Opinion ID: 1722951
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: amended counts

Text: The original felony information, filed on November 12, 1991, charged the appellant in Counts VII and VIII with attempted rape of H.C. and K.K. The amended felony information, filed on March 20, 1992, changed those counts to rape after the girls' testimony at the competency hearing. Holloway now claims that this amendment violated, Ark.Code Ann. § 16-85-407(b) (1987), which provides that an indictment shall not be amended so as to change the nature or degree of the offense charged. Holloway rightly invokes the statute on the basis that the degree of the offenses was changed when the two counts were amended to rape. However, we can detect no prejudice resulting from the amendment, and this court will not reverse a conviction in the absence of some showing of prejudice. Berna v. State, 282 Ark. 563, 670 S.W.2d 434 (1984). Furthermore, the amendments resulted in no surprise to the appellant. The felony counts were amended on March 20, 1992, and the case was not tried until June 30, 1992, allowing almost three months for any adjustment in preparation. The appellant has not argued that he did not have adequate time to prepare due to the amendment; nor did he seek a continuance. We have held previously that we will not presume prejudice when a defendant fails to move for a continuance or claim surprise after he is put on notice that the state plans to amend an information. Mitchell v. State, 306 Ark. 464, 816 S.W.2d 566 (1991); Harrison v. State, 287 Ark. 102, 696 S.W.2d 501 (1985); Wilson v. State, 286 Ark. 430, 692 S.W.2d 620 (1985). There was no prejudice to the appellant in allowing the trial to go forward.