State v. Prentice

613 S.E.2d 498, 170 N.C. App. 593, 2005 N.C. App. LEXIS 1086
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedJune 7, 2005
DocketNo. COA04-764.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 613 S.E.2d 498 (State v. Prentice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Prentice, 613 S.E.2d 498, 170 N.C. App. 593, 2005 N.C. App. LEXIS 1086 (N.C. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

MARTIN, Chief Judge.

Defendant appeals from his convictions of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual offense, and one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor. Defendant argues that video tape evidence of him committing the sexual acts complained of was not properly authenticated and that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss the charges under section 15A-761 of the North Carolina General Statutes, the Interstate Agreement on Detainers. We find no error by the trial court.

The pertinent factual and procedural history of the instant case is as follows: On 7 August 2001, defendant pled guilty to federal child pornography charges in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and was sentenced to 210 *500months in prison. After sentencing, defendant was transferred as a federal prisoner to the Orange County jail, pursuant to a housing agreement between the United States government and Orange County. On 27 August 2001, the grand jury returned state indictments against defendant. The Orange County sheriff served defendant with an order for arrest on 28 August 2001. The following day, defendant appeared in state court, where he was informed of the charges against him and appointed an attorney. He was then returned to the Orange County jail and federal custody.

On 10 September 2001, federal authorities transported defendant from the Orange County jail to a federal prison in Kentucky. On 28 May 2003 the State prepared a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum to secure defendant's presence in state court, and defendant was transferred to state custody pursuant to that writ on 15 July 2003. Defendant remained in state custody through his trial, which ended 28 October 2003.

The State's evidence at trial tended to show that defendant was the subject of a child pornography distribution investigation by the United States Postal Inspector. Defendant responded to an electronic mail ("e-mail") offering a video tape entitled "Number Fourteen, Teen Sex." Agents from the State Bureau of Investigation ("SBI") and postal inspectors subsequently searched defendant's residence, where the inspectors discovered several video tapes secured within a safe.

An SBI agent involved on the case, Mike Smith ("Agent Smith"), reviewed one of the video tapes and attempted to identify the persons depicted in it. The video tape showed a grown male, later identified as defendant, and a pre-pubescent female engaged in various sexual acts, including digital and penile penetration of the girl's vagina by defendant. Agent Smith testified he took still photographs made from the video tape to several of defendant's close acquaintances in an attempt to identify the young girl. Defendant's former girlfriend identified the girl as her daughter, K.H., and verified that the male in the video tape was defendant. K.H.'s grandmother also identified K.H. as the girl in the photograph.

K.H.'s mother testified at trial that she and her two daughters moved in with defendant in October 1999. K.H. was two to three years old during the time she resided with defendant. K.H.'s mother testified her daughter appeared to be three years old in the video tape. She identified a checked flannel shirt, worn by the girl in the video tape, as one belonging to K.H. She further stated the furnishings and decorations in the still photographs, taken from the video tape, appeared to be the same furnishings and decorations in defendant's bedroom at the time they were living there. According to K.H.'s mother, defendant also owned a camcorder and a tripod, which he had used to videotape the two of them having sexual intercourse in his bedroom. She stated she had no personal knowledge of whether defendant ever videotaped himself with K.H. and that she never observed defendant engage in any sexual activity with her daughter.

The State played the video tape at trial over defendant's objection. Defendant did not testify and presented no evidence. Upon review of the evidence, the jury found defendant guilty of all charges and he was sentenced on 28 October 2003 to a term of 384 to 470 months in prison. Defendant appeals.

Defendant argues the trial court erred by admitting the video tape and still photographs taken from the video tape into evidence. He further contends the State violated the Interstate Agreement on Detainers. For the reasons stated herein, we find no error.

A. Video Tape Evidence

Defendant first contends the trial court erred in admitting the video tape seized from his residence, as well as still photographs taken from that video tape, as substantive evidence of the alleged crimes. Defendant argues the State failed to properly authenticate the video tape prior to its introduction into evidence. We do not agree.

Video tapes are admissible as substantive evidence as long as applicable evidentiary requirements are met. See N.C. Gen.Stat. § 8-97 (2003). Rule 901 of the *501North Carolina Rules of Evidence requires "authentication or identification as a condition precedent to admissibility" of evidence. N.C. Gen.Stat. § 8C-1, Rule 901(a) (2003). The authentication or identification requirement is satisfied by "evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent claims." Id. The General Assembly lists ten examples of authentication conforming with the rule, but is careful to note that the examples are "[b]y way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation...." N.C. Gen.Stat. § 8C-1, Rule 901(b) (2003). Proper authentication of video tape evidence includes:

(1) testimony that the motion picture or videotape fairly and accurately illustrates the events filmed (illustrative purposes); (2) proper testimony concerning the checking and operation of the video camera and the chain of evidence concerning the videotape; (3) testimony that the photographs introduced at trial were the same as those the witness had inspected immediately after processing (substantive purposes); or (4) testimony that the videotape had not been edited, and that the picture fairly and accurately recorded the actual appearance of the area photographed.

State v. Cannon, 92 N.C.App. 246, 254, 374 S.E.2d 604, 608-09 (1988) (citations and internal quotations omitted), reversed on other grounds, 326 N.C. 37, 387 S.E.2d 450 (1990); see also State v. Mason, 144 N.C.App. 20, 26, 550 S.E.2d 10

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Bluebook (online)
613 S.E.2d 498, 170 N.C. App. 593, 2005 N.C. App. LEXIS 1086, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-prentice-ncctapp-2005.