Opinion ID: 1690699
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: first assigned error

Text: Vance's first assignment of error claims the trial court erred in granting the prosecution's pretrial motion to join his trial with that of Schumacher. He asserts that the joinder resulted in prejudice. Neb.Rev.Stat. § 29-2002 (Reissue 1989) provides: (1) Two or more offenses may be charged in the same indictment, information, or complaint in a separate count for each offense if the offenses charged, whether felonies or misdemeanors, or both, are of the same or similar character or are based on the same act or transaction or on two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting parts of a common scheme or plan. (2) Two or more defendants may be charged in the same indictment, information, or complaint if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or transaction or in the same series of acts or transactions constituting an offense or offenses. Such defendants may be charged in one or more counts together or separately and all of the defendants need not be charged in each count. (3) The court may order two or more indictments, informations, or complaints, or any combination thereof, to be tried together if the offense, and the defendants, if there are more than one, could have been joined in a single indictment, information or complaint. The procedure shall be the same as if the prosecution were under such single indictment, information, or complaint. (4) If it appears that a defendant or the state would be prejudiced by a joinder of offenses or of defendants in an indictment, information, or complaint, or by such joinder of offenses in separate indictments, informations, or complaints for trial together, the court may order an election for separate trials of counts, indictments, informations, or complaints, grant a severance of defendants, or provide whatever other relief justice requires. The record fails to reflect that Vance objected to having his case tried with Schumacher's case or made any motion to sever his case from that of Schumacher. The record also fails to disclose any attempt on the part of Vance during the trial to establish any prejudicial effect which could result from the joint trial. See State v. Cook, 182 Neb. 684, 157 N.W.2d 151 (1968). When issues of prejudicial joinder and prejudicial failure to sever are not before the trial court, the defendant cannot raise these issues on appeal. Issues not properly presented to and passed upon by the trial court may not be raised on appeal. State v. Beins, 235 Neb. 648, 456 N.W.2d 759 (1990). Therefore, the issue of whether the joinder of Vance's and Schumacher's cases for trial was improper is not before this court. Vance's first assignment of error is without merit.