Case Title: Toliver v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 97-693

State: arkansas

Court: Arkansas Supreme Court

Date: 1997-11-06T00:00:00Z

Document:
Lynn TOLIVER v. STATE of Arkansas

97-693                                             ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
               Opinion delivered November 6, 1997


1.   Juveniles -- transfer motion -- trial court need not give
     statutory factors equal weight. -- The trial court does not
     have to give equal weight to the statutory factors found in
     Ark. Code Ann.  9-27-318(e) in ruling on a transfer motion; 
     the State is not required to present proof as to each
     statutory factor; on appellate review, the supreme court will
     not overturn the trial court's determination unless it was
     clearly erroneous. 

2.   Juveniles -- serious nature of offense and evidence supporting
     employment of violence considered -- denial of juvenile-
     transfer motion not clearly erroneous. -- Where there was
     evidence that at least two of the perpetrators produced
     firearms and that the victims were forced to drive to a dead-
     end street, that money was taken from one victim, that both
     victims were forced to the ground, and that one victim was
     kicked, the supreme court concluded that, given the serious
     nature of the crimes charged and the evidence supporting the
     employment of violence during the commission of these
     offenses, the trial court was not clearly erroneous in denying
     the appellant's motion to transfer to juvenile court.


     Appeal from Pulaski Circuit Court; John W. Langston, Judge;
affirmed.
     Jerry Larkowski, for appellant.
     Winston Bryant, Att'y Gen., by:  Sandy Moll, Asst. Att'y Gen.,
for appellee.

     Annabelle Clinton Imber, Justice.
     This is a juvenile-transfer case.  We affirm the trial
court's denial of the appellant's motion to transfer to juvenile
court.
     On February 6, 1997, Lynn Toliver was charged in Pulaski
County Circuit Court with aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and
theft of property.  Toliver was sixteen years of age at the
time of the alleged offenses, and moved to transfer the charges
to juvenile court.  At the transfer hearing, Toliver testified
that his mother had contacted his high school, which would allow
him back in if his case was transferred to juvenile court. 
Toliver added that if his case was transferred, he was willing to
work with the people in juvenile court to rehabilitate himself
and turn his life around.  When asked why he wanted his case
transferred, Toliver answered, "Because I don't think I could
handle it. . . I don't think I can handle the adults going down
there to the big place."  On cross-examination, Toliver explained
that he had been "involved in juvenile court" in 1992 and 1993 on
a theft of property charge, which resulted in his placement on
probation.  
     The State's only witness was Jim Potter, a homicide
detective with the Pulaski County Sheriff's office who
investigated an aggravated robbery perpetrated against a cab
driver named Elton White on November 27, 1996.  Potter stated
that on that date, White was called to pick up a fare when three
males entered his cab with firearms, told him to drive to a dead-
end street, and robbed him of his money at gunpoint.  At the time
White had a friend in the front-passenger seat, Amanda Beasley. 
According to Potter, Beasley said that one of the persons in the
back seat held a gun on White, while another held a gun on her. 
When they arrived at the dead-end street, around $40 and other
items were removed from the cab, including its radio.  White and
Beasley were then forced out of the cab and to the ground at
gunpoint, and Beasley was kicked several times.
     Potter developed Toliver, Djuane Thompson, and Ytun Butler
as suspects, and determined that Toliver and Butler had held guns
on the victims.  Toliver eventually gave a statement to Potter
where he admitted to his presence in the cab with a handgun, but
denied that he produced the gun.  Instead, Toliver stated that he
rolled his jacket sleeve over his hand and made gestures toward
Beasley as if he had a handgun.  Toliver added that the victims
were taken to a dead-end street, money was taken, and he
witnessed another person kick Beasley.
     Following the presentation of this evidence, without
objection, and argument from counsel, the trial court denied the
motion to transfer.  Toliver brings this interlocutory appeal
from the denial of his transfer motion.  For his only point on
appeal, Toliver argues that no clear and convincing evidence
existed warranting that he be tried as an adult in circuit court. 
Toliver primarily relies on cases such as Green v. State, 323
Ark. 635, 916 S.W.2d 756 (1996), Blevins v. State, 308 Ark. 613,