Opinion ID: 1248901
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Offenses Relating to Shelly Jackson

Text: As to Shelly Jackson, defendant was charged and convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and attempted first-degree rape. On 4 February 1997, Jackson was at the A.S.K. Store near Moore Square. She had been drinking and using crack during the day. Around 7:00 p.m., Jackson saw defendant leaving William Hargrove's van. Jackson did not know defendant, but they met and talked for awhile. Defendant mentioned that he had some cocaine and said, Come go with me to my secret place that I go to. Jackson agreed to go with defendant, but she said that she did not want to use any more cocaine for the day. Sex was not discussed in the conversation. Defendant led Jackson to a fenced-in lot with abandoned vehicles, located off West Hargett Street. Defendant and Jackson climbed into an abandoned truck through a rear roll-up door. As Jackson bent down to put her purse on the floor, defendant stood behind her, grabbed her around the neck, and held her from behind. He had what Jackson thought was a razor in his right hand. Defendant demanded that Jackson take her clothes off, and she refused. As Jackson screamed, defendant said, Shut up bitch. I got you now. I'm going to kill you. Jackson saw a police car coming down the street, so she managed to break loose, jump out of the truck, and run to the police car. Sergeant T.C. Earnhart of the Raleigh Police Department was working in the downtown area on 4 February 1997. As he was driving past the back lot of 612 West Hargett Street about 8:00 p.m., he heard a woman's scream and realized there was a possible attack in progress. Earnhart got out of his vehicle and saw a woman, Shelly Jackson, jump out of a truck and run towards his vehicle. Earnhart testified that Jackson was very frantic and hysterical and said something to the effect that defendant tried to cut her and rape her. Jackson's hand was dripping blood. Jackson testified that defendant was about to cut her throat, so she brought her hand up, which resulted in her hand being cut. Earnhart saw someone get out of the back of the truck and run away. He radioed for assistance, and within ten minutes, defendant was spotted and apprehended. Defendant was brought back to the crime scene where, Jackson identified him as her attacker. The police found a box cutter in defendant's pants pocket, and one officer observed that defendant's fingernails were particularly long for a male. Defendant had a cut on his right hand and blood on his shirt, and his blood was found inside the truck where the attack on Jackson took place. Further facts necessary to the discussion of the issues raised by defendant will be presented as needed. We note at the outset that defendant has presented 244 assignments of error. While defendant has included a constitutional component to almost all of his assignments of error, in most instances, he failed to preserve the constitutional issues at trial and has provided no argument and cited no cases in support of his constitutional arguments to this Court. Constitutional issues not raised and passed upon at trial will not be considered for the first time on appeal. State v. Lloyd, 354 N.C. 76, 86-87, 552 S.E.2d 596, 607 (2001) (citing State v. Benson, 323 N.C. 318, 322, 372 S.E.2d 517, 519 (1988)); see also State v. Anthony, 354 N.C. 372, 389, 555 S.E.2d 557, 571 (2001), cert. denied, ___, U.S. ___, 122 S.Ct. 2605, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (2002). Furthermore, where defendant includes plain error as an alternative in some of his assignments of error but does not specifically argue or give support in his brief as to why plain error is appropriate, we will not address this aspect of his assignment of error. See State v. Grooms, 353 N.C. 50, 66, 540 S.E.2d 713, 723 (2000), cert. denied, U.S. ___, 122 S.Ct. 93, 151 L.Ed.2d 54 (2001); see also N.C. R.App. P. 10(c)(4). Assignments of error not set out in the appellant's brief, or in support of which no reason or argument is stated or authority cited, will be taken as abandoned. N.C. R.App. P. 28(b)(6); see also Lloyd, 354 N.C. at 87, 552 S.E.2d at 607.