1. Rape--statutory--conviction vacated--prior to amended statute
Defendant's conviction for statutory rape in case 97 CRS 20047 must be vacated because
defendant was convicted for having sex with a fourteen-year-old on 26 November 1995, five days
prior to the effective date of the amended statute charging statutory rape if the victim is under
fifteen, and the statutory rape law under N.C.G.S. § 14-27.2(a)(1) in effect at the time of the
crime stated the victim had to be under thirteen years of age.
2. Rape--sufficiency--statutory rape--exact date immaterial
Although defendant's conviction for statutory rape in case 97 CRS 20048 must be
remanded for resentencing since it was consolidated for the purpose of judgment with a vacated
conviction in 97 CRS 20047, the conviction in 97 CRS 20048 is affirmed because the indictment
charging that defendant committed the offense during the period from 22 November 1995 to 19
February 1996 is sufficient and the exact date is immaterial because the evidence at trial showed
the offense occurred in January 1996, when the victim was fourteen, thus satisfying the
requirements of amended statute N.C.G.S. § 14-27.7A.
3. Evidence--other crimes--void statutory rape charge--intent--knowledge--plan
Defendant is not entitled to a new trial on the charges for sexual activity by a custodian,
even though evidence was admitted on a void statutory rape charge, because the evidence was
relevant under N.C.G.S. § 8C-1, Rule 401 to show defendant's intent, knowledge, and plan.
4. Jury--peremptory challenge--racial discrimination--failure to make prima facie
showing
The trial court did not err in concluding that defendant failed to make a prima facie
showing that the State's use of its peremptory challenges was based on purposeful discrimination
because: (1) the prosecutor explained his challenge of one potential black juror was based on his
failure to disclose that he had previously been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a
minor, and the fact that the prosecutor thought the potential juror was not being truthful in his
answers to questions about other charges pending against him; (2) the prosecutor explained his
challenge of a second potential black juror was based on the fact that she was quiet, she would
not make eye contact with the prosecutor, she gave only yes and no answers, and she failed to
disclose her involvement in an assault case at her home; (3) the prosecutor did accept a black
juror on the panel, but that juror was later excused by defendant; (4) the prosecutor made no
comment tending to support an inference of racial discrimination; and (5) no showing was made
of any pattern of the State in exercising peremptory challenges solely to remove black jurors.
5. Sexual Offenses--sexual activity by a custodian--motion to dismiss--sufficiency of
evidence
The trial court did not err in denying defendant's motion to dismiss the charge of sexual
activity by a custodian in 97 CRS 20050 because: (1) the victim's testimony revealed that she
believed she was in a custodial relationship with defendant on the date of their sexual encounter;
(2) employees from the Youth Opportunity Home testified that the victim was still a participant in
their program on the date of the victim's sexual encounter with defendant; and (3) the Statedemonstrated sufficient evidence that defendant
was an employee of the Youth Opportunity
Home at that time.
6. Evidence--impeachment--collateral issue--no prejudicial error
Although the trial court erred in a prosecution for statutory rape and sexual activity by a
custodian when it allowed the impeachment of defendant's wife through the use of extrinsic
evidence from a policeman concerning the collateral issue of defendant pulling out a patch of his
wife's hair, defendant has failed to establish prejudice in light of the extensive evidence of
defendant's guilt.
7. Sentencing--aggravating factor--statutory rape--sexual activity by a custodian--
position of trust or confidence
The trial court did not err in finding as an aggravating factor for the statutory rape charges
that defendant took advantage of a position of trust or confidence because evidence used to prove
an element of the joined offense of sexual activity by a custodian could also be used to support an
aggravating factor for the separate offense of statutory rape.
Attorney General Michael F. Easley, by Assistant Attorney
General Joyce S. Rutledge, for the State.
Hough & Rabil, by S. Mark Rabil, for defendant-appellant.
EAGLES, Chief Judge.
The defendant, Kenneth Kenyon Crockett, was convicted of two
counts of statutory rape and four counts of sexual activity by a
custodian at the 14 September 1998 criminal session of Forsyth
County Superior Court.
The evidence presented at trial indicated that the defendant
worked as an employee of the Youth Opportunity Home in Winston-
Salem, North Carolina. The home provides food, shelter, and adult
supervision for abused, neglected juveniles.
