State v. Minor

997 P.2d 648, 268 Kan. 292, 2000 Kan. LEXIS 4
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 28, 2000
Docket79,283
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 997 P.2d 648 (State v. Minor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Minor, 997 P.2d 648, 268 Kan. 292, 2000 Kan. LEXIS 4 (kan 2000).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Larson, J.:

Kelly Minor was convicted by a jury of one count of aggravated criminal sodomy, K.S.A. 21-3506(a)(1), a severity level 2 person felony.

Minor appeals his conviction, contending the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his statements, claiming they were involuntarily made.

The State cross-appeals the trial court’s granting of a downward durational departure from a presumptive sentence of 256 months to a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment. The State contends the sentencing court did not state substantial and compelling reasons that were supported by the record and, alternatively, that the departure was the result of partiality, prejudice, oppression, or corrupt motive.

Facts

In November 1996, 14-year-old S.R. was being interviewed by Detective Mark Schondelmaier of the Emporia Police Department on a different matter when she told him of another criminal event.

S.R. stated that a week previously she had spent the night with her 13-year-old friend, A.C. She stated that A.C. and her younger sister C.C., and C.C.’s friend, J., were in the house without adults being present. Randall Ricketts and Kelly Minor came to the house for a period of time, both left, and then Minor returned alone about 20 minutes later.

S.R. related that she and A.C. were in A.C.’s downstairs bedroom with the younger children upstairs. Before Minor entered the room, S.R. told Detective Schondelmaier, “A.C. told me that she wanted to have sexual intercourse with him and so I went upstairs and let them two be.” A short time later, S.R. and the other two children went downstairs and walked into A.C.’s darkened bedroom, and when flipping on the light, S.R. stated: “Kelly was standing up and he was zipping up his pants and A.C. was sitting on the bed wiping her mouth.”

[295]*295Based on this information, Detective Schondelmaier asked Minor to come to the police station. Minor was advised of his Miranda rights, and when Schondelmaier told him he wanted to talk about the incident with A.C., Minor said he would not give a statement until arrested. This ended the first interview.

Detective Schondelmaier then interviewed A.C., who told him Minor had asked her for oral sex and that she had complied for about one minute but the act was not complete when they were interrupted by the other girls. The testimony of Detective Schondelmaier at trial concerning consent was that A.C. had consented to the oral sex, although she had told him that she did not want to do so. Schondelmaier testified he did not believe Minor forced A.C. into the act.

After the interview with A.C., Minor was arrested by Officer Owens, who said Minor was upset but did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol.

Detective Schondelmaier and Detective Cronk interviewed Minor at the Lyon County Jail following his arrest. Minor was advised of his Miranda rights and said he understood his rights and agreed to speak with them.

Minor initially denied the crime, but when informed this was his opportunity to give his version of what happened, admitted to participating in the act. He contended A.C. consented and it was her idea. He testified to engaging in oral sex for a short period, admitted he knew A.C. was 13 or 14 years old, and eventually signed a written statement. In the statement, Minor contended the oral sex was voluntary and consensual, that A.C. turned off the lights and turned the stereo on, and that she was sitting down and he was in front of her and she sucked his penis for a few minutes; then, an ex-boyfriend of A.C.’s showed up, so she ran out to see him. He wrote he knew it was wrong and said “it got carried away.”

Neither detective observed any indication that Minor was under the influence of alcohol while they observed him for a period of about an hour.

After Minor was charged, he moved to suppress his statement, contending it was involuntary because he was under the influence of alcohol and he was coerced by the detectives’ alleged promises. [296]*296After a hearing where Detectives Schondelmaier and Cronk and Officer Owens, as well as Minor, testified, the trial court found there was no coercion in the officers’ request for Minor to be honest and the statement and confession were voluntary. Looking at the duration and manner of the interrogation, and the age and background of the accused, the trial court found that there was nothing unfair about the interrogation. Minor was properly warned as to his Miranda rights, he was not impaired, and the statement was held to be admissible.

At trial, the evidence was substantially as previously set forth. The only parties testifying were S.R., A.C., and Detective Schondelmaier. Minor was convicted by the jury of one count of aggravated criminal sodomy.

Minor moved for a downward durational departure, contending the victim was a participant in the conduct associated with the crime, that he had played only a minor or passive role in the crime, and that the degree of harm or loss attributed to the current crime was significantly less than typical for such an offense. A downward durational departure to a sentence in the range of 36 months was requested. The trial court did grant a downward departure to a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment from a presumptive sentence of 256 months.

Minor appeals, questioning the voluntariness of his statement. He contends it should have been suppressed. The State cross-appeals, contending the downward durational departure was improperly entered.

Minor’s issues

The trial court did not err in denying Minor’s motion to suppress his statement.

Minor argues that his written statement to the police in which, in effect, he confessed to the crime charged, should have been suppressed. He contends it was not a product of his free and independent will because he was under the influence of alcohol, and he was coerced by the police into writing the confession.

The State first argues Minor failed to preserve this issue by not objecting to the admission of the statement made to the officers [297]*297during trial. However, the record reflects an objection to the admission of the written statement. We find this issue was properly preserved.

The State further argues there is substantial competent evidence to support the trial court’s determination that the statement was voluntarily made, that Minor was not sufficiently under the influence so that his actions were involuntaiy, and that the statement was admissible. We agree.

The standard of review of a trial court’s determination where an inquiiy on the admissibility of a defendant’s statement was conducted and the statement was admitted is narrow. The trial court’s ruling will be accepted on appeal if it is supported by substantial competent evidence. State v. Goseland, 256 Kan. 729, 731, 887 P.2d 1109 (1994).

In this case, a suppression hearing was held, and the trial court heard the evidence by Detectives Schondelmaier and Cronk and Officer Owens, as well as the testimony of Minor. It therefore becomes our limited duty to determine whether the ruling was supported by substantial competent evidence.

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State v. Minor
997 P.2d 648 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2000)

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Bluebook (online)
997 P.2d 648, 268 Kan. 292, 2000 Kan. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-minor-kan-2000.