Opinion ID: 2460020
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Previous Sexual Misconduct

Text: Next, Dougan claims that the trial court committed reversible error when it allowed the State to introduce evidence of five other instances of alleged sexual misconduct because the State only charged him with raping the victim on February 20, 1994. Specifically, Dougan contends that the testimony was inadmissible pursuant to Ark. R. Evid. 404(b) as character evidence that had no relevance except to show his propensity to commit the crime charged, and that the prejudicial effect of the evidence outweighed its probative value under Ark. R. Evid. 403. This argument has no merit because we have consistently recognized the pedophile exception which states that evidence of similar sexual acts with the same child or other children in the same household is admissible to show a proclivity toward a specific act with a person or class of persons with whom the accused has an intimate relationship or to prove the depraved sexual instinct of the accused. Douthitt v. State, 326 Ark. 794, 935 S.W.2d 241 (1996); Mosley v. State, 325 Ark. 469, 929 S.W.2d 693 (1996); Clark v. State, 323 Ark. 211, 913 S.W.2d 297 (1996); Thompson v. State, 322 Ark. 586, 910 S.W.2d 694 (1995). Thus, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it allowed evidence of the five prior instances of sexual misconduct.