State v. Fears

659 S.W.2d 370, 1983 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 413
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJune 14, 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by65 cases

This text of 659 S.W.2d 370 (State v. Fears) 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. Fears, 659 S.W.2d 370, 1983 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 413 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinions

OPINION

TATUM, Judge.

The defendant, Alexander Fears, was convicted for aggravated rape committed upon Theresa Leggs, 5 years of age. Punishment was fixed at imprisonment for life. On this appeal, the defendant has presented 11 issues for review. After considering the issues and the record, we conclude that the judgment of conviction must be affirmed.

[373]*373We will first consider the eleventh issue in which the defendant attacks the sufficiency of the evidence. The defendant was convicted of violating T.C.A. § 39-2-603 by making unlawful sexual penetration of a victim who was under the age of 13 years.

The victim’s mother, Dorothy Leggs, testified that her daughter was born on December 23, 1975. Ms. Leggs was divorced from Theresa’s father and the defendant lived with her from February to August, 1981, except for about 2 days after July 4, 1981. Theresa addressed the defendant as “Alex” and “Daddy.” Ms. Leggs was employed and occasionally the defendant kept the victim and Ms. Leggs’ other child, John.

Acting upon information received from a friend of the victim, Ms. Leggs testified that she questioned both the defendant and the victim. The defendant denied any improper conduct with the victim but the child said that the defendant “had tried to put his private in her mouth.” This conversation took place during the latter part of July, 1981. Subsequently, the child’s vagina became sore and began to discharge. Ms. Leggs took her to General Hospital, and on August 11, 1981, as a result of information she received from medical personnel, she put the defendant out of her house. For about one month prior to that, the defendant had abstained from having sexual intercourse with Ms. Leggs, telling her that he had a boil close to his private area. Ms. Leggs further testified that the treating doctor asked the victim on August 11, 1981, who had sexually bothered her; the victim then became very emotionally upset and began crying, and stated that “Daddy” had bothered her. Ms. Leggs took the child to Christian Counseling’s Service for counseling.

When questioned seriously and persistently by her mother in July regarding sexual contact with the defendant, the child eventually stated that she had made up the story about sexual penetration. The child seemed to be in a state of shock when questioned by her mother because the mother was so upset when talking with her.

The victim testified that the defendant on one occasion had taken her into the bathroom, removed her clothing, put two towels on the floor, had her lie down, and got on top of her and “went up and down.” The defendant’s “private” was touching her “private.” The defendant also put his private in her mouth, at which time she vomited. Afterward, the defendant gave the victim a piece of candy and told her not to tell her mother. The mother had testified that the victim called her vagina her “private,” her rectum her “bootie,” and a penis a “private.”

On cross-examination, the victim admitted that she had first told her mother about the episode and then told her mother that she had “made-up” the story. However, the victim persisted the events did in fact take place.

The victim further testified that sexual encounters took place more than one time. They occurred in the bathroom and in the victim’s room while her mother was asleep in the daytime and her brother was outside playing. She did not cry during these encounters, but she did vomit.

Officer Donzaleigh Heard testified that she arrested the defendant on August 12, 1981. At the time of the defendant’s arrest,-he told the officer that he had had a discharge for several days. He told her that it was caused by a back strain and that the child could have caught his discharge by using his washcloth.

Dr. Robert Schoumacher testified that on August 8, 1981, he examined the victim and found discharge from her vagina and inflammation of her throat. He placed some of the discharge under a microscope and made a diagnosis of gonorrhea. His diagnosis was confirmed by the laboratory. The victim’s hymen was not intact.

Julia Chadwick, keeper of the records at Lentz Health Center, testified that the clinical records reflected that on August 10, 1981, defendant was found to have gonorrhea and was treated for it. Dr. Robert Guinn testified that on August 10, 1981, he [374]*374treated the defendant for gonorrhea at Lentz Health Center.

Judith Kohler, psychological examiner at Christian Counseling Service, testified that the victim’s mother brought the victim to the institution on October 19,1981. As part of the analysis, Mrs. Kohler had the victim draw a picture of her family, and the victim scribbled all over her drawing of the defendant and stabbed it with a pencil.

The defendant testified that the victim addressed him as “Alex,” never as “Dad,” or “Daddy.” After an argument with Ms. Leggs concerning the use of an automobile, the defendant left the home of Ms. Leggs for a week or two weeks in July. The defendant denied having sexual contact with the victim and testified that he was never alone with the children.

Pursuant to a ruling of the court at the conclusion of the State’s proof, the State elected to prosecute on the oral, rather than the vaginal, intrusion. The defendant argues that there was no evidence of a sexual penetration within the meaning of T.C.A. § 39-2-603 (1982). He bases this argument on the victim’s testimony:

“MRS. RUBIN: Where was his private touching you?
A. My private.
Q. Did he put his private anywhere else Theresa?
A. Yes.
Q. Where?
A. My mouth.
Q. When he did that what happened to you?
A. I throwed up.”

The defendant argues that there was no evidence of even a slight intrusion as required by T.C.A. § 39-2-602(11) because the child did not use the word “in” before “my mouth.” However, there is abundant testimony upon which a rational jury could infer that the defendant’s penis intruded into the victim’s mouth. The victim testified that she “threw up.” There was expert testimony that both the victim and the defendant had gonorrhea at about the same time and that the victim’s gonorrhea culture taken from her throat was positive.

We have reviewed the entire record and find abundant evidence upon which a rational jury could be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt. We must therefore overrule this issue. Rule 13(e), T.R.A.P.

In the eighth, ninth, and tenth issues, the defendant contends that a specific date of the offense should be stated in the indictment and that at trial the court should have required the State to specify a certain calendar date upon which the offense occurred. The indictment charged that the defendant had committed aggravated rape upon the victim “on the-day of July, 1981.” The defendant says that there is a material variance between the indictment and the proof because the proof does not show that the offense was committed in July.

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

Related

State of Tennessee v. Bryan Anthony Capps
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2024
State of Tennessee v. Jessica Cox
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
State of Tennesse v. Jonathan Mitchell Grimes
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2015
Stephen Michael West v. Derrick D. Schofield
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2014
State of Tennessee v. Edward William Crandall
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2013
State v. Wade Henry Allen Marsh
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2010
State v. Grady Demoss
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2010
State v. Harrison
270 S.W.3d 21 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 2008)
State of Tennessee v. Jamie Emerson New
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2006
State of Tennessee v. Scott McClain
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2005
State of Tennessee v. Ronald Allen
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2005
State of Tennessee v. Matthew Kirk McWhorter
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2004
State of Tennessee v. Tammy Hart
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2003
State of Tennessee v. Frankie Ledbetter
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2003
Alexis Jermaine Castro v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002
State of Tennessee v. Gregory Scott Payne
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2002
State v. Jackson
52 S.W.3d 661 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2001)
State v. Elizabeth Davis
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2000
State v. Antonio Jackson
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2000

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
659 S.W.2d 370, 1983 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 413, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fears-tenncrimapp-1983.