Court Opinion

ID: 9766254
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:38:06.346628+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:20.736190
License: Public Domain

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING
MONTGOMERY, Judge.
On petition for rehearing five grounds are urged, three of which are disposed of in the original opinion. It is urged in the petition, for the first time, that: (1) certain statements of the county attorney concerning a polygraph test, and (2) the failure to grant a change of venue on the second trial violated appellant’s right to a fair and impartial trial.
A colloquy between the county attorney and appellant’s counsel concerning a polygraph test took place before the bench and while the jury was in the courtroom. Appellant contends that the county attorney’s statements were loud enough to have been heard by the jury and thus were prejudicial. The record does not reveal that the jury heard any part of the colloquy. However, no objection was made to the alleged misconduct at the time, nor is it pointed out as error in the motion for a new trial or in appellant’s brief. Such failure to object is considered a waiver and precludes the review of such claimed error. Hartsock v. Commonwealth, Ky., 382 S.W.2d 861; Lewis v. Commonwealth, Ky., 357 S.W.2d 31; Harris v. Commonwealth, Ky., 342 S.W.2d 535. It is likewise too late to raise such objection on petition for rehearing. RCA 1.350; Herrick v. Wills, Ky., 333 S.W.2d 275.
On December 9, 1963, appellant made an application for change of venue in which he alleged that he could not have a fair trial in Clark County. KRS 452.210 ; 452.-220. The petition was supported by two affidavits. The application was denied on December 11, 1963.
At a subsequent term of court on June 24, 1964, the following proceedings were had:
“THE COURT: The case of Commonwealth of Kentucky vs. Albert Howard called for trial. What says the Commonwealth?
MR. CHENAULT: The Commonwealth’s ready.
MR. BROWN: The defendant answers ready, subject to renewing our petition for change of venue which had heretofore been filed, and which I assume there must be some order in the record overruling it.
MR. REDWINE: It was never passed on.
THE COURT: I don’t think we had any hearing on change of venue.
*360MR. THOMPSON: There’s an order overruling that, Your Honor please.
MR. BROWN: I j.ust want the record to show we renew it as of today.
THE COURT: You have any additional evidence to offer on your renewal?
MR. BROWN: I don’t have anything except I want the record to show that as of today we are renewing.
THE COURT: Let the record so show and that they offer nothing new on that.”
A jury was called and the case proceeded to trial. Such action constituted a denial of the renewed motion.
It is to be noted that appellant offered nothing new in support of his motion to show that he could not have a fair trial on that date, June 24, 1964, more than six months later than the date of the application and the supporting affidavits. It obviously is necessary that the application for a change of venue he addressed to whether an accused can have a fair trial at the time the case is about to be tried, instead of at some time in the past or future. The state of public opinion or the conditions which would render a fair trial impossible may be dissipated in six months’ time. Too many things may happen in this fast moving world for people in a community or county to retain for more than six months a state of hostile opinion or feeling against an accused that would deprive him of a fair trial.
The application for change of venue and supporting documents must be addressed to the conditions existing at or near the time of trial. In Patton v. Commonwealth, 289 Ky. 627, 159 S.W.2d 1006, the Court said:
“In the light of the evidence presented and the circumstances shown, we have no alternative but to conclude that at the time this case was tried, it was impossible for defendant to obtain a trial at the hands of an impartial jury, and the learned judge erred in denying the application for a change of venue.”
In Nantz v. Commonwealth, Ky., 243 S.W.2d 1007, this Court held:
“We have carefully considered all the testimony and find that it affirmatively appears that at the time the application was made appellant could not obtain a fair and impartial trial in Harlan County.”
The correct procedure, that is, successive applications before each trial, resulted in a reversal for failure to grant a change of venue in Brunner v. Commonwealth, Ky., 395 S.W.2d 382 (decided June 11, 1965). See authorities cited therein. The application made by appellant on December 9, 1963, did not present the state of public opinion on June 24, 1964, and the court was correct in denying it. The question raised concerning a hearing on the application is answered in the Brunner case.
Petition for rehearing overruled.