Court Opinion

ID: 9723774
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:30:46.231813+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:51.740624
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion
Arterburn, J.
The majority opinion reverses a juvenile proceeding in which a boy was charged with hitting a teacher. As I read the majority opinion, it reverses on the basis that the standard beyond a reasonable doubt was not observed by the trial court. I have gone through the briefs and the opinion and I cannot find that there is any place that it can be said that the judge failed to observe the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We may not presume to the contrary unless it is apparent in the record that the judge refused to observe such proper standards. There is no record showing that the trial court used a preponderance of the evidence as a standard instead of beyond a reasonable doubt as a standard.
I further point out that the evidence is uncontradicted. The juvenile struck the teacher in apparent anger because the teacher attempted to stop him from leaving the classroom without permission. There is no contradiction about this evidence. If it is uncontradicted, it is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and we cannot reverse because of an insufficiency of the evidence. I cannot go along with the reversal of a case on a point that has no merit.
Note. — Reported in 258 N. E. 2d 860.