Court Opinion

ID: 9853264
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:45:21.164813+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:43.747696
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
It is urged that we erred in affirming the judgment of the trial court. The contentions are considered seriatim.
The argument that this court has taken inconsistent positions by permitting the sixth count to remain while striking the others is specious. This court has not ruled upon the sixth count for the simple reason that the defendant (the one adversely affected) did not appeal that issue. Hence, the correctness of any trial court ruling regarding the sixth count is not before this court for decision.
The State urges we failed to follow State v. Tate, 136 Ga. App. 181 (220 SE2d 741). That decision is not contrary to our holding but a careful reading thereof shows it sustains the position taken by this court. Therein it was held that each offense arising from the same conduct must be charged at the initial trial and upon a failure to do so the State is precluded from proceeding on such charge subsequently. *68State v. Tate, 136 Ga. App. 181, 184, supra.
Here, as required by our law, the State attempted to charge the defendant with all offenses arising out of the same conduct. However, after the trial began, counsel for defendant objected to the admission of any evidence regarding why the defendant was not charged within the statute of limitations. The trial judge recognized the well established rule that “In a criminal case, where an exception is relied upon to prevent the bar of the statute of limitations, it must be alleged and proved. Such proof is inadmissible unless the exception sought to be proved is alleged.” Hollingsworth v. State, 7 Ga. App. 16 (1) (65 SE 1077). Accord, McLane v. State, 4 Ga. 335, 339 (2); Bazemore v. State, 34 Ga. App. 773 (131 SE 177); Taylor v. State, 44 Ga. App. 64, 67 (2) (160 SE 667); State v. Tuzman, 145 Ga. App. 481, 483 (3) (243 SE2d 675). Therefore, finding no allegations in the indictment permitting proof of an exception, he sustained the objection and permitted no evidence as to the counts other than the one charging murder.
As the transcript shows, upon ruling on the objection the trial judge stated: “There being no evidence admitted in any charge except the charge of murder, we will go forward on the charge of murder and there will be no evidence presented on counts two through seven of the indictment. . . . What I am saying in effect is there can be no verdict of guilty on counts two through seven. The only issue remaining for the jury to consider is count one, murder.” He reiterated this point at the close of the evidence and then charged the jury as follows: “You are not to concern yourselves with counts two through seven because of the passage of time the Statute of Limitations of this state does not permit a prosecution of this defendant under counts two through seven of the indictment, so you are to disregard those counts entirely in your deliberation of this case and consider only the charge of murder, which is set forth in count one.” It is, therefore, evident that prosecution of these counts terminated unfavorably to the State. The fact that it occurred at the end of the trial after the presentation of the evidence, rather than the beginning makes it a stronger case than State v. Brittain, 147 Ga. App. 626 (249 SE2d 679), but in no way diminishes the authority of that decision.
Contrary to the State’s assertion, State v. Williams, 246 Ga. 788 (272 SE2d 725) is not controlling here since there, after the charges were dismissed, the State appealed. Here the trial was completed and the State did not appeal. We should point out that serious doubt exists as to whether the State could have appealed in view of the basis of the trial judge’s ruling in the case sub judice. As noted in Williams, supra, the government can not appeal a directed verdict of acquittal *69resting upon the evidence, even if erroneously granted.
In conclusion, and by way of summary, our Code requires that the counts in question be tried with the murder count. The State failed in its endeavor to successfully accomplish this when the trial judge did not permit the admission of evidence as to such counts and precluded their consideration by the jury while finding that the bar of the statute of limitations attached. In such posture the first trial ended. This resulted in the exclusion of such counts from any subsequent trial by the doctrine of double jeopardy.

Motion for rehearing denied.