Opinion ID: 1269334
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: The defendants next contend that the grand jury of Stanly County was without jurisdiction to indict them for the offenses that occurred in Mecklenburg County and that judgments entered upon the convictions for those offenses should be arrested. We agree. In the recent case of State v. Randolph, 312 N.C. 198, 321 S.E.2d 864 (1984), this Court held that a grand jury in one county has no power to return an indictment for a crime committed in another county. Although the General Assembly, apparently in response to Randolph, has enacted N.C.G.S. § 15A-631 which provides that the place for returning a presentment or indictment is a matter of venue and not jurisdiction, that statute became effective 1 July 1985 and does not apply to the indictments in this case, [1] which were returned in March and April of 1984. The indictments charging defendant Lowery with first degree sexual offense and defendant Paige with first degree sexual offense and first degree rape were returned by the Stanly County grand jury but allege that the offenses occurred in Mecklenburg County. Under the authority of Randolph, judgments entered on those indictments must be arrested, as the indictments show on their face that the grand jury which returned them lacked jurisdiction over the offenses charged. Paige and Lowery were each charged with two counts of common law robbery. One bill against each defendant alleged robbery of the victim's handbag, money, and some jewelry; another bill against each defendant alleged robbery of other jewelry. All four indictments alleged that the robberies occurred in Stanly County. However, all of the evidence established and the jury's verdict reflected that the offenses charged in the two indictments alleging that only jewelry was taken occurred in Mecklenburg County. In Randolph we noted that [s]ince the statement in an indictment of the county where the crime allegedly occurred establishes prima facie jurisdiction, a challenge to this statement can be asserted at any time as stated in N.C.G.S. 15A-952(d). Id. at 208, 321 S.E.2d at 871. The defendants have raised the variance between the allegation of jurisdiction and the proof thereof in their appeal to this Court. We have examined the evidence presented at trial and find that there is no evidence which supports the allegation that these offenses occurred in Stanly County. Rather, the State's evidence conclusively shows that the offenses occurred in Mecklenburg County. Therefore, the State's own evidence rebuts the prima facie jurisdiction of the Stanly County grand jury to indict the defendants for the charges of common law robbery which occurred in Mecklenburg County, and the judgments entered against defendant Paige for common law robbery in case numbered 84 CRS 3127 (84 CRS 1697, Stanly County) and against defendant Lowery for common law robbery in case numbered 84 CRS 3125 (84 CRS 1695, Stanly County) must be arrested.