State v. Dominie

518 S.E.2d 32, 134 N.C. App. 445, 1999 N.C. App. LEXIS 800
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedAugust 3, 1999
DocketCOA98-1223
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 518 S.E.2d 32 (State v. Dominie) 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. Dominie, 518 S.E.2d 32, 134 N.C. App. 445, 1999 N.C. App. LEXIS 800 (N.C. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinions

WYNN, Judge.

The record on appeal in this case shows that around 8:30 p.m. on 12 December 1996, two women — mother and daughter — entered their car parked in a Wal-Mart lot after just completing a shopping trip. However, before they were able to drive away, defendant Earl Kenneth Dominie, Jr. jumped into the back seat and instructed the daughter to drive until they reached a “real dark, deserted area where there is nothing.”

The daughter complied and upon reaching the described area, the defendant robbed the women and ordered them out of the car. The daughter, however, pleaded with the defendant by stating “my mama is old and she can’t walk up there to where there’s some lighting. Can’t we just drive up to the . . . shopping center and we’ll let you have the car, we’ll get out.” The defendant agreed and allowed her to drive to a fairly well lit residential area that was approximately one-quarter mile from the shopping center. There, the women got out of the car and the defendant drove the car away.

[447]*447Lieutenant Arthur Frye of the Aberdeen Police Department investigated the incident. On 8 January 1997, after concluding that the defendant was a suspect, Lt. Frye, along with other police officers, went to a mobile-home park where the defendant was believed to be living. Lt. Frye testified that he went to the park to arrest the defendant for the 12 December crime.

At the defendant’s mobile home, the defendant agreed to speak with Lt. Frye who escorted him to the patrol car. However, before discussing the incident with the defendant, Lt. Frye informed him that he was not under arrest. Indeed, Lt. Frye’s conversation with the defendant took place in the front seat of the patrol car — an area off-limits to arrested individuals. In the patrol car, Lt. Frye informed the defendant of the incident at Wal-Mart and notified him that the two women had identified him out of a lineup as the culprit. The defendant responded: “I guess I f~ked up this time”. He asked whether he could apologize to the two women. Lt. Frye informed him that things don’t work that way and arrested him.

The defendant was tried and convicted by a jury for two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, and one count of common-law robbery. At sentencing, the trial judge consolidated the armed robbery conviction with one of the first-degree kidnapping convictions and consolidated the common-law robbery conviction with the other first-degree kidnapping conviction.

On appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on first-degree kidnapping where the indictment alleged only second-degree kidnapping. The State agrees with the defendant’s argument and therefore concedes this issue on appeal. However, contrary to the defendant, the State contends that this matter should be remanded for re-sentencing under a conviction for second-degree kidnapping. See State v. Dawkins, 305 N.C. 289, 287 S.E.2d 885 (1982); State v. Corley, 310 N.C. 40, 311 S.E.2d 540 (1984). We would ordinarily agree with the State that this should be remanded only for re-sentencing on the lesser offenses of second-degree kidnapping but the defendant makes a further argument that the State also recognizes as having merit.

The defendant also argues that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on the kidnapping charges in the disjunctive where the indictment alleged only that the victims were unlawfully removed.

[448]*448The defendant’s indictment read:

The jurors for the State upon their oath present that on or about the date of offense shown and in the county named above defendant named did unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did kidnap [Wanda Marion Ring/Vera Wood Marion], a person who attained the age of 16 years, by unlawfully removing her from one place to another, without her consent, and for the purpose of facilitating the commission of a felony, robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Although the indictment stated that the defendant unlawfully “removed” the victims, the trial court instructed the jury that they could find him guilty of kidnapping if they found that he “unlawfully confined a person — that is, imprisoned her within a given area— restrained a person — that is, restricted her freedom — or removed a person from one place to another.” Therefore, even though the indictment charged the defendant with kidnapping for “removing” the victims, the trial court informed the jury that the defendant committed kidnapping if he “confined, restrained, or removed” the victims.

The defendant contends this instruction constitutes reversible error. As the State recognizes, he is correct under our Supreme Court’s holding in State v. Tucker, 317 N.C. 532, 346 S.E.2d 417 (1986).

In Tucker, the defendant was indicted for, inter alia, kidnapping. The indictment stated that he “unlawfully . . . kidnappfed] [the victim] ... by unlawfully removing her from one place to another, without her consent. . . .” Id. at 537, 346 S.E.2d at 420. (emphasis in original). Like the trial judge in this case, the trial judge in Tucker instructed the jury that the defendant could be found guilty of first-degree kidnapping if they found that “the defendant unlawfully restrained [the victim], that is, restricted [her] freedom of movement by threat or force.” (emphasis added). Id. Our Supreme Court, after noting that the evidence amply supported the judge’s instruction, nonetheless reversed defendant’s conviction because the instructions constituted prejudicial error. Id. at 537-38, 346 S.E.2d at 420. Specifically, the Court stated that it was improper to convict a defendant upon an abstract theory not supported by the bill of indictment. Id. That is, a defendant could not be convicted upon the theory that he “restrained or removed” the victim when the bill of indictment stated that he was charged only with “removing” her.

[449]*449We note that the State cites our recent decision in State v. Raynor, 128 N.C. App. 244, 495 S.E.2d 176 (1998), contending that it supports a position contrary to Tucker. However, both the State and the concurring opinion recognize that a decision of this Court cannot overrule an explicit holding of our Supreme Court. So, to the extent that Raynor is cited as law contrary to Tucker, we are bound to follow only Tucker.

As in Tucker, the facts before us indicate that the trial judge committed prejudicial error by instructing the jury that the defendant could be found guilty if he confined, restrained or removed the victims. Further, as demonstrated by State v. Brown, 312 N.C. 237, 321 S.E.2d 856 (1984), this error is so prejudicial as to warrant a new trial. Accordingly, following the directives of our Supreme Court, we vacate the defendant’s first-degree kidnapping convictions and remand this matter for a new trial.

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

Related

State v. Little
Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2024
State v. Garnett
706 S.E.2d 280 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2011)
State v. Sapp
661 S.E.2d 304 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2008)
State v. Anderson
640 S.E.2d 797 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2007)
State v. Smith
589 S.E.2d 739 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2004)
State v. Lucas
548 S.E.2d 712 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2001)
State v. Lancaster
527 S.E.2d 61 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2000)
State v. Dominie
518 S.E.2d 32 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
518 S.E.2d 32, 134 N.C. App. 445, 1999 N.C. App. LEXIS 800, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dominie-ncctapp-1999.