Opinion ID: 1522261
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Charging Instrument

Text: The rule of law is well-established in Tennessee that the exact date, or even the year, of an offense need not be stated in an indictment or presentment unless the date or time is a material ingredient in the offense. T.C.A. § 40-13-207; State v. Shaw, 113 Tenn. 536, 537-38, 82 S.W. 480 (1904); State v. West, 737 S.W.2d 790, 792-93 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1987). In fact, in order to establish the legal sufficiency of that charging instrument, the state need allege only that the offense was committed prior to the finding of the indictment or presentment. Id. Pursuant to the provisions of both the Tennessee and federal constitutions, however, criminal defendants also have a right to know the nature and cause of the accusation. Tenn. Const. Art. I, § 9; U.S. Const. Amend. 6. As Tennessee courts have held, in order to satisfy the constitutional requirement, an indictment or presentment must provide a defendant with notice of the offense charged, provide the court with an adequate ground upon which a proper judgment may be entered, and provide the defendant with protection against double jeopardy. See, e.g., State v. Pearce, 7 Tenn. (Peck) 66, 67 (1823); State v. Haynes, 720 S.W.2d 76, 82 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1986). We conclude that the presentment in this case satisfies these minimum requirements. Clearly, the defendants have been placed on notice that they are charged with specific acts constituting aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery, committed upon their minor children, who are named in the charging instrument. Moreover, there is nothing on the face of the presentment that would necessarily prevent the trial judge from entering a valid judgment in this matter. Finally, even without greater specificity in the presentment, the defendants will be protected against double jeopardy. Because of the state's failure to limit the time of the alleged offenses, the state would obviously be estopped from initiating subsequent prosecutions for any similar offenses against the same victims occurring within the same time period. State v. Anderson, 748 S.W.2d 201, 204 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1985).