Court Opinion

ID: 9584159
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:45:05.397264+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:06:53.067672
License: Public Domain

Jordan, Presiding Judge,
dissenting. I cannot agree that this case should be reversed for the reasons set forth in Division 5 of the opinion and therefore file this dissent. The statement objected to was purportedly made at a conference arranged by the defendant and his friend Finney with the sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Harris for the avowed purpose of seeking immunity for the defendant in exchange for his help and information about the crime. These four men, including the defendant, were present in the sheriff’s office, when according to Deputy Harris, Finney, the defendant’s friend, stated that the defendant "knows lots of burglars, knows lots of criminals and burglars he could help us with *695if he would just tell us.” While the majority opinion indicates that the defendant might not have heard this remark by his friend, there appears no reason why he should not have heard the statement nor does there appear any reason for him to have objected thereto since it came from the mouth of his would-be benefactor. Indeed, it was made for the sole purpose of laying the foundation to support the deal they hoped to make. The defendant wanted to trade his knowledge and information about the crime to "save his own hide.” We note that Finney testified at the trial and did not deny making such a statement. The defendant himself in his sworn statement never denied that Finney made such a statement at the conference and more or less corroborated the evidence of such when he said, "I knew the people in Ft. Valley that was involved in the deal and I .figured I could help them solve the problem maybe you know, and find the guns. I told them to make a deal. . .”
Here from the mouth of the defendant he admits knowing the burglars (as the sheriff testified that he told them at the conference) and admitted offering his help to the officers if they "would make a deal.”
Thus had the trial judge excluded the testimony of the deputy sheriff concerning the alleged statement, there was before the jury substantially the same statement directly from the mouth of the defendant. For this reason he cannot be heard to complain. Any error was clearly waived under the facts of this case. See Brown v. State, 122 Ga. App. 570 (3d) (777 SE2d 801).
The defendant was fairly tried and convicted, there being ample evidence of his guilt. He is not entitled to the grant of a new trial by this court for any reason. I would affirm.
I am authorized to state that Chief Judge Bell, Presiding Judge Hall and Judge Eberhardt concur in this dissent.