Defendant had consensual sex with a sixteen-year-old female
resident named Candi Corvin on two occasions. The first occasionwas in March 1996, shortly after Ms. Corvin began staying at the
home. The second occasion was shortly after Ms. Corvin left the
home. On this occasion, Ms. Corvin contacted the defendant when he
was off-duty, using the pager number which he had previously given
her. Defendant picked Ms. Corvin up and took her to a hotel where
they had sex. Additionally, defendant had consensual sex with a
fourteen-year-old female resident named Sandra Ware in November,
1995 and in January, 1996.
The rules of the home directed that staff were not to have
sexual contact with the residents. Additionally, if a resident
tried to communicate with a staff member when the employee was not
on duty, the off-duty staff member was obliged to alert the on-duty
staff member to the resident's need. Further, the rules forbade
employees to give out their personal telephone numbers to
residents.
The defendant was convicted of two charges of statutory rape
and four charges of sexual activity by a custodian. Defendant
appeals.
[1]We first address whether the indictments for statutory
rape are fatally defective. Defendant was charged and convicted of
statutory rape in 97 CRS 20047 and 97 CRS 20048. In 97 CRS 20047,
the defendant was convicted for having sex with fourteen-year-old
Sandra Ware on 26 November 1995. On 26 November 1995, the date the
defendant and Ms. Ware had sex, the statutory rape law in effect
was N.C.G.S. § 14-27.2(a)(1). Under this law, the victim had to be
under thirteen years of age for the defendant to be charged with
statutory rape. Under an amended version of the statutory rapelaw, N.C.G.S. § 14-27.7A, defendants may be guilty of statutory
rape if the victim is under fifteen years of age. However, this
amended version did not become effective until 1 December 1995,
five days after defendant had sex with the fourteen-year-old. The
State concedes that the defendant's pre-December 1995 conviction
for statutory rape with a fourteen-year-old cannot stand.
Accordingly, we conclude that defendant's conviction in 97 CRS
20047 must be vacated.
[2]Defendant's convictions in 97 CRS 20047 and 97 CRS 20048
were consolidated for judgment. Defendant contends his conviction
in 97 CRS 20048 is also invalid. The indictments for both counts
charge that defendant committed statutory rape during the period
from 22 November 1995 to 19 February 1996. Defendant contends that
the indictments are impermissibly vague because they do not specify
the exact date the offense was committed.
An indictment is sufficient if it sets out a time period
during which the crime allegedly occurred. See State v. Hatfield,
128 N.C. App. 294, 299, 495 S.E.2d 163, 166, disc. review denied,
348 N.C. 75, 505 S.E.2d 881, cert. denied, 525 U.S. 887, 142 L. Ed.
2d 165 (1998). See also State v. Oliver, 85 N.C. App. 1, 7-8, 354
S.E.2d 527, 531, disc. review denied, 320 N.C. 174, 358 S.E.2d 64
(1987). In the case of 97 CRS 20048, the exact date that defendant
had sex with Sandra Ware is immaterial because the evidence at
trial showed that this offense occurred in January 1996 when the
victim was fourteen. This satisfied the requirements of the
amended statute, N.C.G.S. § 14-27.7A. Accordingly, we conclude
that the conviction in 97 CRS 20048 should be affirmed. Because 97CRS 20048 previously was consolidated for the purpose of judgment
with 97 CRS 20047, we remand 97 CRS 20048 to the superior court for
resentencing.
[3]Next we consider defendant's argument that he is entitled
to a new trial on the remaining charges for sexual activity by a
custodian because the admission of evidence on the void statutory
rape charge was irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial. We are not
persuaded.
The State argues that the evidence of defendant's sexual
activity with Ms. Ware in 1995 was relevant to establish intent,
motive, knowledge, as well as defendant's scheme of involving
himself with vulnerable, disturbed teenage girls at the home.
According to the State, this evidence was highly probative of an
intent and design to prey on vulnerable young women.
Under N.C.G.S. § 8C-1, Rule 401, '[r]elevant evidence' means
evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that
is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable
or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Further,
as a careful reading of Rule 404(b) clearly shows, evidence of
other offenses is admissible so long as it is relevant to any fact
or issue other than the character of the accused. State v.
