State v. Meemken

597 N.W.2d 582, 1999 Minn. App. LEXIS 864, 1999 WL 538124
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 27, 1999
DocketCX-98-1577
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 597 N.W.2d 582 (State v. Meemken) 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. Meemken, 597 N.W.2d 582, 1999 Minn. App. LEXIS 864, 1999 WL 538124 (Mich. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

G. BARRY ANDERSON, Judge

Appellant James Joseph Meemken was convicted and sentenced for attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct in violation of Minn.Stat. §§ 609.343, subd. 1(a), subd. 2; 609.346, subd. 2; 609.17, subd. 1; and solicitation of children to engage in sexual conduct in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.352, subd. 2. Appellant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by granting the jury’s request during deliberations to view the videotaped interview with the child, and the evidence was not sufficient to support the conviction for attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct. We affirm.

FACTS

At the trial, the child-victim testified that, when she was nine years old, appellant, a friend of her mother, was at their apartment. Appellant, the child, another adult male, and the child’s 13-year-old brother were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards. When the child’s mother left the apartment to use a phone, appellant touched the child on the leg while at the same time asking, “can I touch you?” *584 The child said, “no,” and slapped his hand. She did not think that anyone saw what happened. He tried to touch her a couple other times that day and said to the child, “don’t tell.” She told her mother about the incident when she returned and also told her brother. The child and mother told the child’s father a few days later.

The child also testified that, a few days prior to the incident, she heard appellant tell her mother that “I want to hum-hum [the child].” Appellant also once asked her to twirl around in her skirt without her panties on.

The child’s mother testified that she met appellant a few years ago, and considered him a good friend. Shortly before the activity at issue here, she had a conversation with appellant during which he told her that he wanted to lick her daughter’s crotch. Because the child was present during the conversation, the mother tried to act like he was talking about someone else. He then asked the mother if he could ask the child if he could lick her crotch. He also told her that, on a previous occasion when the child was alone with him at his trailer, he masturbated on,the couch with a towel over him in front of the child, wanting her to see, in expectation that something would result from the situation. The mother did not ask appellant to leave during the conversation because he seemed like he was on some bad drug and was not in reality. The next day, appellant came over and apologized for his statements and told the mother that she would not have to pay back $150 that he had loaned her because he felt really bad. He had also, on a previous occasion, told the mother that he wanted to see her daughter without her shorts on.

After the touching incident was reported, the child discussed the incident with Officer Kenneth McDonald, who recorded the discussion. The child testified that she told McDonald that appellant had touched her on the leg.

In August 1997, McDonald conducted the videotaped interview with the child, which was shown to the jury. During the interview, McDonald asked the child to identify where appellant touched her, and the child pointed towards the general area of her thighs and vagina. McDonald then asked the child to point on the diagram of a female child to the place where appellant had touched her. She pointed to the thigh, but because the word “vagina” was written on the thigh, McDonald fostered misinterpretation by questioning the child, “you are pointing to my word and my word means what?” She replied “vagina.”

Subsequent to the interview, McDonald was informed that, when the child was asked to point on herself where appellant had touched her, she touched the top of her thigh. To explain that the interview is consistent with the child’s repeated assertions that she was touched on the thigh, McDonald testified that he now believes that the child pointed to the thigh because that is where she was touched. McDonald further explained that the child answered “vagina” to the second question he asked, because she was literally responding to his question, “you are pointing to my word and my word means what?”

Appellant testified and disputed all of the allegations involving sexual conduct. Appellant has two prior convictions, in 1990 and 1993, for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. On the first-degree charge, he pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a juvenile child under the age of 16. He was living with that child at the time. He pleaded guilty to the second-degree charge because he sexually touched a girl who was under the age of 13. He also has convictions from 1990 for possession of methamphetamines and possession of cocaine. At trial, appellant claimed the child and her mother made up the stories because he did not loan the mother $5,000 as she had admittedly requested.

After the jury began deliberations, they requested a review of the videotaped interview McDonald had with the child. Appel *585 lant objected to replaying the video. The court replayed the video after stating to the jury:

I want to caution you that this tape should be viewed in context, with regard to all of the other evidence in the case and particularly in regard to the child’s direct testimony on the witness stand this morning, which on some points differed with her videotape testimony.

The jury found appellant guilty of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct in violation of Minn.Stat. §§ 609.343, subd. 1(a); 609.17, subd. 1 (1996); and solicitation to engage in sexual conduct in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.352, subd. 2 (1996).

ISSUES

I. Did the trial court abuse its discretion by granting the jury’s request to replay the videotaped interview of the child after deliberations had begun?

II. Did the state present sufficient evidence to prove that appellant was guilty of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct?

ANALYSIS

I.

Appellant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by granting the jury’s request to replay the videotaped interview of the child and claims that this was prejudicial error because the video contained statements that were inconsistent with the child’s trial testimony.

“Rulings on evidentiary matters rest within the sound discretion of the trial court.” Caldwell v. State, 347 N.W.2d, 824, 826 (Minn.App.1984) (citation omitted). If after the jury retires for deliberation it requests a review of certain testimony or other evidence, the court may permit the jury to re-examine the requested evidence. Minn. R.Crim. P. 26.03, subd. 19(2)(1). The court, in its discretion, “may also have the jury review other evidence relating to the same factual issue so as not to give undue prominence to the evidence requested.” Id., subd. 19(2)(2). The trial court has broad discretion under this rule. State v. Kraushaar, 470 N.W.2d 509, 514 (Minn.1991). In exercising this discretion, the trial court should take into account:

(i) whether the material will aid the jury in proper consideration of the case;

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

Related

State v. Wilkie
924 N.W.2d 38 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2019)
State v. Bakdash
830 N.W.2d 906 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2013)
Meemken v. State
662 N.W.2d 146 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2003)
State v. Stevenson
637 N.W.2d 857 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2002)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
597 N.W.2d 582, 1999 Minn. App. LEXIS 864, 1999 WL 538124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-meemken-minnctapp-1999.