Opinion ID: 1686052
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Roosevelt Burton v. State

Text: Roosevelt Burton was charged by information and convicted of kidnapping and rape. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment for kidnapping and ten years for rape with the sentences to run consecutively. On appeal Burton challenges the admission of certain testimony by Tremaine Parker. Parker, an acquaintance of the three appellants, testified for the state. During the state's questioning, Parker stated that Gary Cloird told him that Burton took rings off of the victim's fingers. Burton's counsel objected, and stated that, while Cloird could testify to what Burton said, Parker's testimony was hearsay since Parker was not a co-conspirator or codefendant. On appeal, however, Burton's argument involves a non-hearsay contention that the court's application of Ark.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(v) was in error because Cloird's statement pertaining to Burton's action was not made in the course and furtherance of a crime. Because an appellant may not change his grounds for objection on appeal, Ferrell v. State, 305 Ark. 511, 810 S.W.2d 29 (1991), this point is not preserved on appeal. However, even if the point had been preserved and error had occurred, the error was harmless since the same evidence was introduced by the victim when she testified that Burton took one of her rings. Affirmed.