Title: Dillard v. State

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

629 S.W.2d 291 (1982) Leon DILLARD, Appellant, v. STATE of Arkansas, Appellee. No. CR 81-118. Supreme Court of Arkansas. March 15, 1982. Williams & Williams by Wayne R. Williams, Arkadelphia, for appellant. Steve Clark, Atty. Gen. by Arnold M. Jochums, Asst. Atty. Gen., Little Rock, for appellee. HICKMAN, Justice. The narrow issue in this case is whether the appellant waived his right to a lawyer before he gave an incriminating statement. Leon Dillard, the appellant and city treasurer of Glenwood, Arkansas, was suspected of stealing city funds. On February 28, 1980, several law enforcement officials met with Dillard and informed him that he was suspected of theft. He signed a form acknowledging that he had received the Miranda warnings and later signed a statement admitting, "I have taken some money, but I also believe that some money is missing in which I have had no part... Amount of money that I took that I remember is about $3,000.00." Dillard was convicted and on appeal challenges the trial court's finding that his statement was admissible. He cites Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 (1966) and Edwards v. Arizona, *292 451 U.S. 477, 101 S. Ct. 1880, 68 L. Ed. 2d 378 (1981) as controlling. The prosecuting attorney's investigator, Joe White, and the sheriff were present when Dillard made his statement. They both conceded that Dillard said he wanted a lawyer when informed of his rights. But both insisted that Dillard continued the conversation, asking them questions, and, thus, waived his right to counsel. The exact testimony is important. White testified: Edwards v. Arizona, supra, held that once a suspect requests counsel, questioning must cease and cannot be reinitiated by the police. Therefore, the question is whether the police initiated the further questioning or was the conversation begun by Dillard; in other words, what action amounts to "interrogation" by the police after a suspect has requested counsel? See Rhode Island v. McInnis, 446 U.S. 291, 100 S. Ct. 1682, 64 L. Ed. 2d 297 (1980). Undoubtedly it is purely a fact question in some instances, as it is in this case. The trial court found that Dillard had waived his right to counsel. On appeal we review such matters independently, considering the totality of the circumstances and do not reverse the trial court unless the ruling was clearly erroneous. Coble v. State, 274 Ark. 134, 624 S.W.2d 421 (1981). On the record in this case we cannot reverse the finding. The appellant in passing argues that two other statements given by Dillard used to impeach him were tainted because they were a result of his first statement. Those two statements were given without a prior Miranda warning. Harris v. New York, 401 U.S. 222, 91 S. Ct. 643, 28 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1971) held that statements which are given voluntarily but without a prior Miranda warning *293 can be used to impeach the credibility of a defendant who testifies in his own behalf. Affirmed.