Title: Kindle v. State

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Jared Benjamin KINDLE v. STATE of Arkansas

96-431                                             ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
               Opinion delivered October 21, 1996


1.   Juveniles -- considerations for transfer of juvenile from
     circuit to juvenile court -- burden of proof and factors on
     review. -- A defendant seeking a transfer has the burden of
     proof to show that, under the factors delineated in section
     Ark. Code Ann.  9-27-318(e), a transfer is warranted; if the
     defendant meets the burden, then the transfer is made unless
     there is clear and convincing countervailing evidence that he
     should remain in circuit court; clear and convincing evidence
     is that degree of proof which will produce in the trier of
     fact a firm conviction as to the allegation sought to be
     established; the appellate court will not reverse a decision
     on a motion to transfer unless it is clearly erroneous; in
     reviewing a denial of a motion to transfer, the appellate
     court views the facts in light most favorable to the State. 

2.   Juveniles -- transfer from circuit to juvenile court --
     factors considered in making determination. -- The factors to
     be considered in deciding whether to transfer a case to
     juvenile court are the seriousness of the offenses, along with
     the prior history, character traits, mental maturity, and any
     other factors that reflect upon the juvenile's prospects for
     rehabilitation; a trial court is not required to give equal
     weight to each factor, nor is proof required to be presented
     with regard to each factor; the serious and violent nature of
     the crimes with which a juvenile is charged is an adequate
     reason to deny a motion to transfer, without regard to the
     evidence of other factors. 

3.   Juveniles -- act of appellant sufficiently violent to uphold
     denial of transfer to juvenile court -- trial court's ruling
     not clearly erroneous. -- Where there was testimony that
     appellant held a pistol to the victim's head and that he
     attempted to pull the trigger, sufficient violence was
     employed so as to uphold the denial of the transfer to
     juvenile court; accordingly, the trial court's ruling was not 
     clearly erroneous.
     

     Appeal from Washington Circuit Court; William A. Storey,
Judge; affirmed.
     Tim Buckley, for appellant.
     Winston Bryant, Att'y Gen., by:  Vada Berger, Asst. Att'y
Gen., for appellee.

     Robert H. Dudley, Justice.
     This is another interlocutory appeal from an order denying a
motion to transfer a case to juvenile court.  Jared Benjamin Kindle
was charged in circuit court with aggravated robbery and attempted
capital murder.  He was sixteen years old at the time of the
offense.  At the hearing on his motion to transfer, he presented
evidence from a psychiatrist, an assistant principal, two teachers, 
and his grandmother and grandfather.  The testimony showed that he
made good grades and was well behaved at home and in school.  The
psychiatrist testified that Kindle has attention deficit disorder,
which gives him low frustration tolerance, impulsiveness, an active
fantasy life, and poor judgment.  
     The victim of the aggravated robbery testified that Kindle
held a loaded pistol to his head and tried to pull the trigger. 
Kindle confessed that he held the pistol on the victim, that he had
planned the robbery for about a week, and that he waited until all
the customers left the store before he attempted the robbery.  He
denied attempting to pull the trigger. 
     In its ruling, the trial court recognized that there were a
number of factors mitigating in favor of transfer, including the
possibility of rehabilitation, but indicated that the seriousness
of the offense and the fact that Kindle planned the robbery for a
considerable period of time outweighed the mitigating factors.  The
trial court denied the motion. 
     Kindle argues that the trial court's decision to deny the
transfer was clearly erroneous.  The applicable parts of the
juvenile code and our interpretations of the code are as follows. 
A prosecutor has the discretion to file charges in circuit court
when the case involves a juvenile sixteen years of age and the
alleged act constitutes aggravated robbery and attempted capital
murder.  Ark. Code Ann.  9-27-318(b)(2)(J) (Supp. 1995).  A
defendant seeking a transfer has the burden of proof to show that,
under the factors delineated in section 9-27-318(e), a transfer is
warranted.  Ring v. State, 320 Ark. 128,