Opinion ID: 2188938
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the joinder of counts

Text: Ducharme argues as did Trepanier that the pretrial justice erred in denying his motion for severing the counts in the indictment referring to the sniping incidents which took place between December 1986 and January 1987 from counts which related to charges of breaking and entering with accompanying charges of malicious mischief, larceny, and arson. In State v. Trepanier, 600 A.2d 1311 (R.I. 1991), we pointed out that under Rule 8(a) of the Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure, joinder of offenses may be permitted in the same indictment if the offenses charged are of the same or similar character or if based on two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting parts of a common scheme or plan. See State v. Lassor, 555 A.2d 339, 345 (R.I. 1989). We further held that the sniping or assault charges were not of the same or similar character as the house-breaking or arson charges. We further held that these two types of criminal actions did not disclose any common scheme or plan. We further noted that in seeking a severance, defendant was not relying upon a discretionary determination pursuant to Rule 14 of the Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure as in State v. Whitman, 431 A.2d 1229 (R.I. 1981), but was seeking severance as a matter of right. If joinder was not authorized under Rule 8(a), there is no room for discretion and the rule must be applied in accordance with its terms. Therefore, for the reasons outlined in State v. Trepanier , Ducharme's challenge to the joinder of these counts must be sustained.