United States v. Pennington

21 C.M.A. 461, 21 USCMA 461, 45 C.M.R. 235, 1972 CMA LEXIS 711, 1972 WL 14164
CourtUnited States Court of Military Appeals
DecidedJune 23, 1972
DocketNo. 24,920
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 21 C.M.A. 461 (United States v. Pennington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Military Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Pennington, 21 C.M.A. 461, 21 USCMA 461, 45 C.M.R. 235, 1972 CMA LEXIS 711, 1972 WL 14164 (cma 1972).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court

Duncan, Judge:

The appellant was convicted of a number of offenses including one specification each of kidnapping and assault. The Court of Military Review reversed the kidnapping conviction because of an instructional error. We granted review to consider whether the military judge’s instruction was similarly erroneous with regard to the assault offense (Additional Charge III).

On June 19, 1970, Corporal Pennington learned from a friend that confinement orders had been prepared for him and that he was scheduled to be confined for certain offenses not here under review. Rather than being confined, he decided to flee.

The victim of the alleged kidnapping and assault, Lance Corporal Buell, testified that on the day in question he was approached by Corporal Abbott and asked to drive the appellant to a nearby gas station. Buell was to drive Abbott’s car and to receive a couple of dollars for his efforts. Buell agreed and he and the appellant left the base. En route, the appellant picked up a tape player from the back seat of the car and placed it on the front seat between his legs. Upon arrival at the gas station, the appellant, according to Buell, raised the tape player to his shoulder and advised Buell not to turn into the station. Buell stated in his testimony, “I asked him why and the accused said that if I did he would kill me.” Buell was additionally warned that if he attempted to get the attention of the highway patrol or stop the car and get out, the appellant would strike him with the tape player and take control of the car. Shortly thereafter when the appellant announced that the destination was Riverside, Buell agreed to take him there because he “was scared” and did not want to get hurt. During the ride the appellant said he was sick and rested his head on the dashboard. On arrival at Riverside, the appellant got out of the car and apologized to Buell for his actions.

[463]*463In testifying in his own behalf, the appellant, while generally agreeing with the details of the episode as recounted by Buell, steadfastly maintained that Buell voluntarily undertook the trip to Riverside at the appellant’s request. He denied that force was employed. He acknowledged that at one point he indicated to Buell he could “hit” him if he wanted to but that at the speed they were going it could wreck the car. According to the appellant, Buell laughed and said, “ ‘You don’t have to do anything like that, man, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, man.’ ” He apologized to Buell for raising the tape player and Buell expressed sympathy with his predicament. At times the appellant dozed during the trip. Upon arrival in Riverside, the appellant alighted and offered to pay Buell. The latter declined and said, “You’ll need everything you got.’ ” The appellant stated that he never intended to hit Buell with the tape player.

When instructions were being considered by the military judge, during an out-of-court hearing, defense counsel, in order to focus on the defense theory of consent, as regards the charge of kidnapping, requested the following instruction:

“You are advised that in order to find the accused guilty of the allegation of the specification of Additional Charge IV, you must be satisfied by legal and competent evidence beyond a reasonable doubt:
“That the accused was in actual control or command of the vehicle, and that the acts of Lance Corporal BUELL were not of his own volition but done at Corporal Pennington’s direction.”

The judge agreed to give that instruction except for the words “[t]hat the accused was in actual control or command of the vehicle, and.” When instructing the court, however, the military judge omitted not only that clause but the entire first paragraph as well. The entire instruction with regard to the defense theory of consent was:

“You are further instructed:
“That, in order for consent to be a complete defense to a charge of kidnapping, it must appear that the victim voluntarily and of his own free will, gave his consent, either ex-pressedly [sic] or impliedly, and that in order to form the basis of a defense, it must be shown that the consent in question was not the product of force, fear, or coercion.
“You are further advised:
“That, the acts of Lance Corporal BJJELL were not of his own volition but done at Corporal PENNINGTON’S direction.”1 [Emphasis supplied.]

In finding this instruction to be prejudicial to the substantial rights of the appellant, the Court of Military Review stated:

“The Instruction as thus delivered to the court members effectively removed from their consideration the defense theory that Buell freely and voluntarily drove the appellant to Riverside since they were instructed that this act of driving on the part of Buell was ‘not of his own volition’ but rather was ‘done at Corporal Pennington’s direction.’ It is now virtually Hornbook Law that a military judge is required to instruct the court members not only on the elements of the offense but, in addition, on all defenses reasonably raised by the evidence. Cf. United States v Smith, 13 USCMA 471, 33 CMR 3 (1963). When a military judge as here instructs on the defense of ‘consent’ but then turns [464]*464around and in effect advises the court members that such a defense is not applicable to this case because the victim’s actions were ‘not of his own volition,’ the error is patent. The findings of guilty of this charge and specification must be disapproved. While a rehearing is possible, such action is not deemed appropriate under the circumstances of this case. Accordingly, the findings of guilty of Additional Charge IY and its specification cannot be approved. The sentence will be reassessed accordingly.”

Appellate defense counsel contend that the above-noted erroneous statement, being inconsistent with the instructions on the offense of assault, was equally prejudicial.

In order to find the appellant guilty of assault, the court was initially told that it must find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that “the accused offered to do bodily harm to Lance Corporal BUELL; [t]hat he did so by raising up to strike at him . . . [with] a stereo tape player; [t]hat, the offer was done with unlawful force and violence; and . . . in a manner likely to produce grievous bodily harm.” The court was further instructed, inter alia, that:

“. . . An ‘offer to do bodily harm’ is an intentional act which foreseeably puts another in reasonable apprehension that force will immediately be applied to his person. . . . The mere use of threatening words does not constitute an assault. . . . [T] he victim must reasonably apprehend immediate bodily harm . . . [and] [t]hat, if a reasonable man, under the same conditions, would not have been put in fear, then it is not an assault.”

We find no fault with these instructions standing alone.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 C.M.A. 461, 21 USCMA 461, 45 C.M.R. 235, 1972 CMA LEXIS 711, 1972 WL 14164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-pennington-cma-1972.