Court Opinion

ID: 9582434
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:26:46.039777+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:47.547772
License: Public Domain

Sogniee, Chief Judge,
concurring specially.
While I concur fully in the judgment in this case, I write specially in regard to Division 1. “In Georgia, a criminal defendant is constitutionally guaranteed the right to be present at all stages of his trial. [Cits.]” Lewis v. State, 164 Ga. App. 549 (1) (297 SE2d 303) (1982). This right cannot be waived by a defendant’s attorney unless the waiver is made in the defendant’s presence, or by his express authority, or is subsequently acquiesced in by him. Wilson v. State, 212 Ga. 73, 77-78 (90 SE2d 557) (1955). While the majority correctly states that the transcript does not support appellant’s assertion that he was absent from court during the recharge to the jury, the transcript does reflect that during the jury’s deliberations and while appellant was absent, appellant’s counsel “waived” appellant’s presence when making an objection to the trial court regarding the recharge. We have held that a criminal defendant is not entitled to be present during jury deliberations because it is not a stage of the trial covered by the above principle. E.g., Fowler v. Grimes, 198 Ga. 84, 90-91 (3) (31 SE2d 174) (1944); Holbrooks v. State, 48 Ga. App. 850-851 (3) (174 SE 168) (1934). Unlike the situation in Seay v. State, 111 Ga. App. 22, 25 (3) (140 SE2d 283) (1965), the transcript in the case sub judice discloses that the jury’s deliberations were not disturbed and no communication was had with the jury during appellant’s absence on account of the objection posed by appellant’s counsel. “ ‘[T]he presence of the defendant is a condition of due process to the extent that a fair and just hearing would be thwarted by his absence, and to that extent only.’ [Cit.]” Fowler, supra at 91 (3). Applying the precepts set forth in Stewart v. State, 165 Ga. App. 428, 429-430 (2) (300 SE2d 331) (1983), in which we found no reversible error due to the nature of the communication between trial court and jury in the absence of the de*228fendant and her counsel, I do not find the communication here between trial court and appellant’s counsel was so material to appellant’s case as to require his presence or of a character to have been prejudicial to him so as to render his absence during the communication reversible error. See id. at 430.
Decided September 3, 1991
Reconsideration denied September 19, 1991
Alden W. Snead, J. M. Raffauf, for appellant.
J. David McDade, District Attorney, William, H. McClain, Assistant District Attorney, for appellee.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge McMurray joins in this special concurrence.