Opinion ID: 2336953
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Lowry's first two points on appeal are challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions for first-degree stalking and arson. [1] In reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, we view the evidence in a light most favorable to the State and consider only the evidence that supports the verdict. Stenhouse v. State, 362 Ark. 480, 209 S.W.3d 352 (2005); Davis v. State, 362 Ark. 34, 207 S.W.3d 474 (2005). We will affirm a conviction if substantial evidence exists to support it. Id. Substantial evidence is that which is of sufficient force and character that it will, with reasonable certainty, compel a conclusion one way or the other, without resorting to speculation or conjecture. Id. Additionally, we consider all the evidence, including that which may have been inadmissible, in the light most favorable to the State. Hampton v. State, 357 Ark. 473, 183 S.W.3d 148 (2004); George v. State, 356 Ark. 345, 151 S.W.3d 770 (2004). When circumstantial evidence alone is relied upon, it must exclude every other reasonable hypothesis than that of the guilt of the accused, or it does not amount to substantial evidence. Stewart v. State, 362 Ark. 400, 208 S.W.3d 768 (2005); Harper v. State, 359 Ark. 142, 194 S.W.3d 730 (2004). The question of whether circumstantial evidence excludes every other reasonable hypothesis consistent with innocence is for the jury to decide. Id. Upon review, this court must determine whether the jury resorted to speculation and conjecture in reaching its verdict. Id. Before reviewing the proof presented below, we must address Lowry's argument that the record is insufficient in that it does not contain a transcript of the jury instructions given by the trial court or the written instructions themselves. The record in this case was reconstructed pursuant to an order issued by the court of appeals, and the hearing in the trial court was made a part of the record on appeal. During the reconstruction hearing, the parties agreed that the instructions given were the standard AMCI2d instructions for the offenses charged. They agreed further that defense counsel did not object to any of the instructions given and did not proffer any non-AMCI2d instructions. Accordingly, the record is sufficient for us to review the arguments now raised on appeal.
Lowry first argues that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction for first-degree stalking, under Ark.Code Ann. § 5-71-229 (Repl.1997), which provides in pertinent part: (a)(1) A person commits stalking in the first degree if he purposely engages in a course of conduct that harasses another person and makes a terroristic threat with the intent of placing that person in imminent fear of death or serious bodily injury or placing that person in imminent fear of the death or serious bodily injury of his or her immediate family and he: (A) Does so in contravention of an order of protection consistent with the Domestic Abuse Act of 1991, § 9-15-101 et seq., or a no contact order as set out in subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section, protecting the same victim or victims, or any other order issued by any court protecting the same victim or victims; or . . . . (C) Is armed with a deadly weapon or represents by word or conduct that he is so armed. Under this provision, the State was required to prove that Lowry purposely engaged in a course of conduct to harass Sandra Lewellen and made a terroristic threat with the intent of placing her or her immediate family in fear of death or serious bodily injury, and that he did so in contravention of an order of protection or while he was armed with a deadly weapon or represented that he was so armed. Appellant argues that there was insufficient proof that he made a terroristic threat during the time that the order of protection was in effect. The term terroristic threat, is not defined in section 5-71-229, nor has it been defined in this court's cases interpreting that provision. However, we may glean its meaning from prior decisions from this court and the court of appeals interpreting the separate offense of terroristic threatening, Ark.Code Ann. § 5-13-301 (Repl.1997). The conduct prohibited by section 5-13-301 is the communication of a threat with the purpose of terrorizing another. Smith v. State, 296 Ark. 451, 757 S.W.2d 554 (1988). See also Mason v. State, 361 Ark. 357, 206 S.W.3d 869 (2005). However, a terroristic threat need not be verbal. Davis v. State, 12 Ark.App. 79, 670 S.W.2d 472 (1984) (upholding a conviction for terroristic threatening where the defendant chased the victims in a car for over three miles and tried to run them into a ditch). Nor is it necessary that the threat be communicated by the accused directly to the person threatened. Richards v. State, 266 Ark.App. 733, 585 S.W.2d 375 (1979) (upholding a conviction for terroristic threatening where the defendant told a third party that he'd better get the victim away from him or he would shoot the victim). Moreover, it is not necessary that the recipient of the threat actually be terrorized. Smith, 296 Ark. 451, 757 S.W.2d 554 (citing Richards, 266 Ark.App. 733, 585 S.W.2d 375). Finally, there is no requirement that it be shown that the accused has the immediate ability to carry out the threats. Wesson v. State, 320 Ark. 380, 896 S.W.2d 874 (1995); Knight v. State, 25 Ark.App. 353, 758 S.W.2d 12 (1988). In the present case, the evidence demonstrated that following the issuance of the order of protection on May 29, 2002, [2] Lowry engaged in a course of conduct spanning more than two months in which he harassed and threatened Sandra Lewellen and her immediate family on at least three occasions. The first occurred on June 21, 2002, when Lowry apologized to Sandra's teenaged daughter Kim for something that he was going to have to do, and was later overheard by Dustin Tuberville to say, They're going to burn for this shit. Some seven hours later, Sandra and Kim awoke to find their vehicles on fire in their driveway only a few feet from their mobile home. The second threatening event occurred the following day when Lowry chased Kim at a high rate of speed through East End until the girl got close to her home. The third threat occurred on August 7, 2002, when Lowry waited for Sandra to leave for work and then pulled in behind her and proceeded to tailgate her while holding up a handmade sign and while armed with a loaded gun. These three incidents constitute sufficient evidence of a terroristic threat as provided in section 5-71-229. We thus affirm Lowry's conviction for first-degree stalking.
