Court Opinion

ID: 9624858
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:19:51.299305+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:55.712496
License: Public Domain

MOORE, Acting Chief Justice:
I respectfully dissent. I would affirm petitioner’s convictions.
Unlike the majority, I would not summarily reject the State’s argument that consideration of the admission of the evidence is procedurally barred. I would hold petitioner did not preserve his objections to the items introduced into evidence. The majority relies upon State v. Ross, 272 S.C. 56, 249 S.E.2d 159 (1978), which holds an objection to a line of *17questioning is sufficient to object to a particular question. In my opinion, the separate and distinct introduction of several items is entirely different.
During trial, petitioner objected to the introduction of the homemade videotapes described in the majority opinion and the trial judge overruled petitioner’s objection by stating he was “going to allow the subject of theses tapes to be mentioned without introducing the tapes.” Petitioner also objected to a photo album containing pictures from magazines of young girls, some dressed in bathing suits, underwear, and gymnastic clothes. Further, petitioner objected to the statements which he made to the police.1
Petitioner, however, did not object to the introduction of his wallet containing his Punky Brewster fan club membership, a photograph of Punky Brewster which had been displayed in his room, and numerous photographs of young girls found in his room. A police officer also testified, without objection, that numerous other items of the same type were seized which were not introduced into evidence.
Here, the challenged evidence goes to the same issue regarding petitioner’s character as the evidence admitted without objection. State v. Sebasky, 547 N.W.2d 93 (Minn.App.1996) (although bulletins from organization advocating sexual relationships between men and boys should not have been admitted, defendant was not prejudiced when other sexually related evidence — e.g. homosexual magazines; dildos; and four sexually explicit videos of homosexuals — was introduced). Accordingly, I would hold the admission of the videotapes, photo album, and his statements was harmless because they are merely cumulative to other evidence admitted without objection. State v. Rochester, 301 S.C. 196, 391 S.E.2d 244 (1990).
Further, petitioner’s own testimony is much more damning than the evidence introduced by the State. “Pedophile” is *18defined in the majority opinion as someone who has a “sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sex object.” Petitioner’s own testimony establishes he is a pedophile.
Petitioner testified on direct examination he had told the police officers he likes young girls. He further stated, “My intention was to say that I like young girls and, yes, Amber could possibly be one of those. I didn’t mention that Amber was one of those. I said — I told him when I was telling him about where my tapes and these pictures were, I was telling him that I do like young girls. That’s my problem.... ” Referring to the videotapes which he possessed, petitioner stated that the subject of the tapes were young girls ranging in age from about 8 or 9 up to 22 or 23. He further stated he did not like 18 year-old-girls because he considered that grownup.
On direct examination, he also testified that “when you get down to around four or five, three years old, you kind of have to force yourself to fantasize about them. So, you don’t even fantasize about them often____” When asked on direct examination if he had any thoughts of doing anything to Amber, he replied: “No. I tried one time. I started one time. A thought come into my mind and I was going to let it go like I do any other time, but the first thing that came into my mind was her mother’s face, and there was no more to it....”
On cross-examination, the solicitor asked petitioner about a videotape he had introduced of his bedroom. Petitioner stated his pictures of “the little girls” and Punky Brewster were missing. He then elaborated and stated one picture of a young girl was not displayed in the tape and he used it for “sexual purposes” and his “sexual desire for [her].” Later, during cross-examination he admitted that the album was for sexual fantasies. In fact, he admitted “almost 99 percent of everything besides [Punky Brewster] as far as theses pictures and things, that is sexual.” He stated only the Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales book and the “Save the Children” advertisement were accidental or coincidental.
I also note petitioner never objected to the expert witness’s testimony regarding the general characteristics of a pedophile. Further, there was additional evidence about petitioner’s behavior introduced, without objection, which when looked at *19along with the expert’s testimony implied petitioner was a pedophile. Amber’s mother testified without objection that petitioner gave Amber numerous gifts, including candy, an umbrella, a lunch box, a nightgown, stuffed animals, and cartoon tapes.
Accordingly, I would affirm.

. Petitioner objected to the introduction of the Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales without stating any ground. Thus, this objection is not preserved. "A general objection which does not specify the particular ground on which the objection is based is insufficient to preserve a question for review.” State v. Bailey, 253 S.C. 304, 170 S.E.2d 376 (1969) (trial judge commits no error in overruling general objection).