United States v. Ronald Gene Kenyon

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 11, 2005
Docket04-1182
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Ronald Gene Kenyon (United States v. Ronald Gene Kenyon) 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. Ronald Gene Kenyon, (8th Cir. 2005).

Opinion

United States Court of Appeals FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT ___________

No. 04-1182 ___________

United States of America, * * Appellee, * * Appeal from the United States v. * District Court for the * District of South Dakota. Ronald Gene Kenyon, also known * as Ronald G. Bingen, * * Appellant. * ___________

Submitted: June 15, 2004 Filed: February 11, 2005 ___________

Before SMITH, BEAM, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges. ___________

COLLOTON, Circuit Judge.

A jury convicted Ronald Kenyon of three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of A.L., a child under the age of twelve, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1153, 2241(c), 2246(2)(A), and 2246(2)(D), and two counts of abusive sexual contact with A.L., in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1153, 2244(a)(1), 2241(c), and 2246(3). On appeal, Kenyon contends that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions. Alternatively, he argues that a new trial is required because hearsay testimony of a physician's assistant was improperly admitted under Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(B), and evidence regarding A.L.’s prior knowledge of the male anatomy was improperly excluded. Because we agree with Kenyon’s objection to the disputed hearsay testimony, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

I.

A.L. was born on March 28, 1992. Since infancy, she has been in the legal custody of Robin LaRoche and Dale Middletent, whom A.L. refers to as her parents. Robin has two daughters, one of whom is Mona LaRoche. Kenyon is Mona’s common-law husband, and they live together near Robin LaRoche. Robin testified that for three years preceding April 2003, Mona baby-sat for A.L. approximately two Fridays each month. On these occasions, A.L. generally stayed overnight at Kenyon’s residence. On April 9, 2003, while visiting Child’s Safe Place in Sioux Falls on an unrelated matter, A.L. told a physician’s assistant, Renette Kroupa, that Kenyon had touched her private areas during these overnight visits.

By the time of trial, A.L. was 11 years old. She testified that Kenyon started touching her when she was eight. According to A.L., the acts occurred while she was sleeping in a bedroom belonging to R.K., a daughter of Mona and Kenyon. She testified that Kenyon entered the room at night while the girls were sleeping. A.L. testified that during the first incident, Kenyon touched her private part in the “area between [her] legs” on top of and underneath her clothes. A.L. said that on other occasions, Kenyon touched her “behind” with his hand, and attempted to put his finger inside her private part in the “front.” A.L. stated that “this happened” more than ten times. She testified that during the three-year period from April 2000 to April 2003, she stayed at Kenyon’s residence approximately five times each month, and that Kenyon touched her every night she stayed there.

A.L. also testified that Kenyon attempted to rape her. According to A.L., Kenyon once took off his boxer shorts and pulled her pants and underwear down to her knees. A.L. explained that Kenyon eventually was laying on top of her and

-2- “moving up-and-down.” She further stated that “his private part” touched her and “almost” went inside her. A.L. identified Kenyon’s “private part” as being “between his legs.” A.L. testified that when she tried to move away, Kenyon turned her so that she was facing the bed, and attempted to use his private part to touch her behind. After this incident, A.L. said she had to go to the bathroom to clean up the “wet stuff that [came] out of him.” At the conclusion of her testimony, after discussing various sexual acts, A.L. testified that the last time “it happened” was the week before her meeting with Renette Kroupa on April 9, 2003.

On cross-examination, A.L. admitted that when Kenyon touched her on various occasions, his daughter R.K. was sleeping in the same bottom bed of a bunk bed, but A.L. said that R.K. never woke up or discussed the incidents with A.L. A.L. said that she tried to wake up R.K. by yelling or hitting her, but that Kenyon prevented her from doing so by covering A.L.’s mouth and holding her hands. A.L. also stated that another child was sleeping in the top bunk, and that on one occasion, another child shared the bed with A.L. and R.K. while Kenyon touched her. A.L. testified that despite her attempts to cry, fight, and yell, the other children never woke up. A.L. said she was too scared to tell anyone about Kenyon’s conduct, because he threatened to kill her.

Kenyon introduced testimony regarding the number of people who were sleeping in the same bedroom with A.L. when she stayed at Kenyon’s home. Mona testified that during this three-year period, there were at least three girls sleeping in the bedroom, while on some occasions there were up to five girls. On some nights, according to Mona, there were as many as four girls sleeping together on the bottom half of the bunk bed. These four girls also testified. Neither Mona nor any of these children acknowledged hearing screams or cries from A.L. or hearing any strange noises coming from the bedroom. According to the defense testimony, none of the children – two of whom were Kenyon's daughters – ever saw Kenyon enter the bedroom at night or bother A.L. in the bedroom.

-3- Over the objection of defense counsel, the district court admitted Renette Kroupa’s testimony regarding her conversation with A.L. on April 9, 2003. Kroupa recounted her discussion with A.L., which reiterated much of A.L.’s earlier trial testimony. Kroupa also offered explanations of what A.L. meant by the use of the term “private parts.” During her meeting with Kroupa, A.L. used a diagram to identify her genital area as her “private part” and her buttocks as her “behind.” A.L. identified Kenyon’s “private part” on a diagram as his penis. Kroupa testified that A.L. informed her that on one occasion, Kenyon’s private part went inside her about a half-inch or an inch, and that it was painful for A.L. A.L. told Kroupa that Kenyon also attempted to penetrate A.L.’s behind, but that he did not complete the act because it hurt her. Upon conducting a physical examination, Kroupa did not detect any injuries to A.L.

The government also introduced the testimony of Dr. Rich Kaplan, the former Medical Director of the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the South Dakota Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls. Dr. Kaplan testified that based on his experience, it was not unusual for a child to have no physical injury after being sexually assaulted. Dr. Kaplan also explained that it is not unusual for children to delay reporting incidents of sexual abuse, and that once children do disclose such abuse, they often do so in a piecemeal fashion.

II.

Kenyon contends that the evidence at trial was insufficient to convict him of abusive sexual contact and aggravated sexual abuse.

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United States v. Ronald Gene Kenyon, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ronald-gene-kenyon-ca8-2005.