State v. Small

514 P.2d 283, 20 Ariz. App. 530, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 778
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedSeptember 27, 1973
Docket1 CA-CR 510
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 514 P.2d 283 (State v. Small) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Small, 514 P.2d 283, 20 Ariz. App. 530, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 778 (Ark. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

JACOBSON, Chief Judge, Division 1.

Defendant Waymond A. Small was convicted of aggravated battery in violation of ARS §§ 13-241 and 13-245. He appeals his conviction.

The incident out of which the conviction arose occurred at the Maricopa County jail on August 16, 1971, the defendant being in jail at that time on other charges. The jailers determined that some inmates of the cell block in which the defendant was placed were in possession of materials prohibited by jail policy. A search was undertaken *532 to disclose these materials. The search proceeded without incident until the defendant’s cell was reached. The defendant refused to leave his cell unless he was permitted to take with him a folder which he claimed contained legal papers. Deputy-Sheriff Sylvis, who was in charge of the search, grabbed the defendant’s arm and forced him back. The defendant told Deputy Sylvis that if he would release his arm that he would put the papers down. When this was done the defendant stood up and looked at Deputy Sylvis for a couple of seconds and then began hitting him. Four other deputies rapidly subdued him.

At trial defendant relied almost exclusively on the defense of insanity, and he presented three psychiatrists who supported this defense. On two separate occasions Small had been admitted to the Arizona State Hospital, once in connection with a previous case, and once in connection with his present case. Both admissions had been for the purpose of determining the defendant’s competency to stand trial. In rebuttal, the state called Dr. Michael Cleary, the chief psychiatrist in charge of the maximum security division at the Arizona State Hospital. Dr. Cleary had examined the defendant during his two previous admittances to the State Hospital, and at trial he testified that in his professional opinion the defendant did not suffer from any sort of mental illness. He also testified as to incidents at the jail which Small had related to him during his examination as to Small’s ability to understand the proceedings and to assist in his own defense.

During the trial Deputy Sheriffs Charles Ordell and Jim Haines were assigned to transport the defendant to and from his jail cell. While the deputies were transporting the defendant on a Friday afternoon after trial the defendant said, “Well, the nut doctors go on Monday.” Deputy Ordell then asked Small, “How can you tell the difference between the doctors and the patients out at the State Hospital ? ” In a non-responsive answer Small then said, “Those [obscenity] shrinks, they’ll believe any thing you tell them. All but Cleary. You can’t fool him because I’ve tried. He’ll walk right up in your face and say, ‘What’s the matter with you, boy? What are you trying to pull ? ’ ” The defendant claims he had not been advised of his Miranda rights immediately prior to this conversation. Later at trial this testimony was admitted over defendant’s objection.

The record shows that Deputy Haines had telephoned Deputy Ordell on the Friday evening after the defendant had made the incriminating statements. The two discussed what he had said and compared their recollections. Ordell then wrote down his recollection of the defendant’s statement. Haines disclosed the information to the county attorney. The state called only Deputy Ordell on rebuttal. After a hearing as to the admissibility of the defendant’s statements to the deputies the trial court ruled that they were admissible.

When the damaging testimony of Deputy Ordell was elicited at trial, defense counsel sought to impeach his credibility or show bias by cross-examining him about a prior incident in the jail with the defendant. The prosecution objected without stating a reason, and the trial court sustained the objection. Later in chambers, defense counsel made an offer of proof by the examination of Deputy Haines, showing that Haines and other deputies in the jail had been involved in a prior incident with the defendant in which a deputy was injured. This testimony revealed that the incident at which Haines had been present occurred as follows : Deputy Haines and three other deputies were assigned to move the defendant from his cell to a maximum security cell. Small was clutching two pencils and was crouched in a fighting stance when the deputies came to his cell. Small refused to leave the cell, and subsequently Haines and another deputy “maced” Small and then charged him in an effort to subdue him. In the course of events the other deputy, Deputy Dominguez, was stabbed in the scalp with the pencil point before Small was subdued with the assistance of two other deputies. Haines testified that Dominguez was a personal friend. He also testified *533 that he was concerned about the incident and implied that he had been upset and “uptight.” Haines later returned to the cell that Small was then occupying and “four-pointed” him. After Small had been “four-pointed” with the assistance of another deputy, Haines asked the other deputy to leave the cell stating that he wanted to talk to Small. Then Haines testified:

“. . . Waymond [defendant] started screaming I was going to kill him and I says [sic] ‘Look. Just shut up. I want to talk to you.’ So I went over and sat down and he quit yelling and I went over and sat down at the edge of his bunk and I told him, ‘Waymond, you damn near killed Dominguez.’ I said, ‘That was entirely uncalled for. There was absolutely no reason for that.’ And I said, ‘Everyone has seen it. No one is going to forget it.’ I said, ‘And the next time that there is any trouble, you know, these guys aren’t going to forget it and you’re subject to getting hurt very bad.[sic].’ I said, ‘You understand that, don’t you ? ’ ”

Defendant’s counsel asked to be permitted to call Deputy Haines as an adverse witness and to elicit the testimony concerning the prior incident in the jail. The court denied both requests. Because of the trial court’s ruling defense counsel stated that he would not call Deputy Haines. Subsequently the jury found the defendant to be guilty as charged.

Defendant first contends that the incriminating statements made by him were secured in violation of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). We disagree.

While there can be little dispute that the defendant was in the custody of law enforcement officers, it was defendant who initiated the conversation. Officer Ordell’s question, “How can you tell the difference between the doctors and the patients out at the State Hospital ? ” was completely unrelated to defendant’s case and there appears to be no indication that this question was interrogation. It was merely small talk which was initiated by the defendant. “Volunteered statements of any kind are not, barred by the Fifth Amendment and their admissibility is not affected by the holding of Miranda.” State v. Kroupa, 16 Ariz.App. 254, 257, 492 P.2d 750, 753 (1972). Furthermore, where there is no interrogation and the defendant utters words which are self-incriminating, these words are not subject to the Miranda warnings. State v. Schindorff, 107 Ariz. 172, 175, 484 P.2d 4 (1971).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
514 P.2d 283, 20 Ariz. App. 530, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-small-arizctapp-1973.