State of Louisiana v. W.D.F., Jr.

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided March 7, 2007·No. KA-0006-1310·Unknown

Opinion

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT 06-1310

STATE OF LOUISIANA VERSUS W.D.F., JR.

**********

APPEAL FROM THE

NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF RAPIDES, NO. 276,855 HONORABLE DONALD T. JOHNSON, DISTRICT JUDGE **********

GLENN B. GREMILLION

JUDGE

**********

Court composed of John D. Saunders, Glenn B. Gremillion, and J. David Painter, Judges.

AFFIRMED AS AMENDED

WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

James C. Downs, District Attorney Sheryl L. Laing, Asst. District Attorney Ninth Judicial District P. O. Drawer 1472 Alexandria, LA 71309 (318) 473-6650 Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee:

State of Louisiana

Sherry Watters Louisiana Appellate Project P. O. Box 58769 New Orleans, LA 70158-8769 (504) 723-0284 Counsel for Defendant/Appellant:

W.D.F., JR.

GREMILLION, Judge.

In this case, the defendant, W.D.F., Jr., was convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile, a violation of La.R.S. 14:81, and was sentenced to serve three years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.1 On appeal, he argues that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of other unproven allegations of sexual misconduct, in allowing hearsay testimony, and in finding that the State proved the elements of indecent behavior beyond a reasonable doubt. For the following reasons, we find that these assignments of error lack merit and affirm Defendant’s conviction.

FACTS

W.F., Defendant’s daughter, visited him the weekend of April 17 and 18, 2004. During that same visit, her friend Kayla spent the night with her.2 That night, Defendant went to bed before W.F. and Kayla. W.F. testified that when she and Kayla went to bed Defendant was asleep and she slept in the middle of the bed between Defendant and Kayla. According to W.F., she and Defendant later changed places, with Defendant sleeping in the middle. She said that about thirty minutes to an hour after she went to bed, Defendant put his hand up her shirt and rubbed her breasts. Later on cross-examination, W.F. testified that Defendant put his hand up her shirt for the first time while she was sleeping in the middle. On re-direct, she testified that Defendant first touched her when she was in the middle of the bed. She also said that Defendant put his arm around Kayla and pulled her closer to him.

1 The initials of Defendant and the victim will be used in accordance with La.R.S.

46:1844(W).

2 The Defendant and W.F.’s mother were divorced.

W.F. testified that both she and Kayla subsequently got up and went to the bathroom where they talked for a while and then went back into the bedroom. W.F. testified that when she and Kayla went back into the bedroom, Defendant asked if they had taken their bras off. W.F. said that the two girls then got back into bed with Defendant. She claimed that Defendant again put his hand up her shirt and kept pulling Kayla closer to him. She then testified that she and Kayla went to the bathroom again and after they returned to bed, nothing else occurred.

On Saturday, W.F. said she spent the night at the home of a friend and that she returned to her mother’s home on Sunday, and at that time, she did not tell anyone what had occurred on Friday night.

Kayla Monroe testified that she spent the night with W.F. during the weekend of April 17 and 18, 2004. She said the night she stayed, she and W.F. slept in bed with Defendant. Kayla testified that Defendant went to bed before she and W.F. According to Kayla, she and W.F. took baths in the hall bathroom while Defendant read a book. She said that when the girls went to bed, they thought the Defendant was asleep. At that time, W.F. was in the middle of the bed. Kayla testified that she and W.F. kept getting up because they were scared because Defendant was hugging them and had his hand on W.F.’s chest. Kayla further testified that these things occurred when W.F. was in the middle of the bed. Kayla said that Defendant had his right arm around her and his hand on her stomach. Kayla said that the two girls first got out of bed when W.F. looked at her. Kayla also testified that she looked at W.F. and said she was scared, so the two went into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, the two talked about what was happening. Kayla

testified that she saw Defendant grab W.F.’s breasts, as the light in the hall bathroom was on at that time. Kayla also testified that once the two returned to bed, she sat up and saw Defendant’s hand “up to the top” of W.F. The two girls then returned to the bathroom.

Defendant’s father who was also sleeping at the house testified that on the night in question he woke up because W.F. and Kayla were laughing, giggling, and making a lot of noise. He claimed that they were in the hall bathroom and the light in “their” bedroom was on and no one was in the room. He said that he told the girls to be quiet and went in the living room to get Defendant, told Defendant to quiet the girls, and then went back to bed.

Defendant’s brother, Douglas, testified that he was home on the night in question. We note that both W.F. and Kayla testified that Douglas was not at the house that night, but his father said that he was. Douglas testified that he had to scold W.F. and Kayla several times for being loud and cutting up. He knocked on the door of the hall bathroom once and told the girls they needed to be quiet or they would wake Douglas’ father. He also told them to be quiet once when they were in the bedroom. Douglas testified that when he went to the bedroom, Defendant was sleeping in the living room. He said that he also heard his father chide the girls.

Defendant testified that his daughter, W.F., spent the night at his residence on April 17, 2004, and that her friend, Kayla, also spent the night. Once the group got in from Skateville, he told the girls to get ready for bed and he went to the living room and laid down on the couch, where he intended to sleep. He said that his father later woke him and told him the girls were making too much noise. He said he

then went to fuss at the girls and returned to the couch. He further testified that he went a second time to the bedroom to fuss at the girls and got into bed with them.

Defendant claimed that when he first got into bed with the girls, W.F. was in the middle, but she later wanted to sleep on the outside of the bed so he slept in the middle of the bed. Defendant denied touching W.F.’s breasts and pulling Kayla to him.

When questioned on redirect examination, W.F. said that no one told her and Kayla to be quiet. Additionally, she said that once the group arrived home, she did not see anyone besides Defendant and Kayla. Kayla testified on re-direct examination that no one corrected her and W.F. for being loud and she saw no one that night but W.F. and Defendant.

W.F. said that she next saw Defendant the weekend of May 7 and 8, 2004.

On Friday, the two drove to New Orleans for a trip to Six Flags. W.F. testified that on the trip to New Orleans she was attempting to sleep on the back seat when she felt his hand in her pants. At that time, she claimed that Defendant rubbed her buttocks and then felt her “private.” W.F. further testified that while sleeping at the hotel in New Orleans, Defendant placed his hand under her shirt, touched her breasts, and kept putting his hand down her pants. At one point, she said that he pulled her pants down to her knees. W.F. asserted that she later woke up and Defendant was on his hands and knees, “like backwards,” and his “private” was hanging in her face. Additionally, she said Defendant tried to put her hand down his pants and said, “I just want you to feel me.”

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