Anthony v. State
Anthony v. State
Opinion
Appellant John Preston Anthony, Jr. was convicted of the offense of rape in the first degree and sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment, from which he prosecutes this appeal.
A police officer gave an affidavit in support of the search warrant which was based on the statements made by an alleged previous victim of the appellant. Some of the information provided to the police officer, Sergeant Ballard, by the alleged previous victim, was not true. There is no evidence of any intentional misstatement, nor of a negligent or unreasonable assertion made by Sergeant Ballard, the affiant, in the affidavit.
Appellant contends that Richardson v. State,
"MR. WHISONANT: Where is Joyce Anthony? I don't recall her telling us what happened.
"MR. CAMPBELL: That's improper argument."
The witness referred to Joyce Anthony, the co-indicted ex-wife of the appellant in this case; she was present at trial. It does not appear that the trial court was called upon to make any ruling nor that the judge made any ruling. Nothing has been preserved for our review. Had the issue been preserved, it is quite clear that, in theory, she was not equally available to the state and to the appellant. The testimony in the case indicated that she participated fully in the abuse of the victim. In McMorris v. State,
"The availability of a witness to one or the other of the parties is determined initially by the party's superior knowledge of the existence and identity of the witness. Henry v. State,
355 So.2d 411 (Ala.Cr.App. 1978). Additionally, the relationship between the witness and the party that would reasonably be expected to affect the witness' personal interest in the outcome of the case is another factor to consider in determining to whom a witness is available. Brown v. State,50 Ala. App. 471 ,280 So.2d 177 ." See also, Henry v. State,355 So.2d 411 (Ala.Cr.App. 1978).
We conclude that the witness Anthony was less available to the state than to the defense under these rules.
The appellant and Joyce Anthony were not husband and wife at the time of the alleged incident, nor at the time of the trial.
This case is due to be affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- John Preston Anthony, Jr. v. State.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published