State v. Vawter

234 S.E.2d 438, 33 N.C. App. 131, 1977 N.C. App. LEXIS 2114
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedMay 4, 1977
Docket7621SC829
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 234 S.E.2d 438 (State v. Vawter) 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. Vawter, 234 S.E.2d 438, 33 N.C. App. 131, 1977 N.C. App. LEXIS 2114 (N.C. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

BRITT, Judge.

Defendant assigns as error the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress his in-court identification. This assignment is without merit.

Defendant argues that the out-of-court identification procedure violated his due process rights in that the one-on-one confrontation between the prosecuting witness, Kiger, and defendant was unnecessarily suggestive and was conducive to irreparable mistaken identication as a matter of law. He further contends that the out-of-court identification by Kiger so tainted the in-court identification of defendant as to render it inadmissible.

As stated in State v. Henderson, 285 N.C. 1, 11, 203 S.E. 2d 10, 17-18 (1974):

“The practice of showing suspects singly to person for purposes of identification has been widely condemned. Stovall v. Denno, supra; State v. Wright, supra. However, whether such a confrontation violates due process depends on the totality of the surrounding circumstances. Stovall v. Denno, supra.

Assuming, arguendo, that the out-of-court confrontation was impermissibly suggestive and conducive to misidentification, we think the in-court identification was properly admitted into evidence. It is well established that the illegality of an out-of-court identification will render inadmissible the in-court identification unless it is first determined on voir dire that the *134 in-court identification is of independent origin. State v. Smith, 278 N.C. 476, 180 S.E. 2d 7 (1971), State v. Henderson, supra.

Here, the trial judge, upon a motion to strike, conducted an extensive voir dire hearing. The evidence on voir dire reveals that the witness observed the defendant approximately five to seven minutes. Of this time, approximately four minutes were spent with the prosecuting witness and the defendant face to face in a well lighted store. Immediately thereafter the witness gave a general but accurate description of defendant. The court found as facts and concluded as a matter of law that Kiger’s in-court identification of defendant was of independent origin, based on observations of defendant at the scene of the crime, and that the identification was not tainted in any way by any illegal or improper procedures used at the sheriff’s department.

In State v. Tuggle, 284 N.C. 515, 520, 201 S.E. 2d 884, 887 (1974), Chief Justice Bobbitt concisely stated the rules governing voir dire hearings where identification testimony is challenged :

“When the admissibility of in-court identification testimony is challenged on the ground it is tainted by out-of-court identification (s) made under constitutionally impermissible circumstances, the trial judge must make findings as to the background facts to determine whether the proffered testimony meets the tests of admissibility. When the facts so found are supported by competent evidence, they are conclusive on appellate courts. State v. McVay and State v. Simmons, 277 N.C. 410, 417, 177 S.E. 2d 874, 878 (1970); State v. McVay and State v. Simmons, 279 N.C. 428, 432, 183 S.E. 2d 652, 655 (1971); State v. Morris, 279 N.C. 477, 481, 183 S.E. 2d 634, 637 (1971)."

In the case at bar the findings of the trial court as to facts concerning the admissibility of the challenged testimony are well-supported by competent evidence and are conclusive on this appeal.

Defendant next assigns as error the denial of his motions for dismissal of the counts of felonious breaking and entering and larceny on the ground of fatal variance between the indictments and the proof.

As to breaking and entering, the indictment states that defendant “did feloniously break and enter a building occupied *135 by E. L. Kiser (sic) and Company, Inc., a corporation, d/b/a Shop Rite Food Store used as retail grocery located at Old U. S. Highway #52, Rural Hall, North Carolina, with the intent to commit a felony therein, to wit: larceny.” The evidence presented by Jerry and Milton Kiger indicates that they, along with other members of their family, own and operate the Shop Rite Food Store located on Old U. S. 52 at Rural Hall. No evidence was introduced as to the corporate ownership or occupancy of the Shop Rite Food Store.

In 2 Strong, N. C. Index 3d, Burglary and Unlawful Break-ings, pp. 660-661, under § 3.1 entitled “Sufficiency of description of victim and premises,” we find: “The recommended practice is to identify the location of the subject premises by street address, rural road address, or some other clear description. However, an indictment under G.S. 14-54 is sufficient if the building allegedly broken and entered is described sufficiently to show that it is within the language of the statute and to identify it with reasonably particularity so that defendant may prepare his defense and plead his conviction or acquittal as a bar to further prosecution for the same offense. ...”

In State v. Miller, 271 N.C. 646, 157 S.E. 2d 335 (1967), the court held that there was a fatal variance between pleading and proof where the indictment alleged the felonious breaking and entering of a building “occupied by one Friedman's Jewelry, a corporation” and the evidence showed that the building was occupied by “Friedman’s Lakewood, Incorporated” and that there were three “Friedman’s” stores in the city where the offense took place.

Defendant strongly relies on State v. Brown, 263 N.C. 786, 140 S.E. 2d 413 (1965). In that case the indictment charged defendant in separate counts with feloniously breaking and entering a building occupied by “Stroupe Sheet Metal Works, H. B. Stroupe, Jr., owner,” and with larceny of a number of blank checks, the property of “Stroupe Sheet Metal Works, H. B. Stroupe, Jr., owner.” The evidence showed that the occupant of the place of business and the owner of the property was a corporation. The Supreme Court held that there was a fatal variance between the indictment and the proof.

We think Miller and Brown are distinguishable from the case at hand. In those cases the location of the subject premises by street address, rural road address, “or some other clear de *136 scription” was not shown in the indictments. In the case sub judice the location of the subject premises is set forth with sufficient particularity to enable defendant to prepare his defense and to plead his conviction or acquittal as a bar to further prosecution for the same offense.

With respect to the breaking and entering charge, we hold that there was no fatal variance between pleading and proof.

With respect to the larceny count, we think there was a fatal variance between the indictment and the proof. The larceny count alleges that defendant “did feloniously steal, take and carry away 249 Cartons of assorted brands of Cigarettes, the personal property of E. L. Kiser (sic) and Company, Inc., a corporation, d/b/a Shop Rite Food Store . . . .”

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Bluebook (online)
234 S.E.2d 438, 33 N.C. App. 131, 1977 N.C. App. LEXIS 2114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-vawter-ncctapp-1977.