FOURTH D I VI SI ON DOYLE, P. J.

, M I LLER and DI LLA RD, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

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Januar y 28, 2015



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 4 A1 85 2 . GENE v . THE STATE.

M I LLE R , J u d ge.

Fo l l owi n g a ju ry t ri al

, Cal v i n Lo ui s Gen e was co n v i ct ed o f ro bb ery b y s u d d en

s n at ch i n g (OCGA § 1 6 -8 -4 0 (a) (3 )) an d s en t en ced t o 1 5 y ears wi th 1 0 y ears in

co n fi n em en t

. 1 Gen e ap p eal s fro m t h e d en i al o f h i s m o t i o n fo r n ew tri al , co n t en d i n g

t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred in fai l i n g to i n s t ru ct t h e ju ry o n t h e les s er ch arg e o f t h eft by

t ak i n g . Fo r t he reas o n s t hat fo l l o w, we affi rm

.

Vi ewed i n t h e l i g ht m o s t fav o rab l e to th e ju ry ’ s v erd i ct

, 2 t h e ev i den ce s h o ws

t h at o n t h e m o rn i n g o f Sat u rd ay , Sep t em b er 4, 20 1 0

, Gen e an d t he v i ct i m m et at a t i re

1 G en e was o ri g i n al l y ch arg ed w i t h rap e (OCGA § 1 6 -6 -1 (a) (1 )) an d arm ed

ro b b ery (OCGA § 1 6 -8 -4 1 (a)). Th e j u ry acq ui t t ed Gen e o f rap e an d fo u n d h i m g ui l t y

o f ro b b ery

b y s u d d en s n at ch i n g as a l es s er o ffen s e o f arm ed ro b b ery

.

2 Ja cks o n v. Vi r

gi n i a , 4 4 3 U. S. 3 07 (9 9 SCt 2 7 8 1 , 6 1 LE2 d 5 6 0 ) (1 9 7 9 ).s h o p i n Li t hi a Sp ri n gs

. Th e v i ct i m in v i t ed Gen e t o h er ap art m en t i n Do ug l as v i l l e l at er

t h at n i gh t

.

Gen e arri v ed at t h e v ict im ’ s ap art m en t, an d s h e bro u g h t Gen e in t o her b ed ro o m

wh ere t h ey sm o k e d m ari j u an a. Ab o u t t en m in u t es aft er Gen e arri v ed

, he l eft t h e

v i ct i m ’ s ap art m en t a n d s t ep p ed o u t s i d e. Acco rd i n g t o t h e v i ct i m , wh en G en e cam e

b ack i n s i d e h er ap art m en t

, he was h ol d i n g a b l ack h an d g u n , an d h e was an g ry

. Th e

v i ct i m t es t i fi ed t h at G en e to o k h er p h o n e an d t urn ed i t o ff an d t h en p o i n t ed t h e g u n

at h er an d fo rced h er t o h av e s ex wi t h h i m

.

Th e v i c t i m fu rt h er t es t i fi ed t h at G en e fo rced h er t o k n eel b y her b ed o n t h e

fl oo r at gu n p o i n t

, d em an d ed m o n ey , an d p ro ceed ed t o search h er b ed ro o m , l o o k i n g

t h ro u g h h er cl o s et

, p o ck et b o o k a n d w a l l et

. Gen e t oo k $ 2 0 fro m h er p urs e an d t o o k

h er cel l p h on e o ff h er d res s er.

In an at t em

p t t o g et Ge n e o u t o f h er h o m e, t he v ict i m rem in d ed h i m t h at s h e

h ad v i s i t o rs arri v i n g s h o rt l y

. Gen e t o l d t h e v i ct i m t o s t ay i n p l ace an d “ s t art

co u nt i n g , ” an d h e wal k ed b ack ward s o u t o f t h e ap art m en t wi t h t h e g un p oi n t ed at h er.

