State v. Cervantes

523 N.W.2d 532, 3 Neb. Ct. App. 95, 1994 Neb. App. LEXIS 316
CourtNebraska Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 1, 1994
DocketNo. A-94-073
StatusPublished

This text of 523 N.W.2d 532 (State v. Cervantes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cervantes, 523 N.W.2d 532, 3 Neb. Ct. App. 95, 1994 Neb. App. LEXIS 316 (Neb. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

Connolly, Judge.

Michael Cervantes was charged with two counts of first degree sexual assault and one count each of false imprisonment and driving under suspension. Cervantes pled guilty to driving under suspension. The other charges were tried before a jury in the district court for Scotts Bluff County, and the jury returned [96]*96a verdict of acquittal on one of the charges of first degree sexual assault and verdicts of guilty on the remaining charge of first degree sexual assault and the charge of false imprisonment. Cervantes appeals his convictions on the grounds that testimony excluded upon objection by the State should have been admitted into evidence as past recollection recorded, and also appeals his sentences on the grounds that they were excessive. We affirm because Cervantes did not provide sufficient foundation for admission of the testimony as past recollection recorded and because the sentences were not excessive.

I. BACKGROUND

The events which led to Cervantes’ arrest began on the afternoon of June 24, 1993. The victim and her roommate, Starla, were driving around Scottsbluff in the victim’s car early that evening. The victim and Starla spotted Cervantes and a man named “Danny Ramirez” and stopped to talk to Cervantes. Starla asked Cervantes if he would like to go drinking with the victim and Starla later on that evening. Cervantes agreed.

Ultimately, Cervantes ended up at the victim and Starla’s apartment, where a party was taking place with a little more than a half dozen people. When the beer ran out at approximately 2 a.m., all of the people at the party decided to go out for breakfast, except for the victim and Cervantes. Cervantes wanted to stay at the apartment to finish his last beer, and the victim remained because her child was in the apartment.

The evidence was conflicting with regard to what happened next. The victim stated that she told Cervantes she was going upstairs to go to bed and that Cervantes attacked her as she started up the stairs, and forcibly penetrated her. Cervantes testified that he and the victim began romantically kissing and were about to engage in sexual intercourse when Starla and her boyfriend knocked on the door. All the evidence then indicates that Cervantes held the door shut while he and the victim put their clothes on. After a few minutes, Cervantes admitted Starla and her boyfriend into the apartment. The first charge of first degree sexual assault arose out of this incident, and the jury [97]*97returned a verdict of acquittal.

At Cervantes’ request, he and the victim then left the apartment together. Cervantes drove the victim’s car into the country, where he forced the victim to engage in sexual intercourse. On the basis of this incident, the jury convicted Cervantes of false imprisonment and first degree sexual assault.

Cervantes was sentenced to 7 to 15 years in the Nebraska Penal and Correctional Complex on the first degree sexual assault conviction, 1 to 5 years on the false imprisonment conviction, and 30 days’ jail for driving under suspension, with all sentences to be served concurrently.

II. ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Cervantes assigns two errors: (1) The trial court erred in sustaining the State’s objection to defense counsel’s request that an adverse defense witness read into evidence an excerpt from materials used as past recollection recorded, and (2) the sentences imposed on the defendant were excessive.

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

In all proceedings where the Nebraska Evidence Rules apply, admissibility of evidence is controlled by the Nebraska Evidence Rules, not judicial discretion, except in those instances under the Nebraska Evidence Rules when judicial discretion is a factor involved in the admissibility of evidence. State v. Anderson, 245 Neb. 237, 512 N.W.2d 367 (1994); State v. Baker, 245 Neb. 153, 511 N.W.2d 757 (1994); State v. Wood, 245 Neb. 63, 511 N.W.2d 90 (1994).

A sentence imposed within statutory limits will not be disturbed on appeal absent an abuse of discretion. State v. Manzer, 246 Neb. 536, 519 N.W.2d 558 (1994); Wood, supra; State v. Ice, 244 Neb. 875, 509 N.W.2d 407 (1994).

IV.ANALYSIS

1. Excluded Evidence

Cervantes argues that the trial court erred in sustaining the State’s objection to defense counsel’s request that a witness read into evidence materials supplied by defense counsel. Cervantes alleges that the materials should have been read to the jury as evidence of the witness’ past recollection recorded.

[98]*98The alleged error involved evidence related to interviews conducted with the victim by Det. Scott Crawford. Detective Crawford was one of the investigating officers in this case. During the course of his investigation, Detective Crawford interviewed the victim on several occasions. The victim admitted during the course of the trial that the first time she was interviewed by Detective Crawford, she told him that she and Starla had not seen Cervantes during the day on June 24 prior to the party. In a subsequent interview, she changed this statement and admitted that she and Starla had seen Cervantes earlier and invited him to go drinking with them.

Detective Crawford was called to the stand by the defense. He was asked if he had brought his report with him. Detective Crawford stated that he had not brought the entire file, whereupon defense counsel approached and asked him to review what were apparently copies of portions of Detective Crawford’s report, compiled and prepared by defense counsel. On cross-examination by the State, Detective Crawford stated that what defense counsel had given him was not a copy of his report, but, rather, excerpts or portions from the report. Detective Crawford stated that he had never seen that particular collection of documents before. Then, on redirect examination, defense counsel asked Detective Crawford to “go ahead and quote the things” that Detective Crawford thought were correct in the report. The State objected on the grounds that the statements were hearsay, and the objection was sustained.

Cervantes’ sole assignment of error with regard to the trial is that Detective Crawford should have been instructed to read the portions of the report to the jury that he recognized as direct quotes from his own reports. Cervantes notes that the documents were presented to Detective Crawford to “refresh his recollection since he did not bring his copy of his report to court,” and argues that the materials he asked Detective Crawford to read should have been admitted as “past recollection recorded,” an exception to the hearsay rule under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-803(4) (Reissue 1989). Brief for appellant at 15.

Cervantes’ reliance on § 27-803(4) is misplaced. That [99]*99subsection excludes the following from the hearsay rule:

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Related

State v. Ottwell
779 P.2d 500 (Montana Supreme Court, 1989)
State v. Anderson
512 N.W.2d 367 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Bloss
649 P.2d 1176 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 1982)
State v. Manzer
519 N.W.2d 558 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Wood
511 N.W.2d 90 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Baker
511 N.W.2d 757 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Trackwell
509 N.W.2d 638 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Ice
509 N.W.2d 407 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Paquette
497 A.2d 358 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1985)
Moncrief v. City of Detroit
247 N.W.2d 783 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1976)
Linch v. Nebraska Buick Automobile Co.
235 N.W. 456 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1931)

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Bluebook (online)
523 N.W.2d 532, 3 Neb. Ct. App. 95, 1994 Neb. App. LEXIS 316, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cervantes-nebctapp-1994.