Opinion ID: 2419640
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the transcript.

Text: Hood argues that the record in the case is inadequate for purposes of appellate review. Hood originally filed a motion to supplement the transcript, arguing that the record omitted a February 7, 1995, suppression hearing and a bench conference at trial regarding Hood's objection to the State's question to Setterman, [W]here you or did you recover anything of evidentiary value in the investigation of Shorty Williamson's Service Station in Hamburg? See Hood v. State, 324 Ark. 457, 920 S.W.2d 853 (1996) (per curiam). We granted the motion to supplement and remanded to reconstruct and settle the record. Id. We noted the resolvable nature of the omissions involved, and observed that even if a transcript of the proceedings could not be made, the record could nonetheless be settled pursuant to Ark.R.App.P.Civ. 6. Id. On June 6, 1996, the trial court held a hearing to reconstruct the record. Apparently, the court reporter who made the original record of the case, Val Dixon-Sims, failed to produce certain tapes, thus making it impossible to transcribe certain portions of pretrial hearings and a bench conference. When the initial transcript was received from Dixon-Sims, it contained none of the pretrial hearings. On remand, court reporter Margaret Norton was able to use existing tapes to prepare a partial transcript of a majority of the pretrial hearings, but there were no tapes at all of a particular suppression hearing, and the audio quality of the bench conference was inadequate. Defense counsel explained at the June 6, 1996, hearing that the bench conference concerned the trial court's previous failure to rule on his motion to suppress. Because the trial court had not yet issued a formal ruling on the motion, defense counsel was concerned as to whether Setterman would be able to testify to the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the gun, given that it was the fruit of an allegedly coerced statement. Defense counsel further opined that the Court must have overruled my objection... because the witness then went ahead and began testifying to where they went and what they got and what they did. That appears to me to be what happened at that bench conference. The prosecutor likewise stipulated to this version of events at the bench conference. On June 24, 1996, a supplemental record was filed with this court containing a transcription of multiple pretrial hearings along with the June 6, 1996, reconstruction hearing. On October 21, 1996, the State filed a motion to remand with this court arguing that while the record had been settled with respect to the June 20, 1995, bench conference, it had not been settled with respect to the suppression hearing testimony of Officers Oliver and Tommy Breedlove. We granted the motion, and the trial court held another reconstruction hearing on December 4, 1996. At this hearing, defense counsel explained that tape-recorded interviews were taken from Hood on January 4, 5, and 6, 1994. According to defense counsel's recollection, the tapes of the interviews showed that Hood was ill at the time of the statements, as indicated by Hood's constant coughing on the tapes. Defense counsel also recalled that the police used profanity, derogatory statements, and manipulation to obtain the statements. The remainder of the December 4, 1996, hearing focused on the reconstruction of Breedlove's and Oliver's testimony regarding their interview with Hood on January 4, 1994. This testimony was apparently given originally at the February 7, 1995, suppression hearing. Both the prosecutor and defense counsel attempted to recollect the questions and answers asked of Breedlove. Breedlove was also called as a witness and asked questions regarding his recollection of his testimony at the suppression hearing. The prosecutor then read a transcript of Hood's January 4, 1994, interview prepared by defense counsel for the suppression hearing. Both the parties informed the trial court that this was an accurate recitation of the testimony adduced at the suppression hearing. According to defense counsel, the only matter left unresolved was Officer Oliver's statement that he was attempting to intimidate Hood during the interview. The prosecutor responded that Oliver did admit that he was trying to intimidate Hood, as well as that he had made misrepresentations to Hood regarding statements Dunn had made. Defense counsel then replied that's an accurate recitation of what happened at the suppression hearing, Your honor, in its entirety, I think. The trial court suggested that Officer Oliver be called as the next witness at the reconstruction hearing, to which defense counsel responded that it would be unnecessary to call Oliver, given the prosecution's stipulation to the intimidation testimony. Subsequently, the trial court again inquired whether Oliver's testimony was necessary, and defense counsel responded: Your honor, I think the prosecutor and I agreed to what occurred, what was said, what we've read into the record. So I, it surprised me, I didn't think we would be, but I don't believe we'll have to put him on the stand and question him because I believe we stipulated to what he said. The arguments that were made to the Court I think have been recreated. So I don't see any need to put him on the stand and question him, Your Honor. On direct review, Hood now claims that the record is insufficient for our review. He first contends that the exact dates of the three suppression hearings are unknown. This is not the case. The first supplemental transcript shows that a suppression hearing was held on February 3, 1995, where Officers Sims and Setterman testified. The first supplemental transcript also shows that a suppression hearing was held on May 15, 1995, where Charlotte Tadlock testified to Hood's health and physical condition when he was being interrogated in January. Hood also testified at this May 15, 1995, hearing. Both parties agree that there was another suppression hearing where Oliver and Breedlove testified, and that it occurred between the February 3 and May 15 hearings. While the parties never technically settled when this hearing occurred, the weight of the evidence suggests it was held on February 7, 1995. Hood also complains that the reconstruction hearings lack substance. Again, this argument is without merit. The two supplemental transcripts total almost one-hundred fifty pages and transcribe at least in part all of the missing pretrial hearings, except for the second suppression hearing where Breedlove and Oliver testified. Moreover, the parties agreed that the December 4, 1996, reconstruction hearing adequately established the testimony from the missing suppression hearing. Thus, the record is sufficient to allow this court to review the voluntariness of Hood's statement. Hood also argues that the record is insufficient because it lacks a transcript of the bench conference on Hood's objection to Setterman's testimony. However, at the June 6, 1996, reconstruction hearing, the parties agreed that the subject of the bench conference was the lack of a ruling on the motion to suppress, which motion was ultimately denied. Finally, we must take note of two recent cases involving problems with the same court reporter, Val Dixon-Sims. In both McGehee v. State, 328 Ark. 404, 943 S.W.2d 585 (1997), and Jacobs v. State, 327 Ark. 498, 939 S.W.2d 824 (1997), we reversed the appellants' convictions and remanded for new trials because the trial transcripts were inadequate for appellate review. However, McGehee and Jacobs both involved life sentences, thereby implicating Ark.Sup.Ct.R. 4-3(h). Without an adequate record, the requirements of Rule 4-3(h) were not satisfied. See McGehee, supra ; Jacobs, supra . The present appeal is not a Rule 4-3(h) case. We are therefore limited to considering only what is argued by the appellant on appeal. The trial transcript, when combined with the supplemental transcripts generated from the reconstruction hearings, provides us with an adequate record to fully consider the merits of Hood's appeal.