.V. later testified that after W.V. slapped his nine-year-old sister, L.V. questioned him about his behavior. She then attempted to grab and hit him just before she fell on a chair. She explained that she grabbed W.V. very hard as she fell and that, in response, he put his hands on her neck. She further testified that she did not give her son permission to put his hands around her neck. She pushed him away before he put his hands around her neck. Later, she testified that he put his hands on her first before pushing him away.

Offering yet another version of the incident, she testified that after W.V. slapped his sister, she grabbed W.V., but started to fall backwards on a chair. She explained that as she fell back, W.V. put his hand up and she pushed him away.

In a final version of the incident, L.V. recounted that she witnessed W.V. slap his younger sister on the arm and remarked to him that she had previously warned him that she was tired of him slapping his siblings. She explained that she started to fall back on a chair and grabbed W.V. as she fell. She explained that when she grabbed him and started to fall, he then put his hands on her neck. She testified that she responded by pushing him away.

She explained that W.V. put his hands on her neck because he was bothered that she had grabbed him. According to L.V., W.V. did not squeeze her neck. She testified that she pushed W.V. away from her because she did not want him to put his hand on her throat. She testified that her daughter was not injured and that no one sustained any injuries or went to the hospital. She explained that she called the police because she did not want to hurt or hit W.V. She also testified that she called the police because of the behavior W.V. was displaying. She further testified that she informed the police that W.V. choked her. She testified that she was afraid of what she was going to do to him because of the way he reacted towards his sister. Lastly, she testified that everything she reported to the responding officer that night was accurate. She also explained that she did not want to be in court for the hearing to "persecute" her son, W.V.

Officer Kimberly Ginder ("Off. Ginder") testified that on March 24, 2017, she responded to a call at L.V.'s residence on St. Andrew Street in New Orleans to take a report regarding a domestic situation involving W.V., who was the perpetrator. She described L.V. as a victim. She testified that there was a language barrier and that one of L.V.'s younger children acted as an interpreter. Off. Ginder further testified that she learned, through interpretation by L.V.'s younger son, that W.V. had put his hand around L.V.'s neck. She testified that L.V. explained what happened and implied it with her hand motions. Off. Ginder related that she wrote a report detailing what occurred, including that L.V. had been strangled by W.V., who also slapped one of the siblings. She explained that W.V. was arrested at the scene. She related that L.V. did not object to his arrest and remained calm during his arrest.

Following his arrest, W.V. was charged by delinquency petition with two counts of simple battery. The matter initially was placed on diversion, but the charges were returned to the docket on September 5, 2017. On September 26, 2017, W.V. denied the offenses charged in the petition.

An adjudication hearing was held before the juvenile court on November 28, 2017. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court *37found W.V. delinquent for count one, simple battery against L.V., only. The court placed him with the Office of Juvenile Justice for a period of six months; however, the execution of the sentence was suspended. Lastly, W.V. was placed on active probation for six months. The judge further imposed court costs in the amount of $55 and a probation supervision fee in the amount of $150. The juvenile court signed a judgment on the same date as the hearing.

This timely appeal followed. W.V. raises four (4) assignments of error on appeal:

1. the juvenile court erred in rendering a disposition judgment that does not agree with the transcript;
2. the juvenile court erred in finding that the evidence was sufficient to support the delinquency adjudication and to establish justification;
3. the juvenile court erred in imposing a disposition without obtaining a waiver of a disposition hearing; and
4. the juvenile court erred in imposing court costs upon the mother of an indigent defendant without any inquiry into her ability to pay.

Standard of Review

In State in Interest of A.J ., we explained that we apply a clearly wrong or manifest error standard of review in determining whether the State has proved a juvenile a delinquent of a charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt:

In juvenile proceedings, the State must prove the child a delinquent beyond a reasonable doubt. La. Ch. C. art. 883. "The standard for the State's burden of proof in a juvenile delinquency proceeding is "no less strenuous than the standard of proof required in a criminal proceeding against an adult.' " State in the Interest of R.L. , 11-1721, p. 3 (La.App. 4 Cir. 5/30/12), 95 So.3d 1147, 1150 (citing State in the Interest of A.G. , 630 So.2d 909, 910 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/30/93) ).
"While delinquency proceedings may in many ways implicate criminal proceedings, sometimes even mimicking them, they are nonetheless civil in nature." State in the Interest of D.R ., 10-0405, p. 5 (La.App. 4 Cir.

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Bluebook (online)
246 So. 3d 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-wv-lactapp-2018.