Opinion ID: 1665551
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Prior Sexual Misconduct Involving Victim

Text: For his next point on appeal, Bell asserts that a specific portion of his statement to police should have been excluded as inadmissible evidence under Ark. R. Evid. 404(b) (2007). When asked if he had ever previously engaged in sexual conduct with B.C., Bell admitted that she had touched him through his pants when they were alone. He stated that this incident occurred approximately two weeks prior to the charged offense. This court has long held that circuit courts have broad discretion over evidentiary rulings. White v. State, 367 Ark. 595, 242 S.W.3d 240 (2006). A circuit court's ruling on the admissibility of evidence will not be reversed absent an abuse of that discretion. Id. Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is generally not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity with that character trait. Ark. R. Evid. 404(b). Our court has articulated a pedophile exception to this rule. See Clark v. State, 323 Ark. 211, 913 S.W.2d 297 (1996). Certain evidence that would otherwise be inadmissible under Rule 404(b) is nonetheless admissible in child abuse and incest cases. Id. Evidence is admissible pursuant to the pedophile exception to show similar acts with the same child or other children in the same household when it is helpful in showing a `proclivity toward a specific act with a person or class of persons with whom the accused has an intimate relationship.' Id. at 215, 913 S.W.2d at 299. We have noted that the pedophile exception extends to evidence of other sexual acts by the accused with the victim or another child in the same household. Id. Such evidence is admitted to assist in proving the depraved sexual instinct of the accused. Id. In the instant case, Bell's admission that he had a sexual encounter with B.C. only two weeks before the charged offense was relevant to show his depraved sexual instincts and his proclivity toward sexual acts with the victim. His contention that the evidence was improperly admitted because the previous touching was uncharged and unsubstantiated is without merit. This court's application of the pedophile exception does not require that the prior act be charged or substantiated. See id. Likewise, we reject his argument that the previous touching was not sufficiently similar to the charged offense to warrant application of the pedophile exception. The pedophile exception requires that there be a sufficient degree of similarity between the evidence to be introduced and the sexual conduct of the defendant. White v. State, supra . In White , we found a sufficient degree of similarity between the defendant's arousal at watching his young daughters perform a dance routine and his sexual conduct of having intercourse with them. See id. In the case at bar, the prior conduct and the conduct leading to the charged offense are even more similar. On both occasions, Bell had the victim touch his penis. The fact that during the later incident Bell had his pants down and B.C. performed oral sex on him is a distinction without a difference. Thus, the requirement of a sufficient degree of similarity was met, and the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the evidence pursuant to the pedophile exception.