State v. Wallis

204 S.W.3d 732, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1665, 2006 WL 3199501
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 7, 2006
Docket27184
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 204 S.W.3d 732 (State v. Wallis) 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. Wallis, 204 S.W.3d 732, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1665, 2006 WL 3199501 (Mo. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

PAUL McGHEE, Senior Judge.

Sheila Walks (defendant) was charged with having committed the class B felony of assault of a law enforcement officer in the second degree. Upon trial, the jury found her guilty of the class A misdemean- or of assault of a law enforcement officer in the third degree. The jury assessed her punishment at confinement in the county jail for thirty days and a fine in an amount to be determined by the court. After overruling her motion for new trial, the trial court imposed the thirty-day jail sentence and fined her $500.00. Defendant appeals. We affirm.

In the first of her four points, 1 defendant argues that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on assault of a law enforcement officer in the second degree because the evidence was insufficient to support the giving of the instruction. The state submitted an instruction based on MAI-CR3d 319.34, and the court gave it as Instruction No. 5. However, the jury acquitted defendant of this offense. Her acquittal on the felony charge vitiates any standing that she may have had to complain about the instruction. State v. Collins, 154 S.W.3d 486, 493 (Mo.App.2005); State v. Witt, 684 S.W.2d 906, 909 (Mo. App.1985). As defendant was acquitted of the offense submitted by Instruction No. 5, she was not aggrieved by the giving of the instruction. She has no standing to complain about the instruction. Point I is denied.

Defendant complains in her Point III that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on assault of a law enforcement *735 officer in the third degree on the sole ground that there was insufficient evidence to support the giving of the instruction. Defendant offered the instruction on this offense, based on MAI-CR3d 819.39, tracking § 565.083.1(3), RSMo 2000, that “the Defendant purposely placed Randal Beebe in apprehension of immediate physical injury by driving down the driveway as Randal Beebe was in the driveway.” She also offered a converse to the instruction. At the request of defendant, the trial court gave the misdemeanor verdict director as Instruction No. 7 and gave the converse instruction as Instruction No. 8. The jury found her guilty on Instruction No. 7. “As a general rule a defendant cannot complain of an instruction given at his request.” State v. Gorman, 940 S.W.2d 543, 546 (Mo. App.1997), citing State v. Chambers, 891 S.W.2d 93, 105 (Mo. banc 1994); State v. Mogan, 891 S.W.2d 867, 871 (Mo.App. 1995).

Rule 28.03 states, “Counsel shall make specific objections to instructions or verdict forms considered erroneous. No party may assign as error the giving or failure to give instructions or verdict forms unless the party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter objected to and the grounds of the objection.” Where counsel fails to object to an instruction at trial, the issue is not preserved and it is reviewed, if at all, only for plain error under Rule 30.20. State v. Chambers, 998 S.W.2d 85, 88 (Mo.App.1999). See also, State v. Goodine, 196 S.W.3d 607, 617 (Mo.App.2006).

“ ‘Instructional error rises to the level of plain error only if the instruction is so misdirected or so failed to adequately instruct the jury that it is apparent to the appellate court that the error affected the jury’s verdict and caused manifest injustice or a miscarriage of justice.’ ” State v. Chambers, supra, at 98, quoting State v. Brown, 913 S.W.2d 919, 921 (Mo.App. 1996). Defendant bears the burden of establishing manifest injustice. Id.

Plain error review is a two-step analysis. State v. Robinson, 194 S.W.3d 379, 381 (Mo.App.2006). It is first determined whether the claim of plain error, on its face, establishes substantial grounds for believing manifest injustice or miscarriage of justice has occurred. Id. If the error does not rise to the level of evident, obvious, and clear error, the court will not exercise its discretionary plain error review. Id.

Defendant did not object to her own instructions and “[w]e are hard-pressed to find the trial court committed plain error to the detriment of [defendant’s] due process rights by submitting an instruction [defendant] requested.” State v. Taylor, 123 S.W.3d 924, 930 (Mo.App.2004). The claim of error does not establish substantial grounds for believing that manifest injustice to defendant or a miscarriage of justice occurred. The facts recited in the next point reveal that there was ample evidence to support the giving of Instruction No. 7. This point is denied.

Defendant next asserts in Point IV that the evidence was insufficient to establish her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the trial court erred in overruling her motion for acquittal at the close of all the evidence.

The standard for reviewing claims challenging the sufficiency of evidence is well-established. State v. Clay, 975 S.W.2d 121, 139 (Mo.1998). On review, the Court accepts as true all of the evidence favorable to the State, including all favorable inferences drawn from the evidence and disregards all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Id. In reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, appellate review is limited to a determination of whether there *736 is sufficient evidence from which a reasonable juror might have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.

State v. Brooks, 158 S.W.3d 841, 847 (Mo. App.2005). See also, State v. Robinson, 196 S.W.3d 567, 569 (Mo.App.2006). We review the facts in the light most favorable to the verdict. State v. Jaco, 156 S.W.3d 775, 777 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 126 S.Ct. 350, 163 L.Ed.2d 60 (2005). On March 29, 2003, Randal Beebe, a Joplin police officer, was on duty in his marked police car, wearing his full uniform, including a badge, insignia, name tag, a radio with a microphone, and a pistol. After midnight, he went to a park in Joplin on routine patrol. Although the closing time for the park established by city ordinance was 11:00 p.m., he saw one car on the golf course parking lot.

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Bluebook (online)
204 S.W.3d 732, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1665, 2006 WL 3199501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wallis-moctapp-2006.