Court Opinion

ID: 9626852
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 08:25:38.796635+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:06:34.636421
License: Public Domain

Banke, Judge,
concurring specially.
While I concur in the judgment and the court’s opinion, I would emphasize two points pertaining to the charge on flight. First, the judge was authorized to charge the jury on flight and there was no substantive error in the charge. McKisic v. State, 238 Ga. 644 (234 SE2d 908) (1977). Second, even if we were to assume that the charge on flight was given in error, the error would be harmless. Veasley v. State, 142 Ga. App. 863 (1977).
In my opinion, the decision of the Supreme Court in McKisic v. State, supra, controls the disposition of this enumeration of error. In McKisic, the Supreme Court ruled on an allegation of error which claimed there was nov evidence of flight to support the judge’s charge on the law applicable to flight. In fact, evidence was presented by the state which, if believed, would support a finding of flight. The court, finding no error, upheld the charge.
Flight results when a defendant, motivated by his feelings of guilt, leaves the scene of the alleged crime. See Smith v. State, 106 Ga. 673 (32 SE 851) (1899). In this case it is undisputed that the defendant departed from the area where he allegedly committed the crime. He testified that he asked the prosecutrix for sexual favors; touched her "on the leg or somewhere in there”; and then "stopped the car” for her and "went back to where I work.” There remained for the jury’s resolution the factual issue of whether he departed the scene because he felt guilty or for other reasons.
*503The jury was instructed to decide first whether departure had been proved and, if so, what inferences should be drawn from his act of leaving. The jury was cautioned not to draw any inference against the defendant if they found he left the scene for reasons other than feelings of guilt.
Applying the rule of McKisic, there was no error in the judge’s charge to the jury. "The charge did not intimate to the jury that flight had been proven but left it to the jury to determine whether there was flight, and, if so, what inference might be drawn therefrom. McKisic v. State, supra, p. 646.
If, arguendo, we were to assume that the judge committed error by giving the charge on flight in this case, the error would be harmless. This is because "it is 'highly probable that the error did not contribute to the judgment.’ [Cit.]” Veasley v. State, supra, p. 865.
The admissions of the defendant at trial plus the testimony of the prosecutrix and other witnesses provided sufficient support for the jury’s verdict, regardless of whether they found the defendant had fled. On the other hand, if the jury found no flight had occurred, the defendant was not prejudiced by any inference of guilt.
The requisite "causal link” between the error, if any, and the judgment would not exist. Veasley v. State, supra.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Deen and Judge Birdsong join in this special concurrence.