State, in Interest of Jco

877 So. 2d 1020, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1456, 2004 WL 1208939
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 2, 2004
Docket38,661-JAC
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 877 So. 2d 1020 (State, in Interest of Jco) 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, in Interest of Jco, 877 So. 2d 1020, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1456, 2004 WL 1208939 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

877 So.2d 1020 (2004)

STATE of Louisiana in the interest of J.C.O.

No. 38,661-JAC.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

June 2, 2004.

*1021 Herman A. Castete, Derwyn D. Bunton, for Appellant.

James E. Lewis, Assistant District Attorney, for Appellee.

Before WILLIAMS, DREW and MOORE, JJ.

WILLIAMS, J.

The juvenile, J.C.O.[1], adjudicated delinquent after pleading guilty to oral sexual battery, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:43.3, appeals from a disposition committing him to the custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections ("DPS") until his nineteenth birthday. We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On August 13, 2003, the Winn Parish District Attorney filed a petition to declare J.C.O., born on August 9, 1989, a delinquent child. The petition alleged that on August 2, 2003, J.C.O. committed the offense of oral sexual battery upon another juvenile, J.S.[2], who was under the age of fifteen and at least three years younger than J.C.O. The victim of the act was an eight-year-old girl. On August 18, 2003, J.C.O. appeared in court with his parents, but without counsel, and the court explained J.C.O.'s rights including the privilege against self-incrimination and the right to confront witnesses. The court also explained that the maximum disposition for this offense was placement of J.C.O. with DPS until J.C.O. reached the age of twenty-one. The court entered a denial to the petition on behalf of J.C.O. and ordered the appointment of an attorney.

On September 15, 2003, J.C.O., now represented by counsel, and his parents again appeared in court to allow J.C.O. to enter an admission to the allegations in the petition. At the beginning of the hearing, in the presence of J.C.O. and his parents, the juvenile's attorney informed the court:

I have discussed this matter with the parents and step-parents and the child and at this time, it is my understanding that [J.C.O.] would withdraw his previous denial in this matter and enter an admission. I have told him what the *1022 cap is on the sentence. Also, that the sentence would be next month at [sic] dispositional hearing and we would put on some evidence at that time.

The court then explained the nature of the charge against J.C.O., and in doing so stated:

At the disposition of this matter, the court has advised [counsel for J.C.O.] that the cap on this matter would be that he would be placed in the custody of the State of Louisiana, Juvenile Division until his nineteenth birthday. I will allow a disposition hearing for facts that you may wish to present and also that the state may wish to present at that time....

J.C.O. indicated that he understood the court's statements. Next, the court engaged J.C.O.'s parents in a colloquy which included the following:

Judge: All right. [J.C.O.'s father], you understand the cap that I placed on this matter?
Father: Yes, sir.
Judge: And also, the mother, you understand that?
Mother: Yes, sir.

After explaining the juvenile's constitutional rights, the court then informed J.C.O. and his parents that:

And if you disagree with any decision that is made [sic] of the trial court, there is an appeal that may be made through the Court of Appeals in Shreveport....

The juvenile and his family affirmed that they understood. Subsequently, the court accepted the juvenile's admission to the allegation in the petition and adjudged J.C.O. delinquent based upon his commission of oral sexual battery. The record shows that the court did not order any examination of J.C.O. pursuant to La. Ch. C. art. 888.

On November 17, 2003, the court called the matter for a dispositional hearing, but rescheduled the hearing to December 15, 2003, due to the unavailability of a witness, Matthew Thornton, and the absence of Thornton's counseling report on J.C.O. On December 15, 2003, the court held the dispositional hearing over the objection of the juvenile's attorney. The attorney believed that the matter had been continued when it had not, and a psychological examination of J.C.O. was scheduled for December 17, 2003. The psychological examination had been scheduled by the DPS. The court elected to proceed without the benefit of the examination.

At the dispositional hearing, the juvenile called Steve Turner, a juvenile probation and parole officer with the Office of Youth Development ("OYD"), to testify about the results of his pre-dispositional investigation. The OYD's report was introduced into evidence. The report shows that J.C.O. suffered from asthma and had failed kindergarten and the first and sixth grades due to health problems. He was set to repeat the sixth grade in 2003 and had made good grades, except in math. The OYD spoke with J.C.O., his family, the victim and her family. J.C.O.'s mother and step-father live across the street from the victim and her family, but his father and step-mother lived "on the other side of Winn Parish." J.C.O.'s parents believed that the best disposition would be to order J.C.O. to live with his father, a greater distance away from the victim. The report indicates that J.C.O. claimed to be a follower in the delinquent act, but he was remorseful.

Turner testified that there were no records to show that J.C.O. had "ever been involved in any type of activity with the state"; the report indicated that J.C.O. had no history of inappropriate behavior at home, at school or in the community. Turner also testified that J.C.O. had shown "much remorse" for what he had done. *1023 The recommendation of the OYD was that J.C.O. be placed in the custody of the DPS until his seventeenth birthday, but that custody be suspended and the juvenile be placed on probation with various restrictions until his seventeenth birthday. Turner noted the pending psychological evaluation, but on cross-examination said that the evaluation was not mandatory and was calculated, at least in part, to tailor the rehabilitation services to be provided to the juvenile and not to the disposition.

Turner testified that in reviewing J.C.O.'s record for prior delinquent behavior, he reviewed the files in his office but not those of the Winn Parish Sheriff's Office. He also noted some discrepancies between the official incident reports and the account of the incident given to him by J.C.O.

The report of the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory concerning the impact of the act on the juvenile victim was also entered into evidence. The report, prepared on the day after the act occurred, contains a description of the injury to the victim's genital area, noting abnormal redness and swelling. The report also indicates that the victim suffered pain in her "private area" and burning with urination. Notably, this report contains a description of the incident provided by the victim. The victim was not called to testify. The victim's statement in the report indicates in part that "[J.C.O.] touched me in my private area with his hand and then with his private."

Also called to testify was Matthew Thornton, a family therapist who had counseled J.C.O. after this incident regarding the potential separation between J.C.O. and his family due to the disposition. Thornton testified that J.C.O. appeared to be remorseful and that he and his family wanted to conclude the matter. Thornton's report also was introduced into evidence.

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

Related

State of Louisiana in the Interest of C.R. Vs.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2021
State Ex Rel. Ah
65 So. 3d 679 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State Ex Rel. Nh
11 So. 3d 27 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State ex rel. N. H.
11 So. 3d 27 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2009)
State Ex Rel. Am
983 So. 2d 176 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. In the Interest of Q.U.O.
907 So. 2d 221 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
877 So. 2d 1020, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 1456, 2004 WL 1208939, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-in-interest-of-jco-lactapp-2004.