State v. Stewart

296 S.W.3d 5, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 1446, 2009 WL 3319671
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 15, 2009
DocketSD 29392
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 296 S.W.3d 5 (State v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Stewart, 296 S.W.3d 5, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 1446, 2009 WL 3319671 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

GARY W. LYNCH, Presiding Judge.

Kendal Lane Stewart (“Defendant”) appeals his felony conviction for resisting arrest. See § 575.150. 1 Specifically, Defendant brings six points on appeal, alleging that the trial court erred: (1) in overruling Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal at the close of the State’s evidence because there was insufficient evidence presented showing Defendant knew he was being arrested; (2) in failing to quash the venire panel because one member of the panel was a uniformed police officer and said that she had previous knowledge of Defendant and could not be fair and impartial; (3) in submitting to the jury instruction number five, based upon MAI-CR3d 329.60, because the State failed to show a felony had been committed; (4) in not submitting to the jury the offense of third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer because it was a lesser-included offense; (5) in overruling Defendant’s objection to testimony that Defendant was being arrested for aggravated stalking because such testimony amounted to impermissible prior bad acts evidence; and (6) in denying Defendant’s motion for mistrial because testimony referencing “numerous calls” regarding Defendant “and a victim” violated Defendant’s right of confrontation. Finding no merit in Defendant’s points, we affirm.

Factual and Procedural Background

We view the evidence presented at trial, as well as all reasonable inferences that can be drawn therefrom, in the light most favorable to the verdict and reject all contrary evidence and inferences. State v. Newberry, 157 S.W.3d 387, 390 (Mo.App. 2005). Viewed in that light, the following was adduced at trial.

On October 19, 2006, the Springfield Police Department received information that Defendant was located inside a “fifth wheel” trailer at 2918 West Hovey, in Greene County, Missouri. The police had been looking for Defendant as a result of receiving several calls to the department regarding Defendant and a particular victim. Additionally, there were two outstanding warrants for Defendant’s arrest, one of which was for aggravated stalking, a felony. Officer Michael Stroud was dispatched to the location on West Hovey and contacted three or four other officers to accompany him to that location. Officer Stroud gave each officer an assigned location on the property and then approached the trailer with Officer Curtis Ringgold. All of the officers were in uniform. Officers Stroud and Ringgold could hear voices through an open window, and Officer Ringgold spoke through that window to the individuals inside, announcing his presence as a police officer and asking those inside to exit the trailer. At that point, one of the individuals — not Defendant — came to the door and identified himself, and he was escorted by another offi *9 cer to the opposite end of the trailer. Through the open door, Officer Stroud could see another individual curled up into a ball underneath a table, with his hands in front of his face. Officer Stroud repeatedly asked the individual to show his face and hands; at some point, the individual moved his hands enough so that Officer Stroud was able to identify the individual as Defendant.

When Defendant refused to comply with Officer Stroud’s orders, Officer Stroud directed Officer Ringgold to lean into the trailer and grab Defendant’s feet and pull him out from underneath the table. Officer Ringgold continued to order Defendant to show his hands while he moved toward Defendant, and when Officer Ringgold reached for Defendant’s feet, Defendant began kicking and hid his hands underneath his body. Officer Stroud then approached the table and attempted to apply “distractionary techniques” to Defendant’s legs in an effort to assist Officer Ringgold; this entailed Officer Stroud applying pressure with his foot to the major muscle groups in Defendant’s legs. At some point during the altercation, Defendant kicked the table, and it fell on him. Although Defendant initially continued kicking, he eventually stopped after several minutes, and Officers Stroud and Ringgold were able to place Defendant in handcuffs. Throughout the entire ordeal, Officer Ringgold continued to order Defendant to show his hands and to stop resisting the officers, but it was only after Defendant was in handcuffs and the officers stood him up that he completely stopped pulling away from and fighting with them.

Once Defendant was restrained by the handcuffs, he asked Officer Stroud why he was being arrested; Officer Stroud replied that Defendant was wanted on multiple felony warrants, specifically referencing the aggravated stalking warrant, in addition to the new resisting-arrest charge.

Defendant was charged by felony information with felony resisting arrest, pursuant to § 575.150. He was further charged as, and found to be by the trial court prior to trial, a prior and persistent offender, pursuant to §§ 558.016 and 557.036. 2 After being found guilty as charged by a jury, Defendant argued his motion for new trial immediately prior to sentencing, and the motion was denied. The trial court then sentenced Defendant to seven years’ incarceration, the maximum possible sentence. This appeal timely followed.

Additional facts necessary to the resolution of Defendant’s individual points are set out infra.

Discussion

Defendant presents six points for our review. We address them in chronological order for ease of understanding.

I. Venire Panel

In his second point, Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to quash the venire panel following venireperson number seventeen’s statement that: “[A]s a police officer, previous knowledge of the Defendant, I don’t think I could be fair and impartial.” Defendant claims that these statements tainted the entire panel by implying prior run-ins with the law and, thus, prior bad acts on the part of Defendant, depriving Defendant of a fair trial. We disagree.

A. Standard of Review

“A trial court has broad discretion in deciding whether a jury panel should be dismissed and the court’s ruling will not be disturbed unless there is a clear abuse of *10 discretion.” State v. Sprinkle, 122 S.W.3d 652, 658 (Mo.App.2003) (citing State v. Thompson, 985 S.W.2d 779, 789 (Mo. banc 1999)). This is because the trial court is in the best position to determine the effect of an allegedly improper statement on the members of the venire. State v. Scott, 359 Mo. 631, 223 S.W.2d 453, 455 (1949). “A trial court abuses its discretion when its ruling is clearly against the logic of the circumstances and is so arbitrary and unreasonable as to shock the sense of justice and indicate a lack of careful consideration.” State v. Johnson, 207 S.W.3d 24, 40 (Mo. banc 2006) (citing State v. Brown, 939 S.W.2d 882, 883 (Mo. banc 1997)). We presume that the trial court’s ruling was correct, and it is the defendant’s burden to demonstrate otherwise. State v. Franklin, 144 S.W.3d 355, 361 (Mo.App.2004).

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Bluebook (online)
296 S.W.3d 5, 2009 Mo. App. LEXIS 1446, 2009 WL 3319671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stewart-moctapp-2009.