State v. Chapman

724 S.W.2d 378, 1986 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2733
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 18, 1986
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 724 S.W.2d 378 (State v. Chapman) 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
State v. Chapman, 724 S.W.2d 378, 1986 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2733 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

DWYER, Judge.

The defendant was convicted in three counts for committing forgery, ■ T.C.A. § 39-3-803, over two hundred dollars and three counts of passing a forged instrument, T.C.A. § 39-3-804, over two hundred dollars. For each of these former counts, defendant was sentenced to four years imprisonment, each sentence to run concurrently with the others and with the sentences of the latter counts. For each of the latter counts, defendant was sentenced to six years, to run consecutively.

The issues: (1) and (2) whether the trial court correctly denied defendant’s motion to suppress the in-court identification testimony of witnesses based on the alleged prejudicial nature of the photographic array and post-arrest lineup conducted of defendant without the presence of counsel; (3) whether the trial court correctly denied defendant the right to a court-appointed expert to examine the handwriting exemplars of the defendant; (4) whether the trial court correctly refused to dismiss the count of the indictment alleging the forgery of a check with the intent to defraud the First National Bank of Knoxville when it is alleged that there is no such entity; and (5) whether the trial court correctly ordered consecutive sentences.

With no attack on the sufficiency of the evidence it suffices to state that appellant on three occasions passed forged checks in excess of two hundred dollars in Greene County, Tennessee, for which he was apprehended. The evidence from our review meets T.R.A.P. 13(e) standards.

The first and second issues: The first two issues presented pertain to the lineup procedures utilized by the investigating officer in two separate lineups that were conducted. The first was a photographic lineup consisting of an array of six photographs shown to the three principal witnesses prior to the arrest of the defendant. All of these photographs were in color; except the record suggests that the photo of the defendant was a different shade or color from the others. The second was a scan by one of the principal witnesses, con[380]*380ducted at the jail without the presence of counsel. Appellant contends that both identification procedures were so unreasonable as to lead to the likelihood of irreparable misidentification.

This court has recognized that a violation of due process may occur in a suggestive identification procedure even in the earliest stages of a criminal investigation. In deciding whether there has been a violation, the court must view the “totality of circumstances.” Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 302, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 1972, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967); State v. Beal, 614 S.W.2d 77, 82 (Tenn.Crim.App.1981). Due process has been violated if the court finds that the identification procedure was so suggestive as to give rise to “a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidenti-fication.” Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 971, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968). Where a witness’s in-court identification is tainted by an unconstitutional pretrial identification, then the in-court identification is not admissible in evidence. State v. Shanklin, 608 S.W.2d 596, 598 (Tenn.Crim.App.1980); Holt v. State, 591 S.W.2d 785 (Tenn.Crim.App.1979); Sloan v. State, 584 S.W.2d 461 (Tenn.Crim.App.1978).

There was a pre-trial motion to suppress. In that hearing it was developed that the three merchants who allegedly received the checks from appellant had viewed a photographic array prior to his arrest. The photos reflected six individuals of which one was the appellant. The witnesses all identified from that array the appellant as the man who gave them the forged checks. A warrant was then obtained resulting in appellant’s arrest.

Subsequently, one of the merchants was called to the jail where he viewed the appellant in a scan with two uniformed officers and a jail trusty dressed in orange. The trial court correctly ruled out this counsel-less post-arrest identification. State v. Mitchell, 593 S.W.2d 280 (Tenn.1980). The trial court after questioning the witness satisfied itself that the post-arrest identification did not taint the photo array identification. The court also determined that the witness’s identification was based on the experience of receiving the check from the appellant. In view of this testimony, the testimony of the investigating officer, and a review by the trial judge of the photographs in question, the court found that neither the photo array nor the in-court identification was tainted. In other words, from the totality of the circumstances there was an independent basis for the identification. Beal, supra. We agree with the trial court’s findings; the evidence supports his ruling. State v. Tate, 615 S.W.2d 161 (Tenn.Crim.App.1981). The first and second issues are overruled.

The third issue: The appellant concedes under Tennessee law he was not entitled to a handwriting expert. State v. Allen, 692 S.W.2d 651, 654 (Tenn.Crim.App.1985). However, he urges under T.C.A. § 40-14-207(b), while recognizing its applicability to capital cases, we should adopt such a policy in non-capital cases. The short answer is that this court is without authority to adopt appellant’s reasoning. Moreover, with the fingerprints being smudged and of no value there can be no prejudice in denying appellant’s request for a fingerprint expert. This issue is overruled.

The fourth issue: Did the trial court err in refusing to dismiss that count of the indictment alleging the forgery of a check with the intent to defraud the First National Bank of Knoxville when there is no such entity? Since the appellant failed to cite authority in support of this issue, it is waived. T.R.A.P. 27(a)(7); State v. Scott, 626 S.W.2d 25, 28 (Tenn.Crim.App.1981).

The issue of consecutive sentences: The law in Tennessee affords considerable discretion to a trial judge in deciding whether the sentence of a convicted person shall run concurrently or cumulatively. The exercise of this discretion by the trial judge, however, is reviewable on appeal. T.C.A. § 40-20-111.

The rationale for consecutive sentences is the protection of the public from further criminal conduct by the defendant. The object is to use consecutive sentencing, [381]

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Bluebook (online)
724 S.W.2d 378, 1986 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-chapman-tenncrimapp-1986.