Walls v. State

928 So. 2d 922, 2006 WL 1073403
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedApril 25, 2006
Docket2004-KA-01494-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 928 So. 2d 922 (Walls v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walls v. State, 928 So. 2d 922, 2006 WL 1073403 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

928 So.2d 922 (2006)

Ronnie WALLS, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2004-KA-01494-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

April 25, 2006.

*924 William E. Goodwin, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by W. Daniel Hinchcliff, attorney for appellee.

Before MYERS, P.J., SOUTHWICK and BARNES, JJ.

MYERS, P.J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Ronnie Walls was convicted of sexual battery in the Circuit Court of Pike County. He was sentenced to serve twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and ordered to pay restitution to the victim and court-appointed attorney's fees in the amount of $1,000. Aggrieved by the trial court's ruling, Walls appeals, raising the following eight issues:

I. WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS PLAIN ERROR FOR THE TRIAL COURT TO AMEND THE INDICTMENT WITHOUT NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT AND WHETHER OR NOT THE DEFENDANT WAS DEPRIVED OF A DEFENSE BY DOING SO.
II. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT ALLOWED A LAY PERSON TO GIVE LAY TESTIMONY AS TO AN ISSUE REQUIRING SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING TO REBUT THE MEDICAL FINDING OF A PHYSICIAN WHO WAS A RULE 702 EXPERT.
III. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT ERRED BY ALLOWING WITNESSES TO REPEAT STATEMENTS MADE BY A TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL WITHOUT MAKING AN ON THE RECORD FINDING OF FACT AS REQUIRED BY M.R.E. 803(25) AND IDAHO V. WRIGHT.
IV. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT DENIED *925 A MISTRIAL WHEN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI WITHHELD UNTIL THE LAST HOUR EVIDENCE WHICH THE COURT FOUND TO BE EXCULPATORY.
V. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT MISTAKENLY ALLOWED AN OFFICER TO TESTIFY AS TO EVIDENCE OF A STATEMENT MADE BY THE VICTIM TO HER MOTHER AS AN "EXCITED UTTERANCE" PURSUANT TO M.R.E. 803(2).
VI. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT ERRED IN ACCEPTING KEITH STOVALL AS AN EXPERT WITNESS IN THE FIELD OF "FORENSIC INTERVIEWS" AS THIS FIELD DOES NOT MEET THE M.R.E. 702 STANDARD FOR "EXPERT TESTIMONY"
VII. WHETHER OR NOT THE VERDICT WAS AGAINST THE OVERWHELMING WEIGHT AND SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE.
VIII. WHETHER OR NOT THIS CASE SHOULD BE REVERSED ON THE GROUND OF CUMULATIVE ERROR AS THIS DEFENDANT WAS DENIED A FUNDAMENTALLY FAIR TRIAL.

¶ 2. Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 3. On September 22, 2003, an eleven-year-old girl (hereinafter referred to as "A.H.") told her mother that her step-father, Ronnie Walls, had sexually molested her. A.H. told Officer Randy Perryman of the details of the incident, which eventually led Perryman to discover DNA evidence which indicated Walls was the offender. On November 6, 2003, Walls was indicted for sexual battery and the case went to trial on July 1, 2004.

¶ 4. Keith Stovall testified at trial as a qualified expert in the field of forensic interviews of sexually abused children. Stovall had previously testified as an expert in Pike and Walthall Circuit Courts as well as in the youth courts of Adams and Walthall Counties. Stovall gave the jury his opinion of A.H.'s responses to interview questions, but was not allowed to give his opinion as to whether her story was credible or not. A.H. testified in detail to the incident along with the emergency room physician, who indicated that A.H. had no observable injury but such was not uncommon. Walls testified in his defense along with Dr. Milton Concannon. Dr. Concannon had not examined A.H., but testified that Walls's genitalia was too large for this incident to have occurred without causing "significant internal damage" to A.H. Dr. Concannon also told the jury that A.H. had an advanced stage of chlamydia, and that had this incident occurred Walls would have been infected. Walls did not test positive two months later; therefore, Dr. Conconnan stated that it was impossible that he had sexual relations with his step-daughter.

¶ 5. Deputy Robert McNabb testified on rebuttal that he had observed Walls being medically examined for his complaint of "genital pain" and observed that Walls's genitals were not as large as Dr. Concannon had indicated. Dr. Brett Tisdale, the emergency room physician who examined A.H., also testified on rebuttal that A.H. did not have advanced chlamydia. A.H. was treated for cervititis, and Dr. Tisdale went further to explain that it was possible to have sexual relations without transmitting the disease. Dr. Tisdale also stated that it would not be possible to medically determine whether or not sexual relations had occurred between Walls and A.H. based solely on the size of Walls's genitalia. After hearing all evidence, the jury found Walls guilty of sexual battery.

*926 I. WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS PLAIN ERROR FOR THE TRIAL COURT TO AMEND THE INDICTMENT WITHOUT NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT AND WHETHER OR NOT THE DEFENDANT WAS DEPRIVED OF A DEFENSE BY DOING SO.

¶ 6. Walls was indicted on November 6, 2003. In this indictment Walls was charged with having committed sexual battery on or about September 22, 2003. On April 7, 2004, an order was entered amending the indictment from September 22, 2003, to September 13, 2003. Walls argues that it was plain error for him not be given notice of this amendment; however, Walls was given notice. On May 3, 2004, an omnibus hearing was held where both parties agreed to the September 13, 2003, date on the amended indictment. Therefore, this issue is without merit.

II. WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT ALLOWED A LAY PERSON TO GIVE LAY TESTIMONY AS TO AN ISSUE REQUIRING SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING TO REBUT THE MEDICAL FINDING OF A PHYSICIAN WHO WAS A RULE 702 EXPERT.

¶ 7. Walls argues that the trial court erred in allowing Officer Robert McNabb to testify as a lay witness regarding his observation of the size of Walls' genitalia as a rebuttal to Dr. Concannon's testimony. Walls' expert, Dr. Concannon, testified that Walls' genitalia was too large to have committed the alleged sexual battery upon A.H. The State first called Dr. Tisdale, the emergency room physician who examined A.H., to rebut Dr. Concannon's testimony. On rebuttal, Dr. Tisdale testified that A.H. had a mild sexually transmitted disease called cervicitis, not advanced chlamydia as Dr. Concannon stated, and that in his opinion A.H. contracted this disease nine days prior to his examination on September 22. Dr. Tisdale went further to say that it would not be uncommon for Walls to have had this disease in September and not have it in November when he was examined. Dr. Tisdale also stated that genitalia size would not determine whether or not penetration occurred.

¶ 8. The State then called Officer McNabb. McNabb had transported Walls from the jail to the hospital on November 5, 2003, after Walls complained of genitalia pain. The trial court allowed McNabb to testify to his personal observation during this exam, in accordance with M.R.E. 701, regarding lay testimony. This issue is without merit.

¶ 9. The standard of review for both the admission or exclusion of evidence in abuse of discretion. Harrison v. McMillan, 828 So.2d 756, 765(¶ 27) (Miss. 2002). Even if this Court finds an erroneous admission or exclusion of evidence, we will not reverse unless the error adversely affects a substantial right of a party. Gibson v. Wright, 870 So.2d 1250, 1258(¶ 28) (Miss.Ct.App.2004).

¶ 10. There is a two-part test to determine the admissibility of lay witness opinion testimony. The information must assist the trier of fact and the opinion must be based upon first hand knowledge. Jones v. State,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
928 So. 2d 922, 2006 WL 1073403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walls-v-state-missctapp-2006.