Weaver, 318 N.C. 400, 403, 348 S.E.2d 791, 793 (1986) (quoting 1
Brandis on North Carolina Evidence § 91 (2d rev. ed. 1982)). Even
if the evidence may tend to show other crimes, or bad acts
committed by the defendant, the evidence is admissible under Rule
404(b) as long as it is relevant for some purpose other than to
show that defendant has the propensity for the type of conduct forwhich he is being tried. State v. Coffey, 326 N.C. 268, 279
, 389
S.E.2d 48, 54 (1990) (quoting State v. Morgan, 315 N.C. 626, 637,
340 S.E.2d 84, 91 (1986)). Here, the evidence is relevant to show
defendant's intent, knowledge and plan. Accordingly, we conclude
that defendant's argument is without merit; the defendant is not
entitled to a new trial on the remaining charges.
[4]Next, we consider whether the trial court erred in
concluding that there was no purposeful racial discrimination in
the peremptory challenges exercised by the State. Here, the
African American defendant was tried by an all-white jury. The
prosecutor exercised three peremptory challenges. Two of the three
excused were African Americans. Once the jury panel had been
selected, defendant moved the trial court to strike the jury panel
because, he argued, the prosecutor had challenged two jurors solely
on the basis of race. After the prosecutor gave his reasons for
the peremptory challenges, the trial court denied defendant's
motion. The court stated, since there has been no prima facie
case and since the State has shown nondiscriminatory reasons for
the exercises in the preemptory [sic] challenges, the Court would
conclude that the motion to discharge the twelve jurors selected on
the grounds of racial discrimination in the jury selection should
be and same is hereby denied.
When analyzing a claim of racial discrimination based on the
prosecution's use of peremptory challenges,
(1) defendant must establish a prima facie case that the
peremptory challenge was exercised on the basis of race,
and if this showing is made; (2) the burden shifts to
the prosecutor to offer a racially neutral explanation to
rebut defendant's prima facie case; and (3) the trialcourt must determine whether defendant has proven
purposeful discrimination.
State v. Smith, 351 N.C. 251, 262, 524 S.E.2d 28, 37 (2000) (citing
State v. Cummings, 346 N.C. 291, 308-9, 488 S.E.2d 550, 560 (1997),
cert. denied, 522 U.S. 1092, 139 L. Ed. 2d 873 (1998)). Here, the
trial court concluded that the defendant had not made a prima facie
showing that the peremptory challenges were exercised on the basis
of race. Nevertheless, the court allowed the State to offer an
explanation of its use of peremptory challenges. The prosecutor
explained his peremptory challenge of Mr. Farris by stating that
Mr. Farris had failed to disclose that he had previously been
charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The
prosecutor also explained that he did not think that Mr. Farris was
being truthful in his answers to questions about other charges
pending against him. The district attorney explained his challenge
of Ms. Fletcher by stating that she was quiet, would not make eye
contact with him, and gave only yes and no answers. The prosecutor
also stated that Ms. Fletcher failed to disclose her involvement in
an assault case at her home.
Where the trial court rules that a defendant has failed to
make a prima facie showing, our review is limited to whether the
trial court erred in finding that defendant failed to make a prima
facie showing, even if the State offers reasons for its exercise of
the peremptory challenges. Smith, ___ N.C. at ___, 524 S.E.2d at
37 (citing State v. Hoffman, 348 N.C. 548, 554, 500 S.E.2d 718,722-23 (1998)). In determining whether a defendant has made a
prima facie showing that the peremptory challenge was exercised on
the basis of race, one of the factors for our consideration is
whether the prosecution accepted other African American jurors.
See Smith, 351 N.C. at 263, 524 S.E.2d at 37. Here, the prosecutor
did accept an African American woman on the panel. However, this
juror was later excused by the defendant. Another factor to review
in evaluating the peremptory challenges is whether the prosecutor
made racially motivated statements or asked racially motivated
questions of black prospective jurors that raise an inference of
discrimination. See State v. Gregory, 340 N.C. 365, 397-98, 459
S.E.2d 638, 656 (1995), cert. denied, 517 U.S. 1108, 134 L. Ed. 2d
478 (1996). Our careful review of the trial transcript indicates
that the district attorney made no comment tending to support an
inference of racial discrimination.
Finally, we note that the trial court's determination
regarding peremptory challenges will be upheld unless the appellate
court is convinced that the trial court's decision is clearlyerroneous. See State v. White, 349 N.C. 535, 549, 508 S.E.2d 253,
262 (1998), cert. denied, 527 U.S. 1026, 144 L. Ed. 2d 779 (1999).
