Court Opinion

ID: 9775375
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:55:55.78208+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:25.621196
License: Public Domain

Tom Glaze, Justice, dissenting. While the majority has corrected its opinion to reflect the proper standard or rule this court utilizes when determining if it will grant the State’s appeal under Ark. R. App. P. — Crim. 3(c), the majority then incorrectly applies the rule to the circumstances of this case. In other words, the majority opinion rejects the State’s appeal, stating “resolution of the issue of abandonment in the present appeal turned on the facts unique to Gray’s case, and thus did not require interpretation of our criminal rules with widespread ramification.” Not true. As I pointed out earlier, the State asks this court to interpret Criminal Rule 16.2(a)(4) and the meaning of “other evidence” as employed by that rule. See State v. Gray, 330 Ark. 364, 367-369, 955 S.W.2d 502 (1997), Glaze, J., dissenting, 330 Ark. at 367-369. Gray used Rule 16.2(a)(4) to support his argument that the one-pound bag of marijuana, which was the subject of the suppression hearing, had been illegally seized when Officer Poe was unlawfully positioned on Bruton’s private property. See Id. at 368. This issue has never been addressed by any Arkansas appellate court, and is reason alone to grant the State’s appeal. Obviously, this legal issue regarding the interpretation of Rule 16.2(a)(4) has widespread ramifications, since our appellate courts, until now, have never had an opportunity to address the question. Accordingly, I would grant the State’s petition for rehearing.