Court Opinion

ID: 9774668
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:29:15.829784+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:12.988986
License: Public Domain

Steele Hays, Justice, dissenting. It is clear the appellant abandoned his motion to strike a “statement” given to the police after his arrest. At an omnibus hearing well in advance of trial he presented four motions: a motion to dismiss, a motion to produce witnesses, a motion to suppress chemical analysis reports and a motion on joinder. At the conclusion of the omnibus hearing counsel for appellant announced, “Thank you. That’s all the defendant has, Your Honor.” The trial judge then reminded the lawyers the case was set for trial on April 4 and the proceedings were adjourned. Against the weight of well established rules of law and procedure the majority holds that the defendant did not waive his motion, that it was the state’s or even the trial judge’s burden to bring up the motion to strike. I respectfully disagree. A.R.Cr.P. Rule 20.3(c) provides that “any pretrial motion, request or issue not raised at.the omnibus hearing shall be deemed waived . . . .” Nothing in Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368 (1964) or in Ark. Code Ann. § 16-89-107 (1987), which the majority cite, suggests that a motion challenging an in-custodial statement may not be waived or abandoned. To the contrary, in Hill v. State, 250 Ark. 812, 467 S.W.2d 179 (1971), we applied the waiver doctrine to voluntariness of confessions, holding that when a defendant permits a jury, rather than the court in camera, to pass on the voluntariness of his confession, a Denno hearing is waived, citing Pintow. Pierce, 389 U.S. 31 (1967). Moreover, the majority’s interpretation of our statute is a departure from an earlier position. In Smith v. State, 254 Ark. 538, 494 S.W.2d 489 (1973), we said: We hold that whenever the accused offers testimony that his confession was induced by violence, threats, coercion or offers of reward then the burden is upon the state to produce all material witnesses who were connected with the controverted confession or give adequate explanation for their absence. [My emphasis.] We have held that in-custodial statements that are not in the nature of a confession do not even require a Denno hearing. Workman v. State, 267 Ark. 103, 589 S.W.2d 21 (1979). Whether the “statement” in this case is confessional in nature so as to warrant a Denno heáring is a matter of conjecture, as the statement is not to be found in the appendix. This court has often said it will not go to the record to determine whether a point of error is meritorious. Kitchen v. State, 271 Ark. 1,607 S.W.2d 345 (1980). Finally, I would point out that today’s holding undermines a body of sound law that matters left unresolved in trial proceedings are waived. Richardson v. State, 292 Ark. 140, 728 S.W.2d 189 (1987); Williams v. State, 289 Ark. 69, 709 S.W.2d 280 (1986).