Since the trial court's findings as to purposeful discrimination
depend in large measure on its evaluation of credibility, they are
given great deference . . . . Id. Here, the trial court found
that [n]o showing has been made with regard to the questioning
procedure of the State or any pattern of the State in exercising
peremptory challenges solely to remove African Americans. We
conclude that the trial court did not err in determining that the
defendant failed to make a prima facie showing of racial
discrimination and that there was no purposeful racial
discrimination in the peremptory challenges exercised by the State.
[5]Next, we consider whether the trial court erred in denying
the motion to dismiss the charge of sexual activity by a custodian
in 97 CRS 20050. In 97 CRS 20050, defendant is charged with having
sex with Candi Corvin on 23 April 1996 at a hotel. The defendant
argues that the State failed to offer substantial evidence that Ms.
Corvin was in the custody of the Youth Opportunity Home at the time
of this incident. Additionally, defendant asserts that the State
did not offer substantial evidence that the defendant was an
employee of the Youth Opportunity Home at the time he and the
victim engaged in sexual activity. The State counters by asserting
that there was adequate evidence at trial to support the conclusion
that (1) defendant engaged in a sexual act with a person over whom
his employer had custody on 23 April 1996, and (2) defendant was an
employee of the home at the time of this sexual act. Where the defendant raises a sufficiency of the evidence
claim, the trial court must view the evidence in the light most
favorable to the State. See State v. Roddey, 110 N.C. App. 810,
813, 431 S.E.2d 245, 247 (1993). If there is substantial evidence
-- whether direct, circumstantial, or both -- to support a finding
that the offense charged has been committed and that the defendant
committed it, the case is for the jury and the motion to dismiss
should be denied. Id. (quoting State v. Small, 328 N.C. 175, 180,
400 S.E.2d 413, 415-16 (1991)).
Here, the defendant relies on Ms. Corvin's testimony at trial
indicating that she had sex with defendant in April after she had
voluntarily left the Youth Opportunity Home. Records from the
Youth Home show that Ms. Corvin left the home on 20 April 1996 and
did not return. Ms. Corvin testified that she was living in an
apartment complex at the time she called defendant. They met and
had sex at a Holiday Inn on 23 April 1996.
The State argues that Ms. Corvin was still enrolled in the
home and still in a custodial relationship with the defendant on
the date of the incident. Some time after Ms. Corvin and defendant
had sex the first time in March 1996, while Ms. Corvin was still
living at the home, defendant gave her his pager number for her to
call him any time I needed anything or anytime I just needed
somebody to talk to. After Ms. Corvin ran away from the home, she
testified, I wasn't very happy and there wasn't a lot of food
available. So I paged him [defendant] to see if he could come and
get me or help me or whatever. In response to her request forhelp, defendant bought her a meal at McDonald's and then took her
to the hotel where he had sex with her. When the State asked Ms.
Corvin whether she had placed trust in the defendant, she
responded, Yes. That was natural because he was a counselor. I
thought I was -- he was suppose [sic] to -- I thought I was suppose
[sic] to be able to trust him. Ms. Corvin's testimony indicates
that she believed she was in a custodial relationship with
defendant on the date of their sexual encounter.
Additionally, employees from the home testified that Ms.
Corvin was still a participant in their program as of 23 April
1996. Some of her belongings were at the home. Her bed was held
open for her until 26 April 1996. Employees continued to make
daily notes about Ms. Corvin after she ran away; she was listed in
the home's records as a resident until 26 April 1996. Accordingly,
we conclude that the State demonstrated sufficient evidence that
Ms. Corvin was in the custody of the Youth Opportunity Home at the
time of the 23 April 1996 encounter.
We turn to defendant's assertion that the State did not offer
substantial evidence that defendant was an employee of the Youth
Home at the time he and the victim engaged in sexual activity on 23
April 1996. Defendant argues that he was not employed by the home
on the date of the incident. He relies on testimony from Mr.
Beasley, the CEO of the Youth Home, that the defendant was
terminated as a full time employee on 27 March 1996.
