Young v. State

534 P.3d 158
CourtCourt of Appeals of Nevada
DecidedJuly 20, 2023
Docket83243-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 534 P.3d 158 (Young v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Young v. State, 534 P.3d 158 (Neb. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

;1$9 Nev., Advance Opinion 90

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE O Fg ZA ci i 4C -- ANDREW YOUNG, No. 83243-COA Appellant, vs. THE STATE OF NEVADA, Respondent. .4%

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C IEF DEPUTY CLERK

Appeal from a judgment of conviction, pursuant to a jury verdict, of 12 counts of burglary; 4 counts of larceny from the person, victim 60 years of age or older; 3 counts of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card; and i count of grand larceny. Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County; Jacqueline M. Bluth, Judge. Affirrned in part, reversed in part, and remanded.

Yampolsky & Margolis and Jason R. Margolis, Las Vegas, for Appellant.

Aaron D. Ford, Attorney General, Carson City; Steven B. Wolfson, District Attorney, and Parker P. Brooks and John Afshar, Deputy District Attorneys, Clark County, for Respondent.

BEFORE THE COURT OF APPEALS, GIBBONS, C.J., and. BULLA and WESTBROOK, JJ.

COURT OF APPEALS OF NEVADA z3- 7,31:7 (0) 1,1.171i OPINION

By the Court, GIBBONS, C.J.: During June, July, and August 2020, appellant Andrew Young

and an accomplice carried out a series of thefts, generally against elderly victims, during which one of them would distract the victim while the other surreptitiously took the victim's wallet. After, Young purchased or

attempted to purchase items from stores using the credit and debit cards from the wallets taken from his victims. Young was eventually identified by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and convicted of 20 various counts of burglary, larceny, and fraudulent use of a credit or debit card (cards). On appeal from the judgment of conviction, Young raises numerous issues, the vast majority of which were unpreserved as a result of counsel's failure to contemporaneously object at trial. This opinion

illustrates the importance of making timely objections to preserve the record in order to facilitate appellate review. While most of Young's arguments are resolved under existing law, this opinion addresses in particular Young's argument that the district court erred in denying his motion for mistrial or, alternatively, in declining to excuse a juror based on the seated juror's expression of sympathy for victims who testified during trial. In discussing the issue surrounding this juror, this opinion distinguishes the different types of juror bias, offering guidance on how to navigate such a claim if it arises during trial. We also provide additional clarity concerning jury instructions related to larceny-from-the-person charges to ensure that jurors are properly instructed on all elements of that crime, as stated in the Nevada 2023 Pattern Jury Instructions: Criminal.

COURT OF APPEALS OF N EVADA 2 FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Counts 1-5 (two counts of burglary; larceny from the person, victim 60 years of age or older; grand larceny; and fraudulent use of a card) Young and his accomplice approached Mary Campo, age 72, while she was sitting at a gaining machine inside the Rampart casino. One of the men showed Campo a piece of paper while asking her questions. As Campo answered the man's questions, the other man stood behind her. When the two men left, Campo reached into her purse and discovered her wallet was missing. Although it is unclear from the record exactly where her purse was situated while she was at the gaining machine, it was not on her person. Her wallet contained her cards and approximately $1400. Campo's bank contacted her that same night and reported that her card had been used at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Las Vegas. Detective Grimes of LVMPD retrieved surveillance video from the casino, Video footage frorn the 7-Eleven, and a receipt from Young's card transactions at the 7-Eleven. At trial, while testifying and narrating footage depicting the theft involving Campo, Grimes stated that when the two men approached Campo, one of them used his jacket to conceal Campo's view of his arm and he grabbed something from very close to Campo and then hid it under his jacket. Detective Grimes later became aware of a separate theft of an elderly woinan's wallet involving two male suspects at the nearby Suncoast Hotel and Casino.' When Grimes saw the video from this later incident, he "immediately recognize[d] it's the same two Males from the" Campo incident. Grimes testified that one of the two men wore the same shoes

'The separate wallet theft referenced here is included in the State's indictment as count 22. COURT OF APPEALS OF NEVADA

(0) 19.17B 3 during both incidents. Gri.mes spoke with Detective Janecek, who was investigating the Suncoast wallet theft, after LVMPD's facial recognition section identified one of the suspects in police body camera footage as Young based on his white shoes bearing a distinctive black stripe.2 Count 6 (burglary) Young also participated in stealing Lydia Hefner's wallet inside a Walmart. As Hefner, age 68, finished shopping and headed toward the checkout stand, a Walmart employee, Vianca Eskildsen, ran • toWards Hefner and asked. if Hefner had her wallet in her purse. Hefner looked inside her purse and discovered her wallet was missing. Eskildsen had been observing Young walking through the store and using his jacket to coriceal his arm while he hovered over customers. As her suspicion about Young grew, Eskildsen called LVMPD. Once police officers responded to the call and arrived at the Walmart, they entered the Malmart security office and watched the live surveillance footage of Young. At trial, Eskildsen testified that the video showed Youn.g taking Hefner's wallet but of her purse. Officer Wheeler was one of the • officers who accompanied Eskildsen to the . security office and observed Young stealing on • live surveillance. Wheeler testified that Walmart security showed hiin "footage of a male that they've had problems with before, [and] that they're concerned about him trying to steal." The officers took Young into Custody, searched him, and recovered• a wallet belonging to Hefner. Young told the offiders he found the wallet on the floOr, but Wheeler testified he witnessed Young live by surveillance camera taking the wallet from Hefner's purse.

The police body camera footage referenced here, related to count .6, 2 was recorded and obtained from Young's interaction with Officer Wheeler during a wallet theft at Walinart. COURT OF APPEALS OF NEVADA

(0) 194713 4 Counts 7-8 (burglary and larceny frorn the person, victim 60 years of age or older) Rhonda Hatcher, age 63, was carrying her purse while riding in the Caesars casino elevator with her mother. Hatcher testified that there were two men also in the elevator and that one of the men claimed he was blind and asked if he had pushed the correct button. After exiting the elevator, Hatcher felt something was wrong, so she looked in her purse. She discovered her wallet was gone and immediately filed reports with security and LVMPD. While filling out the security report, Hatcher received notifications from her bank asking if she authorized certain transactions using her cards. Hatcher never authorized anyone to possess or use her cards. Detective Jacobitz reviewed substantial video surveillance from this theft and other theft and fraud incidents that occurred over the summer. He identified Young in the casino elevator video played during his testimony at trial. During his testimony, Jacobitz commented that he felt Young was "srnooth" and that Young had "been doing this for a long time. He's good." However, Jacobitz immediately adrnitted he had no information as to how long Young had been "doing this" and that these comments reflected his opinion. Young did not object, nor did he move to strike this portion of Jacobitz's testimony.

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Bluebook (online)
534 P.3d 158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-v-state-nevapp-2023.