State v. Lisotta

712 So. 2d 527, 1998 WL 148440
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 25, 1998
Docket97-KA-406
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 712 So. 2d 527 (State v. Lisotta) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Lisotta, 712 So. 2d 527, 1998 WL 148440 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

712 So.2d 527 (1998)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Thomas LISOTTA.

No. 97-KA-406.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

February 25, 1998.
Rehearing Denied April 17, 1998.

*528 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Assistant District Attorney, Research and Appeals, and Louise Korns, Gretna, for plaintiff-appellee.

William R. Campbell, Jr., New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

Before GAUDIN, GOTHARD and DALEY, JJ.

GAUDIN, Judge.

Thomas L. Lisotta was convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile (LSA-R.S.14:81) by a jury in the 24th Judicial District Court and sentenced on September 25, 1996 to seven years at hard labor, the maximum allowable under the statute.

On appeal he argues (1) that the trial judge erred in permitting a witness to testify about earlier incidents involving her and the defendant, (2) that the trial judge erred in allowing evidence of his convictions for showing pornography to juveniles and (3) that his sentence was excessive.

For the following reasons, we affirm Lisotta's conviction but set aside the sentence and remand for resentencing.

*529 Indecent behavior with a juvenile is the commission by anyone over the age of 17 of any lewd or lascivious act upon the person or in the presence of any child under the age of 17, where there is an age difference of greater than two years between the two persons, with the intention of arousing or gratifying the sexual desires of either person.

Damaging testimony against Lisotta was provided by the victim, identified as A.B. in this opinion, and by a state witness identified herein as C. D., who testified over defense objection about events that occurred in 1981 or 1982.

A.B. said that she had been in the eighth grade at a school where Lisotta was a physical education teacher. Approximately three years later, in 1995, A.B. said that she received a series of telephone calls from Lisotta, who was then teaching at an all-boys high school in Metairie. This led to several visits by A.B. to Lisotta's residence. On the second-to-last visit, A.B. said that Lisotta played pornographic videotapes for her and several of her girlfriends.

The final visit, on April 15, 1995, took place late at night when A.B. went to Lisotta's residence alone and uninvited to look for a pager (beeper) she thought she had left there. A.B. said that Lisotta then made the sexual advances that led to his subsequent arrest and conviction. At that time, A.B. was six months shy of her 17th birthday. Lisotta was 32.

A.B. said that Lisotta kissed her, took his and her clothes off, touched her whole body, inserted his fingers in her vagina and told her he was going to have sex with her. He did not have sex with her, A.B. stated, because she "pushed him off." A.B. said after she "pushed him off" she:

"... sat there and cried and he came by me and put his arm around me and he said, `Don't cry. Don't be scared because you're a virgin. It's not going to hurt ...'"

A.B. testified that she put her clothes back on and "... ran out of the house and got in my car and drove off."

Lisotta testified differently. He said that between 1 and 2 a.m. he answered a knock at his door. It was A. B., alone. She seemed drunk, Lisotta said, and she put her arms around him and kissed him. He pushed her away and told her she was embarrassing herself. She took her shirt off. He told her to put it back on, which she did and then left. Lisotta stated that A.B. was at his house only a very short time, like 30 or so seconds.

By returning a guilty verdict, the jury obviously found A. B.'s version more creditable.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1

During the trial, the district judge allowed the testimony of C. D., who said that she was 14 or 15 years of age in 1981 or 1982 when Lisotta, then 19 or 20 years old and her softball coach, took her to Jefferson Playground one night and forced himself sexually on her.

Generally, evidence of other crimes or bad acts it not admissible; however, when such evidence tends to prove a material issue and has independent relevance other that just showing that a defendant is of bad character, it may be admitted by certain statutory and jurisprudential exceptions to this exclusionary rule. These exceptions are codified in LSA-C.E. art. 404(B)(1) which provides in pertinent part:

"Except as provided in Article 412, evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake or accident, provided that upon request by the accused, the prosecution in a criminal case shall provide reasonable notice in advance of trial, of the nature of any such evidence it intends to introduce at trial for such purposes, or when it relates to conduct that constitutes an integral part of the act or transaction that is the subject of the present proceeding."

One of the above enumerated factors must be at issue, have some independent relevance or be an element of the crime charged in order for the evidence to be admissible.

*530 In State v. Prieur, 277 So.2d 126 (La.1973), the Louisiana Supreme Court set out the requirements for admission of such evidence. Within a reasonable time before trial, the state must furnish in writing to the defendant a statement of the acts or offenses it intends to offer, describing same with the general particularity required of an indictment or information. In the written statement, the state must specify the exception to the general exclusionary rule upon which it relies for the admissibility of the evidence of other acts or offenses.

The probative value of such evidence must be weighted against its prejudicial effect. The fact that the other acts or crimes happened some time before the offense for which the defendant is on trial is not sufficient, in and of itself, to require the exclusion of the evidence. Remoteness in time, in most cases, is only one factor to be considered when determining the probative value of the evidence. A lapse of time usually goes to the weight of the evidence rather than to its admissibility.

Here, the state gave appropriate Prieur notice. At a hearing on June 6, 1996, C.D. testified about her prior relationship with Lisotta and the sexual events at Jefferson Playground. The state contended that C. D.'s testimony would show Lisotta's knowledge, intent, motive and system. Lisotta argued that C. D.'s testimony was inadmissible because the incidents she described were too remote from and dissimilar to the events involving Lisotta and A.B. The trial judge agreed with the prosecution and let C.D. testify.

C.D. said that Lisotta would sometimes drive her home after softball practice. One night he drove to Jefferson Playground. From C. D.'s trial testimony:

"... he drove to the playground. When we got there the lights were off so we parked on the side of the gym. We got out the car. I got out the car with him and we walked back to the football field. He grabbed the beer out the back seat and took a blanket out of his trunk. We went out to the football field and he placed the beer down on the bench and laid out the blanket, opened up the beer and handed me one.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
712 So. 2d 527, 1998 WL 148440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lisotta-lactapp-1998.