Court Opinion

ID: 9648217
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:10:02.670917+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:57.500497
License: Public Domain

Tom Glaze, Justice, dissenting. The majority opinion fails to point out that this court’s case law, concerning when severance of offenses should be granted, has held that the testimony of other rape victims is relevant in a criminal trial for the rape of two underage girls to show motive, intent or plan under Ark. R. Evid. 404(b). Simpson v. State, 310 Ark. 493, 837 S.W.2d 475 (1992); Richardson v. State, 314 Ark. 512, 863 S.W.2d 572 (1993); Lukach v. State, 310 Ark. 119, 835 S.W.2d 852 (1992). As discussed in Lukach, the court stated that, where the facts necessary to prove the offenses would almost all be required in each trial if severance were granted and the evidence would be used in both trials to prove a plan, scheme, motive or state of mind, there is no abuse of discretion in refusing to sever the cases. The majority ignores the rule announced in these cases, and instead, it burrows in on the narrower language employed by this court’s A.R.Cr.P. Rule 22.2(a), which provides that a defendant shall have a right to a severance of offenses with which he or she is charged when those offenses are of the “same or similar character and are not part of a single scheme or plan." In sum, case law offers reasons why the factors listed in Ark. R. Evid. 404(b) should be considered when a trial court grants or denies a severance of offenses, and under the existing case law, the trial court is not limited to the factors of “single scheme or plan” set out in A.R.Cr.P. Rule 22.2(a). Without mentioning the broader legal standard permitted trial courts under Rule 404(b) when ruling on severance issues, the majority makes a valiant effort to distinguish factually the cases of Simpson, Richardson and Lukach from the situation presented in the present case. The majority seems to suggest such sex abuse offenses can be joined only when the offenses occur in the same household, but the opinion never clearly says why. Because the factual pattern, scheme, plan, motive or intent in sex abuse offense cases are never developed or manifested in quite the same way, I submit the “same household” factual distinction mentioned in the majority opinion begs the question. Under the Simpson, Richardson and Lukach principle and rationale, the trial court has broader discretion and a wider range of situations to consider than what the majority wishes to acknowledge by its “same household” holding. An analysis of the evidence presented the trial judge in the present case graphically explains why his ruling was proper under the factors set out in Rule 404(b). At trial, Clay claimed he was entitled to severance under A.R.Cr.P. Rule 22.2(a) because the state joined his five sex abuse cases for trial based solely on the ground that these offenses were of the same or similar character, and the offenses were not shown to have been a part of a “single scheme or plan.” In rejecting Clay’s pretrial motion, the trial court found that the five offenses were not only similar, but also the offenses, occurring over a nine-month period, involved young female children who had interrelated relationships or friendships with one another. At trial, Clay’s cross-examination of the five girls was directed at establishing either that he was elsewhere when the offense occurred, that the girls gathered and agreed to bring sexual allegations against Clay or that the girls were permissive. In short, Clay’s defense was that he never had sex, or at least involuntary sex, with any of the five girls. To the contrary, each girl testified Clay’s sexual advances were the results of his having arranged an unplanned or unscheduled visit with the victim, and his violation or penetration of each was combined either with force or fear and intimidation.1 Also, as mentioned above, the state’s evidence showed Clay’s propensity was to prey on young girls who had common relationships or friendships. The trial judge evaluated this evidence and ruled it showed scheme, motive, propensity and plan. In my view, the judge did not abuse his discretion in reaching such a decision. I would also mention that A.R.Cr.P. Rule 22(b) provides that, if a defendant’s pretrial motion for severance is overruled, he may renew the motion on the same grounds before or at the close of all the evidence and that severance is waived by failure to renew the motion. Here, Clay renewed his severance motion, but failed to abstract it. For this reason, too, the trial court should be affirmed. In conclusion, I would concede that, in deciding the severance issue on its merits, the trial court’s ruling would be more difficult to sustain if limited to the terms and factors in A.R.Cr.P. Rule 22.2(a). Nonetheless, this court has not restricted itself to those factors as is made plain in Simpson, Richardson and Lukach. This court should either overrule or follow them. The majority opinion does neither. Instead, it ignores the different or broader principle those cases set out than what is called for in Rule 22.2(a). In following those cases, I would affirm the trial court. Corbin, J., joins this dissent.   One victim did testify that she arranged to see Clay on the day the offense was alleged to have occurred, but also stated he raped her by use of force.