Aft er Gen e l eft

, t h e v i ct i m wal k ed t o h er n ei g h b o r’ s ho m e an d cal l ed 9 1 1

. Du ri n g t h e

9 1 1 cal l , t h e v i ct i m

rep o rt ed t h at h er cel l p h o n e an d $ 2 0 h ad b een s t o l en

.

2Re s p o n d i n g t o t he 9 1 1 cal l

, o ffi cers wi t h t h e Do u g l as Co un t y Po l i ce

Dep art m en t arri ved at t h e v i ct i m ’ s ap art m en t aft er m i d n i g h t an d i n t erv i ewed h er. Th e

v i ct i m to l d a res p o n d in g o ffi cer t h at s h e di d n o t real i ze t h at her p h o n e h ad b een t ak en

u n t i l aft er Gen e l eft her ap art m en t

, an d s h e p ro v i d ed d et ect i ves w it h t h e s eri al n u m b er

o f h er m is s i n g cel l p h o n e.

Lat er t hat s am e d ay , Gen e was s h ot i n DeKal b Co u n t y aft er h e al l eg ed l y rap ed

an d ro b b ed two wo m en t h ere. In t h e co u rs e o f t he i n v es t i g a t i o n i n t o t h at i n ci d en t

,

Gen e’ s g i rl fri en d gav e DeKal b Co u n t y p o l i ce o ffi cers a cel l p h o n e fro m Gen e’ s car.

Sev eral m o n t h s l at er, Do u gl as Co u n t y p ol i ce d et ect i v es w ere ab l e t o m at ch th e s eri al

n u m b er o n t h e v i ct i m ’ s cel l p h o n e t o th e p h o n e Ge n e ’ s gi rl fri en d t u rn ed o v er to

DeKal b C o u n t y p o l i ce. Aft er Gen e was arres t ed

, t h e v i ct i m i d en ti fi ed h im as h er

at t ack er.

Gen e was i n d i ct ed fo r rap e an d arm ed ro b b ery bas ed o n t h e t ak i n g o f t h e

v i ct i m ’ s p h o n e an d $ 2 0. G e n e r e q u es t ed a ju ry i n s t ru ct i on o n t h eft as a l es s er

i n cl u d ed o ffen s e. Th e t ri al co u rt refu s ed Gen e’ s re q u es t b u t i n s t ru ct ed th e ju ry o n

ro b b ery b y s ud d en s n at ch i n g , i n ad di t io n t o i ts i n s t ru ct i o n s o n arm ed ro b bery

.

In h i s s o le en u m erat i o n o f erro r, Gen e co n t en d s t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred in

fai l i n g t o i n s t ru ct t h e ju ry o n t h eft . W e d i s ag ree.

3Th e co m p l et e ru le wi t h reg ard t o gi vi n g a d efen d an t ’ s req u es ted

ch arg e on a les ser i n cl u d ed o ffen s e i s : wh ere t h e [S] t at e’ s ev i d en ce

es t ab l i sh es al l o f t h e el e m e n t s o f an offen s e an d t h ere is n o ev i d en ce

rai s i ng t h e l es s er o ffen s e, t h ere i s n o erro r i n fai l i ng t o g i ve a ch arg e o n

t h e l es s er o ffen s e.

(Ci t at i o n o m i t t ed .) E

d wa r d s v. S t a t e , 2 6 4 Ga. 1 3 1

, 1 3 3 (4 4 2 SE2 d 4 4 4) (1 99 4 ).

