State v. Cromartie

810 S.E.2d 766, 257 N.C. App. 790
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedFebruary 6, 2018
DocketCOA17-350
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 810 S.E.2d 766 (State v. Cromartie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cromartie, 810 S.E.2d 766, 257 N.C. App. 790 (N.C. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

MURPHY, Judge.

*791 Daryl Lee Cromartie ("Defendant") appeals from judgment entered upon his convictions for attaining habitual felon status, common law robbery, misdemeanor larceny, fleeing to elude arrest, resisting a public officer, and simple assault. Defendant argues the trial court erred by: (1) admitting Deputy Snyder's prejudicial and inadmissible hearsay into evidence; (2) failing to arrest judgment for the larceny and assault convictions; and (3) failing to dismiss the charge of resisting an officer where no evidence satisfied the allegation in the indictment. For the reasons discussed, we hold the trial court did not commit prejudicial error in allowing Deputy Snyder's testimony into evidence, and did not err by denying Defendant's motion to dismiss the resisting a public officer charge. The trial court, however, did err by failing to arrest *769 judgment on Defendant's convictions for non-felonious larceny and simple assault.

I. Background

Defendant was arrested on 14 December 2015 and indicted by a Duplin County Grand Jury on 21 March 2016 on charges of misdemeanor fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, resisting, obstructing or delaying a public officer, common law robbery, felony larceny, and simple assault. A Duplin County Grand Jury additionally indicted Defendant for attaining habitual felon status on 31 May 2016.

Defendant's trial began on 6 September 2016. The evidence at trial tended to show that after assaulting his girlfriend on 14 December 2015, Defendant stopped a man on a moped, pulled the man off the moped and assaulted the man, and then drove away on the man's moped. Responding law enforcement officers quickly located Defendant, who then fled from the officers on the moped. During the pursuit, Defendant drove the moped behind a Dollar General store and out of the view of a pursuing sheriff's deputy. When the Deputy regained sight of Defendant, Defendant was standing approximately 15 to 20 feet from the moped, which was overturned and lying in a ditch. Defendant was arrested.

*792 On 7 September 2016, the jury returned verdicts finding Defendant guilty of misdemeanor fleeing to elude arrest, resisting, obstructing, or delaying a public officer, common law robbery, non-felonious larceny, and simple assault. Following the jury verdicts, Defendant pleaded guilty to attaining habitual felon status. The trial court consolidated all of the offenses and entered a single judgment sentencing Defendant in the mitigated range to a term of 58 to 82 months imprisonment. Defendant gave notice of appeal in open court.

II. Analysis

A. Hearsay

On appeal, Defendant first contends the trial court erred in admitting testimony from Deputy Sheriff Steven Snyder over his objections. Defendant claims the challenged testimony was inadmissible hearsay and that its admission was prejudicial to his case. We disagree that Defendant was prejudiced by the challenged testimony.

"When preserved by an objection, a trial court's decision with regard to the admission of evidence alleged to be hearsay is reviewed de novo ." State v. Johnson , 209 N.C. App. 682 , 692, 706 S.E.2d 790 , 797 (2011). But, even if the trial court admits hearsay in error, "[t]he erroneous admission of hearsay testimony is not always so prejudicial as to require a new trial, and the burden is on the defendant to show prejudice." State v. Allen , 127 N.C. App. 182 , 186, 488 S.E.2d 294 , 297 (1997) (citations omitted); see N.C.G.S. § 15A-1443(a) (2015). "Evidentiary errors are harmless unless a defendant proves that absent the error a different result would have been reached at trial." State v. Ferguson , 145 N.C. App. 302 , 307, 549 S.E.2d 889 , 893 (2001) (citation omitted).

Under the North Carolina Rules of Evidence, "[h]earsay is not admissible except as provided by statute or by [the] rules." N.C.G.S. § 8C-1, Rule 802 (2015). " 'Hearsay' is a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted." N.C.G.S. § 8C-1, Rule 801(c). "When evidence of such statements by one other than the witness testifying is offered for a proper purpose other than to prove the truth of the matter asserted, it is not hearsay and is admissible." State v. Coffey , 326 N.C. 268 , 282, 389 S.E.2d 48 , 56 (1990).

The testimony at issue in this case concerned Defendant's alleged assault of his girlfriend prior to the events giving rise to the charges in this case. Deputy Snyder testified that he was on a dayshift patrol on 14 December 2015 when a female at a gas station flagged him down.

*793 Deputy Snyder recalled that the woman ran to his car, crying hysterically, and told him that she had just been assaulted. Defendant objected to the testimony, claiming it was hearsay. The trial court, however, overruled Defendant's objection and instructed the State to "[l]ay a foundation for the purpose of the call in reference to the stop." Deputy Snyder then continued to explain the situation. When the *770 State inquired whether the woman identified her assaulter to Deputy Snyder, Defendant objected on hearsay grounds. Over Defendant's objection, Deputy Snyder was allowed to testify that the woman told him the name of her assaulter. The name she gave Deputy Snyder was Defendant's name. Deputy Snyder also testified that he asked the woman where Defendant was heading when Defendant left the gas station.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
810 S.E.2d 766, 257 N.C. App. 790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cromartie-ncctapp-2018.