Opinion ID: 1150076
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: the lower court erred in passing over the first alternate juror and appointing the second alternate juror to replace a regular juror.

Text: Appellant contends that the lower court improperly passed over the first alternative juror, Mrs. A.H. Wilson, and appointed the second alternate juror, D.M. Yount, to replace a regular juror who had become ill prior to the time the jury retired to consider its verdict. However, the record does not reflect this alleged replacement of a regular juror by an alternate: The Court: All right, you've heard the conclusion of the presentation of the evidence, the arguments of counsel. I'm very grateful that we have not had any instances requiring the replacement of any member of the regular twelve of the panel, and I, at this time, express the gratitude of the court for the patience of the alternate jurors, who have sat here. They have concluded their duties, and I'm glad that they did not have to take their place on the regular panel. .. . Thank you for being here and you may now be excused from the box. In Mason v. State, 440 So.2d 318 (Miss. 1983), the Court said: We have on many occasions held that we must decide each case by the facts in the record, not assertions in the brief, however sincere counsel may be in those assertions. Facts asserted to exist must and ought to be definitely proved and placed before us by a record, certified by law; otherwise, we cannot know them. 440 So.2d at 319. In absence of anything in the record appearing to the contrary, this Court presumes that the trial court acted properly. Vinson v. Johnson, 493 So.2d 947 (Miss. 1986); Fontaine v. Pickle, 254 So.2d 769 (Miss. 1971). The assigned Error V is rejected. The judgment of the lower court is affirmed. AFFIRMED. PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, GRIFFIN and ZUCCARO, JJ., concur. DAN M. LEE, P.J. and HAWKINS, P.J., specially concur.