State v. Roger Morris Gardner

CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 13, 1999
Docket03C01-9712-CR-00524
StatusPublished

This text of State v. Roger Morris Gardner (State v. Roger Morris Gardner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Roger Morris Gardner, (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE FILED AT KNOXVILLE July 13, 1999

Cecil Crowson, Jr. DECEMB ER SESSION, 1998 Appellate C ourt Clerk

STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) C.C.A. NO. 03C01-9712-CR-00524 ) Appellee, ) ) ) SULLIVAN COUNTY VS. ) ) HON. PHYLLIS H. MILLER ROGER MORRIS GARDNER, ) JUDGE ) Appe llant. ) (Direct Appeal - Range II Multiple ) Offender)

FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE:

GALE K. FLANARY JOHN KNOX WALKUP Assistant Public Defender Attorney General and Reporter 2nd Judicial District P. O. Box 839 TODD R. KELLEY Blountville, TN 37617 Assistant Attorney General 425 Fifth Avenu e North Nashville, TN 37243

GREELEY W ELLS District Attorney General

BARRY STAUBUS LISA CROCKETT Assistant Attorney General P. O. Box 526 Blountville, TN 37617

OPINION FILED ________________________

AFFIRMED

JERRY L. SMITH, JUDGE OPINION

On September 30, 1997, a Sullivan County jury convicted Appellant Roger

Morris Gardner o f one count of a ttempted ag gravated kidna pping. After a

sentencing hearing on November 18, 1997, the trial court sentenced Appellant

as a Range II multiple offender to eight years in the Tennessee Department of

Correction. Appellant challenges his conviction, raising the following issues:

1) whether the evidence was sufficient to support his conviction; 2) whether the trial court should have granted a mistrial because the jurors may have seen Appellant in the custody of some bailiffs during a recess in the tria l; 3) wheth er the trial co urt prope rly instructed the jury on fligh t; 4) whether the trial cou rt properly instructed the jury on admissions against interest; and 5) whether Appellant’s right to a speedy trial was violated.

After a revie w of the re cord, we affirm the ju dgme nt of the trial co urt.

I. FACTS

Beth Davidson testified that on December 5, 1996, she was working as a

desk clerk at the Westside Inn in Kingsport, Tennessee. Shortly after 12:30 a.m.,

Appellant came in the front door and asked to use the telephone to call for a ride

home. Appellant then used the telephone and sat down on a couch when he was

finished.

Davidson testified that after Appellant sat down on the couc h, she w ent into

the bathroom to hang up a broom. When Davidson attempted to leave the

bathroom, Appellant approached the doorway and put up his hands to block

-2- David son’s way out. When Davidso n tried to go past Ap pellant, he grabbe d both

of her arm s and h eld them in a tight grip. A fter a brief stru ggle, Da vidson fell to

her knees, and Appellant fell on top of her. Appellant then grabbed one of

David son’s arms and placed one of his hands o ver Davidson’s mouth and

pressed “very hard.” Davidson then “kicked and fought” and managed to crawl

out from un der Ap pellant afte r a strugg le which la sted between three and four

minutes. Davidson testified that during this struggle in the bathroom, she

sustained a cut to her hand, b ruises to her knees, and muscle sprains in her neck

and ba ck.

Davidson testified that after she crawled out from under Appellant, she

went to the telephone by the front counter and called 9-1-1. Appellant then

picked u p his hat a nd jacke t from off the couch and left thro ugh a s ide doo r.

Davidson testified that sometime later that night, the police brought

Appellant to the scene, and she identified him as the man who had attacked her.

Officer Joe Graham of the Kingsport Police Department testified that at

approximate ly 1:44 a.m. on December 5, 1996, he responded to a call at the

Westside Inn. After Davidson related the events that had just occurred, Graham

went to the phone registry that recorded outgoing calls in orde r to determine who

David son’s assailant had c alled. Graham then called the last recorded phone

number and received information that Appellant had dialed that number. Graham

then put ou t a BO LO (b e on th e look out) for Appe llant. Graham testified that

shortly thereafter, he showed Davidson a photographic line-up, and she

-3- imm ediate ly identified the photograph of Appellant as the man who had attacked

her.

Graham testified that Appellant was subsequently apprehended and

brought to the Westside Inn. The police officers then asked Appellant to get out

and stand by the side of the police car. Davidson then identified Appellant as her

attacker.

Officer David Samples of the Kingsport Police Department testified that

after receiving information from Officer Graham on December 5, 1996, he located

Appellant at a house in Kin gsport. When Samples asked Appellant if he had

been to the Westside Inn on that date, Appellant initially denied being there.

When Samples told Appellant that he matched the description of a subject who

had been at that location, Appellant admitted that he had been at the Westside

Inn to use the teleph one.

II. SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

Appellant contends that th e evide nce w as insu fficient to supp ort his

conviction. When an app ellant challenges the sufficiency of the e videnc e, this

Court is obliged to review that challenge according to certain well-settled

principles. A verdict of guilty by the jury, approved by the trial judge, accredits the

testimony of the S tate’s w itness es an d reso lves all conflicts in the testim ony in

favor of the Sta te. State v. Cazes, 875 S.W.2d 253, 259 (Tenn. 1994). Although

an accused is origin ally cloaked with a presumption of innocence, a jury verdict

removes this pre sum ption a nd rep laces it with one o f guilt. State v. Tug gle, 639

-4- S.W.2d 913, 914 (Tenn. 1982). Hence , on app eal, the bu rden of p roof rests w ith

Appellant to dem onstrate the insufficie ncy of the convicting evidenc e. Id. On

appe al, “the [S]tate is entitled to the strongest legitimate view of the evidence as

well as all reasonab le and legitimate infe rences that m ay be drawn the refrom.”

Id. Where the sufficiency of the evidence is contested on appeal, the relevant

question for the reviewing court is whether any rational trier of fact cou ld have

found the accused guilty of every element of the offe nse b eyond a reas onab le

doubt. Jack son v. V irginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S. Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L. Ed.

2d 560 (19 79). In con ducting our evaluatio n of the convic ting evid ence , this

Court is preclud ed from reweigh ing or reco nsidering the evide nce. State v.

Morgan, 929 S.W.2d 380, 383 (Ten n. Crim. App . 1996). Moreo ver, this Court

may not substitute its own inferences “for those drawn by the trier of fact from

circumstantial evidenc e.” State v. Matthews, 805 S.W.2d 776, 779 (Tenn. Crim.

App. 1990). Finally, Rule 13(e) of the Tennes see Rules of Appellate Pro cedure

provides, “findings o f guilt in crim inal actions whe ther by the trial court or jury

shall be set as ide if the evide nce is insu fficient to support the findings by the trier

of fact beyo nd a rea sonab le doub t.”

Under Tennessee law, false imprisonment occurs when one person

“know ingly removes or confines another unlawfully so as to interfe re sub stantia lly

with the other’s liberty.” Tenn Code Ann.

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