However, Mr. Beasley also testified that defendant was working
as a temporary fill in employee after late March. He testifiedthat the defendant worked the second and third shifts at the home
between March 1996 and 20 April 1996. Additionally, the defendant
worked at the home after the 23 April 1996 incident; he worked on
21 May 1996. Defendant was not terminated from his position as a
fill in employee until August 1996. We conclude that the State
demonstrated sufficient evidence that defendant was an employee of
the Youth Opportunity Home at the time of the 23 April 1996
encounter. Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not
err in denying defendant's motion to dismiss the charge of sexual
activity by a custodian in 97 CRS 20050.
[6]Next we consider whether the trial court erred in
permitting the impeachment of defendant's wife. At trial
defendant's wife gave alibi testimony indicating that she and
defendant celebrated their wedding anniversary by spending a few
hours together at the Holiday Inn in late April 1996. On cross
examination, the prosecutor asked Mrs. Crockett whether the
defendant had ever pulled her hair out. She answered, no. The
State later impeached Mrs. Crockett through the use of extrinsic
evidence from a policeman, Officer Bowens. Over objection, Officer
Bowens testified that he had gone to the defendant's home after
Mrs. Crockett had called the police. He stated, Mrs. Crockett
admitted she bit him [defendant] on his hand, when he grabbed her
face and pulled a small patch of hair from her head.
A witness' prior inconsistent statements are admissible to
shed light on the witness' credibility. See State v. Workman, 344
N.C. 482, 504, 476 S.E.2d 301, 313 (1996). When a priorinconsistent statement by a witness relates to material facts in
the witness' testimony, the prior statement may be proved by
extrinsic evidence. State v. Jones, 347 N.C. 193, 205, 491 S.E.2d
641, 648 (1997) (citing 1 Kenneth S. Broun, Brandis & Broun on
North Carolina Evidence § 161 (4th ed. 1993)). Facts are material
when they involve matters pertinent to the pending inquiry. See
State v. Larrimore, 340 N.C. 119, 146, 456 S.E.2d 789, 803 (1995).
However, when the facts are immaterial to the pending inquiry,
[i]t is a general rule of evidence in North Carolina 'that answers
made by a witness to collateral questions on cross-examination are
conclusive, and that the party who draws out such answers will not
be permitted to contradict them . . . .' State v. Robinette, 39
N.C. App. 622, 625, 251 S.E.2d 635, 637 (1979) (quoting State v.
Long, 280 N.C. 633, 639, 187 S.E.2d 47, 50 (1972)). Here, Mrs.
Crockett's statement to Officer Bowen that defendant had pulled out
a patch of hair is collateral to the main issues in the
prosecution, and should not have been admitted.
Nevertheless, the defendant has failed to establish prejudice
sufficient to constitute grounds for a new trial. A defendant is
prejudiced . . . when there is a reasonable possibility that, had
the error in question not been committed, a different result would
have been reached at the trial . . . . N.C.G.S. § 15A-1443(a).
Officer Bowen's statement does not rise to this level; in light of
the State's evidence as a whole, it could not have tilted the
scales against the defendant. Here, the State produced the
testimony of Candi Corvin and Sandra Ware describing thedefendant's sexual encounters with them. This testimony was
corroborated by the testimony of Pamela Stuart, a Department of
Social Services employee, and by the testimony of Mickey Hutchens,
a Winston-Salem police officer. In light of the extensive evidence
of defendant's guilt, the trial court's admission of Officer
Bowen's statement cannot be said to constitute prejudicial error.
This assignment of error is overruled.
[7]Finally, we consider whether the trial court erred in
finding as an aggravating factor for the statutory rape charges, 97
CRS 20047 and 97 CRS 20048, that defendant took advantage of a
position of trust or confidence. Defendant argues that the
evidence that proved the aggravating factor was necessary to prove
the custodial element of the joined offense of sexual activity by
a custodian. Defendant concedes in his brief that his argument is
not supported by current North Carolina law. Evidence used to
prove an element of one offense may also be used to support an
aggravating factor of a separate joined offense. See State v.
Farlow, 336 N.C. 534, 444 S.E.2d 913 (1994). Accordingly, we
conclude that defendant's argument lacks merit and overrule this
assignment of error.
For the reasons stated above, we find no prejudicial error in
defendant's convictions for sexual activity by a custodian.
However, we vacate the judgment for statutory rape in 97 CRS 20047
and remand for resentencing in 97 CRS 20048.
Affirmed in part, vacated in part and remanded.
Judges McGEE and HORTON concur.
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