United States v. Gary Longie

984 F.2d 955, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 1344, 1993 WL 16126
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 29, 1993
Docket92-1660
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 984 F.2d 955 (United States v. Gary Longie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Gary Longie, 984 F.2d 955, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 1344, 1993 WL 16126 (8th Cir. 1993).

Opinion

MAGILL, Circuit Judge.

Gary Longie appeals his conviction on two counts of aggravated sexual conduct with one of his daughters in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c) and § 1153. The abuse took place on the Devils Lake Sioux Indian Reservation in North Dakota at a time when the victim was less than twelve years old. Longie raises six issues on appeal. He argues that the trial court 1 erred in admitting documentary medical evidence not provided to the defense prior to trial, in permitting the prosecution to ask leading questions, in admitting hearsay testimony from a pediatrician, and in not issuing a cautionary instruction as to evidence of crimes not charged. Longie further contends that prosecutor misconduct mandates a new trial, and the evidence in total is insufficient to support the guilty verdicts. We reject all of Longie’s arguments and affirm the convictions.

I.

This case involves aggravated sexual abuse by a natural father against his daughter during the time that the daughter was approximately six years old to the time *957 that she was approximately eleven years old. The primary evidence offered against Longie was the testimony of the child victim, twelve years old at the time of trial.

In describing when she was first molested by her father, the victim testified that she was six years old, and “I think it was in the first grade.” She described that she was sleeping in her room alone, with her street clothes on. The victim described, in halting but considerably detailed testimony, how her father had entered her room and taken her clothes off. She testified, using language appropriate to her age, that her father had vaginal and anal intercourse with her. The victim testified that she was scared, she cried, and she tried to scream, but no one came to investigate. After the incident, the victim experienced bleeding and was ordered by Longie to wash her bed linens.

According to the victim, this same pattern was repeated over the next several years. The victim testified that Longie told her not to tell anyone about the abuse. She stated that she was frightened of her father. She could not recall specifically the frequency with which the abuse took place, offering only that it occurred “every once in a while.”

The next incident of abuse that the victim described in detail took place in the home of a cousin where the Longie family was staying temporarily. The victim described a scenario very similar to the first incident in which Longie entered her bedroom while she slept and then proceeded-to abuse her by anal intercourse. In describing the second incident, the victim recalled two specific additional facts. She testified that her father told her, “Oh, don’t be scared.” Furthermore, she testified that her father used two knives to secure the bedroom door against unwanted entry. She described how he stuck two knives along the side of the closed door jamb because the door had no conventional lock on it.

The final incident that the victim described in detail began in her bedroom at the Longies’ house on the Devils Lake reservation. She specifically recalled that as her father approached her, he said, “Don’t be scared, you will be all right.” The victim then recounted that her father engaged her in vaginal intercourse. Later in her testimony, the victim stated that at one point Longie had made her lick his penis.

During this final incident that the victim described, the victim’s older sister, Cheryl, witnessed the attack. After seeing her father abusing her sister, Cheryl fled the house and went to her cousin Nicole Lon-gie’s house in an effort to summon help. Cheryl told Nicole that she had seen her father sexually abusing the victim. Cheryl and Nicole then went to the home of Alberta Redfox, their aunt. The girls wanted Redfox to call the police, but Redfox had no phone. Ultimately, they were able to phone the police from a neighboring house.

By this time that same night, Gary Lon-gie’s brother, Kenny, had learned of Cheryl’s allegations. Kenny went to Gary’s house to alert him that the police would be investigating. Gary Longie, apparently in an effort to stave off any investigation at his house, loaded his wife and some of his children, including the victim, into the car and drove to the Redfox home. At the Redfox residence, a Fort Totten Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer, who had responded to the phone call, made some minor inquiries and then left.

At trial, Cheryl Longie, then fifteen years old, recanted her allegation that she had seen her father sexually abusing the victim. Cheryl testified that she had simply made up the story in order to get out of the house, and in the hopes of being placed in foster care. However, Nicole Longie, Cheryl’s cousin, corroborated Cheryl’s original allegation of abuse and testified that Cheryl was crying and frightened on the night she went to Nicole’s house. Alberta Redfox further corroborated Nicole’s testimony and stated at trial that on the night in question, both Nicole and Cheryl were tearful and scared. Redfox testified that she called the police that night to report Gary Longie for sexual abuse.

A social worker, Julie Carlson, also testified as to an interview she conducted with the victim in connection with the abuse. *958 Carlson testified as to a prior statement given to her by the victim about the abuse which was entirely consistent with the victim’s trial testimony. Dr. Jean Fahey, a pediatrician, also testified at trial regarding her medical examination of the victim. The doctor concluded that the results of the examination were very suggestive of sexual abuse.

Gary Longie and his wife both testified for the defense. They denied the charges.

II.

A. Medical Evidence

Longie contends that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence photographs, a written report, and testimony relating to Dr. Fahey’s medical examination, which had not been provided to the defense in advance of trial.

The prosecution obtained a medical report prepared by Dr. Fahey in connection with her examination of the victim well before trial and provided it to the defense. This initial report did not mention that Dr. Fahey had used a colposcope to take photographs of the victim’s genitals. Because of Dr. Fahey’s work schedule and the holidays, the United States Attorney’s office was unable to interview Dr. Fahey in her Fargo office until December 30, 1991. December 30 was the first day of Longie’s trial which was being conducted in Grand Forks, some eighty miles north of Fargo. It was at the December 30 interview that the government first learned of the colpo-scope photographs and an updated 'medical report prepared by Dr. Fahey. The government immediately subpoenaed the information and obtained copies of it.

On December 31, 1991, the government informed the defense of the new evidence and produced the information by telefax. The original documents were presented to the defense at the first available opportunity, on January 2, 1992, the day that trial resumed.

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Bluebook (online)
984 F.2d 955, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 1344, 1993 WL 16126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gary-longie-ca8-1993.