Title: State v. Goodhue

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Goodhue (2002-046); 175 Vt. 457; 833 A.2d 861

2003 VT. 85

[Filed 05-Sep-2003]

       NOTICE:  This opinion is subject to motions for reargument under
  V.R.A.P. 40 as well as formal revision before publication in the Vermont
  Reports.  Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions,
  Vermont Supreme Court, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05609-0801 of
  any errors in order that corrections may be made before this opinion goes
  to press.

       	
                                 2003 VT. 85

                                No. 2002-046

  State of Vermont	                         Supreme Court

                                                 On Appeal from
       v.	                                 District Court of Vermont,
                                                 Unit No. 3, Essex Circuit

  Greg L. Goodhue	                         April Term, 2003

  Dennis R. Pearson, J.

  Jane Woodruff, Executive Director, Department of State's Attorneys,
    Montpelier, for Plaintiff-Appellee.

  Allison N. Fulcher of Martin & Associates, Barre, for Defendant-Appellant.

  PRESENT:  Amestoy, C.J., Dooley, Johnson and Skoglund, JJ., and Allen, C.J.
            (Ret.), Specially Assigned

       ¶  1.  SKOGLUND, J.   Defendant appeals from the district court's
  judgment of conviction following a jury trial on charges of burglary,
  attempted sexual assault and kidnapping.  Defendant challenges the court's
  denial of his motion for judgment of acquittal on the sexual assault and
  kidnapping charges.  We affirm the conviction for attempted sexual assault
  and reverse the conviction for kidnapping. 
   
       ¶  2.  Twelve-year-old Amanda and her friend, thirteen-year-old
  Carolyn, were in the kitchen at  Amanda's family home when a strange man
  entered the kitchen through the back door and ordered Carolyn into the
  adjoining bathroom.  Amanda followed them in.  The man threw Carolyn to the
  bathroom floor and got on top of her.  He tried to get his hand down
  Carolyn's pants.  Amanda began throwing objects at him.  The man got off of
  Carolyn and pushed Amanda into a counter.  He then returned to Carolyn,
  again pushed her to the floor and ripped her shirt in the process.  He
  unbuttoned and unzipped Carolyn's pants and tried to take them off.  At
  this point, a door slammed and the man quickly got off Carolyn and fled the
  scene.  Amanda testified that the event lasted from three to five minutes. 
  The girls went to a neighbor's house and reported what had happened.  The
  girls ultimately identified the man as defendant.  He was charged with
  kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, and burglary. 

       ¶  3.  At the close of the State's case, defendant moved for judgment
  of acquittal pursuant to V.R.Cr.P. 29 on the kidnapping and sexual assault
  charges, arguing respectively that the evidence failed to prove that
  Carolyn was restrained for a substantial period of time and that the
  evidence failed to establish the attempted sexual assault as there was "no
  commencement of the consummation."  The court denied these motions. 
  Defendant was convicted on all three counts, and was sentenced to five to
  ten years for attempted sexual assault, to be served concurrent with a
  sentence of ten to fifteen years for kidnapping.  He was sentenced to five
  to ten years for burglary, to be served consecutive to his other sentences. 
  Defendant again raised motions for judgment of acquittal on the above
  grounds in a post-verdict filing, which the court denied.  This appeal
  followed.
   
       ¶  4.  On appeal, the standard of review for the denial of a motion
  for judgment of acquittal is "whether, taking the evidence in the light
  most favorable to the State and excluding modifying evidence, the state has
  produced evidence fairly and reasonably tending to show the defendant
  guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."  State v. Carrasquillo, 173 Vt. 557,
  559,