Un d er OCGA § 1 6-8 -2

, a p ers o n co m m i t s t h e o ffen s e of t h eft b y

t ak i n g wh en h e u n l awfu l l y t ak es an y p r op ert y o f an o t h er wi t h th e

i n t en t i o n o f d ep ri v in g h i m o f t h e p ro p ert y , reg ard l es s o f t he m an n er i n

wh i ch t h e p ro p ert y i s t ak en o r ap p ro p ri at ed

. I n c o n t r as t

, u nd er OCGA

§ 1 6 -8 -4 0 (a) (3 ), a p ers on co m m i t s t h e offen s e of ro b b ery wh en , w i t h

i n t en t t o co m

m i t t h eft

, h e t ak es pro p ert y o f an o th er fro m t h e p ers o n o r

t h e i m m ed i at e p res en ce o f an o t her b y s u d den s n at ch i ng

. Ro bb ery b y

s u d d en s nat ch i n g d i ffers fro m t h eft b y t ak i n g b ecau s e t h e ro b b ery

o ffen s e req ui res p ro o f of t wo ad d i t io n al el em en t s: t h e th ief m u s t t ak e th e

p ro p ert y fro m t h e v i ct i m ’ s i m m ed i at e p res en ce, an d t h e v ict i m m u s t be

co n s ci ou s o f t h e t h eft at th e t i m e i t is co m m i t t ed

, i n ot h er wo rd s , b efo re

t h e t ak i n g i s co m

p l et e.

(Ci t at i o n an d p u n c t u a t i o n o m it t ed .) Bet t i s v. S t a te

, 2 8 5 Ga. Ap p

. 6 4 3

, 6 4 5-6 4 6 (3 )

(6 4 7 SE2 d 3 4 0 ) (2 0 0 7 ); s ee al s o Mo o r e v. S t a te

, 2 6 5 Ga. Ap p

. 51 1

, 5 1 2 (1 ) (5 9 4

SE2 d 7 3 4 ) (2 0 0 4 ) (v i ct im ’ s co n s ci o u sn es s t h at so m et h in g i s b ei n g t ak en is an el em en t

o f ro b b ery

b y s u d d en s n at ch i n g).

4At t ri al

, Gen e t es t i fi ed t h at t h e v i ct i m was a p ro s t i t u t e an d he ag reed t o p ay h er

$ 4 0 fo r s ex , bu t aft er t hey h ad s ex s he d em an d ed $ 8 0 , s o h e t o o k h er p h o n e an d t h e

m o ney h e had g i v en h er. It i s u n d i s p u ted t h at Gen e t o o k b o t h t h e m o n ey an d t h e

p h o n e fro m th e v i ct im ’ s p ers o n al p res en ce. A l t ho u g h t here w as co n fl i ct i n g ev i d en ce

as t o w h et h er t he vi ct i m was co n s ci o u s o f Gen e t ak i n g h er p h on e at t h e t i m e t h at h e

t o o k i t

, t h e v i ct i m cl earl y k n ew t h at Gen e t o o k h er m o n ey b e f o r e t h e t ak i n g was

co m p l et e. Th e v ict i m rep o rt ed t o t h e res p o n d i n g o ffi ce r t h a t Gen e t o o k t h e m o n ey

d i rect l y fro m h er an d G en e’ s o wn t es t i m o n y al so sh o w s t h a t t h e v i ct i m was u p s et

ab o ut G en e t ak i ng th e m on ey d u ri n g t he t ak i n g

. Acco rd in g l y , th e u n d i s p u t ed

ev i d en ce s h o ws t h at

, at l eas t as t o t h e m o n e y, t he v ict i m was co n s ci o u s o f t h e t h eft

at t h e t i m e i t was co m

m i t t ed

, as req u i red to p ro v e ro bb ery b y s u dd en s n at ch i n g , an d

t h ere was n o e r r o r i n fai l i n g t o i n s t ru ct t h e ju ry o n t h e l es s er o ffen s e. See Br ya n t v.

S t a t e , 2 1 3 Ga. Ap p

. 3 0 1

, 3 0 3 (4 4 4 SE2 d 3 9 1 ) (1 9 9 4) (n o n eed t o i n s t ru ct o n t h eft

wh ere ev i d en ce s h o wed ro b b ery b ecau s e v ict i m

was aware o f t h e t ak i ng ).

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Do yl e, P. J., a n d

Di l la r d

, J., co n cu r

.

5