State v. Givens

356 N.W.2d 58, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 3623
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedOctober 2, 1984
DocketC4-84-60
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 356 N.W.2d 58 (State v. Givens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Givens, 356 N.W.2d 58, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 3623 (Mich. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

POPOVICH, Chief Judge.

Appellant William Givens was convicted by a jury of aggravated robbery in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.245 (1982).

On appeal he contends the following warrant reversal or a new trial: (1) denial of speedy trial; (2) unduly suggestive pretrial identification evidence; (3) insufficient evidence; (4) erroneous admission of evidence of fleeing; and (5) erroneous ruling allowing use of prior convictions as impeachment. We affirm.

FACTS

On June 18, 1982, Christopher Ralston was working as the night clerk at the Voyageur Inn Motel in Minneapolis. He was working alone in the lobby behind the registration desk when a man entered and approached the desk. After some conversation, the man pulled up his shirt, took a gun out of his pants and pointed it at Ralston saying “Give me the money!” Ral-ston testified the gun was a dark blue handgun with a six inch barrel and was pointed at his chest about 20 inches away. Ralston opened the cash register and gave the man the money. The man escaped in a car.

*61 Ralston called the police and described the man as a large man, six feet two inches or six foot three inches, 240 to 250 pounds, approximately 40 to 45 years old, with touches of gray in his hair and a bald spot on the top of his head. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt torn off at the sleeves and blue jeans. About $175 was taken from the register.

About three days later, Ralston was shown some photographs by the police. He picked out appellant’s picture. He gave another written description of the robber, which was substantially identical to his earlier description.

Later that day police went to appellant’s home. While they were talking with a woman who met them at the door, appellant left out the back door, ran through a field and got in a car. The police stopped the car and appellant was arrested.

On June 22, 1982, Givens was charged with aggravated robbery. He was released on bail. Appellant was then arrested and detained by federal authorities for a July 12, 1982 bank robbery. On August 6,1982, Givens was charged in Hennepin County with aggravated robbery and burglary for a crime which occurred July 24, 1982. A bench warrant was issued after appellant failed to appear on the Voyageur Inn charge. Appellant was subsequently convicted of bank robbery on September 16, 1982 and began to serve a 20 year sentence in a federal penitentiary.

On March 14, 1983, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed a request for temporary custody for purposes of bringing appellant to trial on two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of burglary. On April 26, 1983, appellant was transferred into the custody of Hennepin County and he made a first appearance the next day on the charges filed on August 6, 1982. On the day of trial, those charges were dismissed. On August 24, 1983| the earlier bench warrant was served on appellant. Appellant appeared in court on September 1, 1983, and made a demand for a speedy trial. Later, he moved to dismiss on denial of speedy trial grounds. An omnibus hearing was held on September 29, 1983, and the trial court denied appellant’s motion to dismiss. The jury trial commenced the following day.

Appellant was found guilty of aggravated robbery and sentenced to the presumptive sentence of 90 months to be served consecutively with his federal sentence. The sentence was later reduced to 60 months, pursuant to modifications in the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.

ISSUES

1. Was appellant denied a speedy trial?

2. Was pretrial identification evidence consisting of a photographic lineup imper-missibly suggestive?

3. Was the evidence sufficient to convict appellant of aggravated robbery?

4. Did the trial court abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of appellant’s attempt to flee from police?

5. Did the trial court abuse its discretion in ruling appellant’s prior convictions were admissible for impeachment purposes?

ANALYSIS

I.

Appellant claims his right to a speedy trial was violated because of the 15 month lapse between his arrest and trial.

1. In determining whether appellant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated, four factors must be balanced: (1) length of delay; (2) reason for delay; (3) whether the defendant asserted his right; and (4) prejudice to the defendant. Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 530, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 2191, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972); State v. Brouillette, 286 N.W.2d 702, 706 (Minn.1979).

(a) Length of Delay. The 15 month delay is sufficient to trigger further inquiry. State v. Corarito, 268 N.W.2d 79, 80 (Minn.1978).

*62 (b) Reason for Delay. Part of the delay was caused by appellant’s commission of a bank robbery while on bail for this offense. He was convicted of bank robbery on September 16, 1982. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, however, did not initiate action to complete the pending criminal proceedings until March 1983 when they requested temporary custody of appellant from a federal penitentiary. The custody request was delayed because the county attorney was not aware of the earlier disposition of appellant’s federal charges. This factor weighs in favor of appellant. See Barker, 407 U.S. at 531, 92 S.Ct. at 2192.

(c) Assertion of Right. Appellant was not represented by counsel from July 28, 1982, when his private attorney withdrew, until September 1, 1983 when a public defender was appointed. In the fall of 1982, appellant asked the prosecutor for a speedy disposition. He also alleges his federal public defender spoke with the prosecutor in December 1982. Appellant did not make a demand for speedy trial in writing or orally on the record, pursuant to Minn.R. Crim.P. 11.10, until September 1, 1983. This factor weighs in favor of the State.

(d) Prejudice. Appellant claims prejudice and mental anguish awaiting trial. He claims he was in custody of the Hennepin County jail for over five months. He also contends he lost potential alibi witnesses by the delay. He claims he was babysitting for Mary Williams and Joe Townsend the night of the robbery and that they could no longer remember the night in question.

Appellant must demonstrate prejudice as a result of delay in his trial. The reasons advanced by appellant demonstrate no actual prejudice. The anxiety suffered from pretrial incarceration is unfortunate, but not a serious allegation of prejudice. State v. Helenbolt, 334 N.W.2d 400, 405-06 (Minn.1983).

In rejecting appellant’s claim the alleged loss of recollection by potential alibi witnesses constituted prejudice, the trial court noted:

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Bluebook (online)
356 N.W.2d 58, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 3623, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-givens-minnctapp-1984.