Title: Parks v. State
Citation: 587 So. 2d 1012
Docket Number: 1900462
State: Alabama
Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court
Date: April 11, 1991

587 So. 2d 1012 (1991)
Ex parte State of Alabama.
Re Samuel L. PARKS
v.
STATE.
1900462.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
April 11, 1991.
Rehearing Denied June 7, 1991.
Don Siegelman, Atty. Gen., and J. Thomas Leverette, Asst. Atty. Gen., for petitioner.
Donald R. Harrison, Dadeville, for respondent.
SHORES, Justice.
We granted the State's petition for the writ of certiorari in this case to determine if the Court of Criminal Appeals, 587 So. 2d 1010, erred in reversing Samuel Parks's conviction of rape in the first degree and remanding for a new trial. As a result of his conviction, Parks received a sentence of 15 years' imprisonment and was ordered to pay $150 to the Victims' Compensation Fund, along with court costs. We reverse the Court of Criminal Appeals' judgment and remand the case.
*1013 In reversing Parks's conviction, the Court of Criminal Appeals relied upon Anonymous v. State, 507 So. 2d 972 (Ala. 1987), in holding that Parks was prevented from establishing a good character defense because of the trial court's ruling that S.P.'s sister and other of Parks's victims would be allowed to testify to Parks's prior bad acts.
The facts of the case, as set out in the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion, are as follows: The victim, S.P., lived at home with her parents and siblings. On the morning of January 17, 1987, Parks, who is S.P.'s father, got everyone but S.P. out of the house. Parks then approached S.P. and asked her if she was going to "give him some." When she refused, Parks threatened her by telling her that he would hurt her "Mama." S.P. and Parks then had sexual intercourse. A.P., Parks's grandson, testified that on the morning of January 17, 1987, Parks instructed him to clean out the car. A.P. did so. Upon entering the house after he had finished, he witnessed Parks lying on top of S.P., who was wearing a shirt but no pants. Parks jumped to pull up his overalls and asked A.P. "where in the hell [he] was going." A.P. ran out of the house and did not tell anyone what he had seen.
Parks argues that the trial court committed reversible error in ruling that, if he attempted to establish proof of a good reputation in the community via character witnesses, the court would allow the State to introduce evidence of alleged prior acts of sexual misconduct by him with S.P. and her sister.
At the close of the State's evidence, Parks made, in effect, a motion in limine concerning the prior acts before he presented any evidence in his defense. A discussion concerning the motion was held between defense counsel (Mr. Harrison), the prosecutor (Mr. Belser), and the trial judge:
(R. 131-35.)
In its opinion, the Court of Criminal Appeals stated:
"`"Cofer, 440 So. 2d  at 1123 (quoting C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence § 69.01(1) (3d ed. 1977)...."' Id. at 973-74, quoting State, v. State, 547 So. 2d 603, 605 (Ala.Cr.App.1988)."
Then the Court of Criminal Appeals stated that, based upon the principles of Anonymous, Parks's conviction was due to be reversed. We disagree.
Parks presented the trial court with a hypothetical question: What would the trial court do if he, Parks, offered evidence of his good reputation in the community? Parks, however, never offered any character evidence. This hypothetical question was presented in the form of a motion in limine, and was denied by the trial court. As was stated by the Court of Criminal *1015 Appeals in White v. State, 527 So. 2d 1349, 1350 (Ala.Crim.App.1988):
A party who suffers an adverse ruling on a motion in limine can preserve the ruling for post-judgment and appellate review only by objecting to the introduction of the proferred evidence and assigning specific grounds at the time of trial, unless he or she obtains the express acquiescence of the trial judge that a subsequent objection and assignment of grounds are not necessary. Liberty National Life Insurance Co. v. Beasley, 466 So. 2d 935, 936 (Ala.1985). Parks failed to preserve for review the denial of his motion of limine, because the evidence of Parks's bad acts was never introduced. There was no reversible error on the part of the trial court; therefore, the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals is reversed and the case is remanded for the entry of an order consistent with this opinion.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
HORNSBY, C.J., and MADDOX, ALMON, ADAMS, HOUSTON, STEAGALL, KENNEDY and INGRAM, JJ., concur.