As for the charge of arson, Lowry argues that the evidence was insufficient to prove that the fire that burned Sandra's and Kim's cars was intentionally set. Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-38-301 (Repl. 1997) provides in pertinent part: (a) A person commits arson if he starts a fire or causes an explosion with the purpose of destroying or otherwise damaging: (1) An occupiable structure or motor vehicle that is the property of another person[.] Lowry submits that there was only circumstantial evidence that the fire was actually set by someone. He urges that there was just as much plausible evidence that the fire was caused by an electrical short resulting from the installation of the stereo equipment in Kim's car earlier that day. He contends that the evidence presented by the State was not sufficient to overcome the common-law presumption against arson. See Ross v. State, 300 Ark. 369, 779 S.W.2d 161 (1989). He is mistaken. The evidence showed that on the night of the fire, both Sandra and Kim heard a loud noise outside their window around 1:00 a.m. Kim testified: I just heard a noise like `whoosh' outside my bedroom window, and it lit up orange. Sandra described hearing a horrible loud roar. She explained: It was just roaring. It was like if you threw gasoline on a fire, how it roars real loud. If it's a lot at one time. After she heard the roar, she observed that her window was glowing. Sandra also testified that she smelled gasoline at the scene after the tow-truck driver hauled the cars away from the scene. Richard Blair, the East End District Fire Chief, testified that although he was not able to determine the precise cause of the fire, he noted that Kim's vehicle was completely engulfed in fire, from the front of the hood to the firewall area. He indicated that the fire started at the front of the vehicle and was making its way back toward the passenger compartment. He stated that, in his experience, a gasoline fire makes a loud whooshing sound when it ignites and it burns quickly. An electrical fire, on the other hand, will start out rather small, especially in a low-voltage vehicle like Kim's, and would burn more slowly than a gasoline fire. The start of an electrical fire would sound more like a pop. Based on his experience, Blair opined that if a witness heard a whoosh sound, it would be more likely that the fire was started with gasoline or some other equivalent accelerant. James Heath, the tow-truck driver who removed the burned cars from the scene, testified that when he loaded the vehicles onto his flatbed truck, he noticed that gas was pouring out of one of the vehicle's gas line onto the ground. He explained that he loaded the vehicles by hooking up a wench and lifting them from the rear, thus raising the gas tanks and causing the gas to pour out of the lines. He also stated that he could smell gas for days at the impound lot where he had towed the vehicles. In addition to the foregoing, the State presented evidence showing that it was Lowry who started the fire. Deputy Tony Baugh, of the Saline County Sheriff's Department, and Reserve Deputy Christi Preator positively identified Lowry's truck as being parked in an area within walking distance of the scene and within minutes of the time the fire started. They testified that they were on routine patrol of the area when they saw the fire. On their way to the scene, they noticed a gold GMC pickup truck with a ladder rack parked on the side of the road, just down the hill from the fire. Baugh recognized the truck, but he did not initially recall the owner's name. They shined their spotlight on the truck and observed it for twenty or thirty seconds, during which time they noticed a person standing at the back of the driver's side wearing jeans and brown and black hiking boots. They thought it was probably just someone relieving himself, and they headed on to the fire. Once Baugh and Preator arrived at the scene, Sandra reported that Mike Lowry had started the fire. It was at that point that it occurred to Baugh whose truck he had just seen. Once he made sure that everyone was out of harm's way and that the fire was under control, he drove back down the hill to see if the truck was still there, but it was gone. A couple of hours later, the officers, along with Saline County Sheriff's Detective Jimmy Long, went to Lowry's house. There, they found the truck they had seen previously, and they noted that the hood was still warm. They also discovered in Lowry's bedroom the brown and black hiking boots they had seen with the truck. Finally, there was evidence that only hours before the fire Lowry was overheard to say: They're going to burn for this shit. There was also evidence from Sandra that during their fight on May 28, Lowry told her: I have a lighter . . . I will light your house, I will light your son's house, and I will light your mother's house with them in it[.] The foregoing constitutes sufficient evidence that the fire of the two vehicles was purposely set by a person and that Lowry was that person. As stated above, to be substantial, circumstantial evidence need only exclude every reasonable hypothesis than that of the guilt of the accused. Stewart, 362 Ark. 400, 208 S.W.3d 768; Harper, 359 Ark. 142, 194 S.W.3d 730. Whether such evidence does exclude every other such reasonable hypothesis is for the jury to decide. Id. Because we conclude that the jury in this case did not need to resort to speculation or conjecture in reaching its verdict, we affirm the conviction for arson.