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1. Appeal and Error--preservation of issues--failure to argue
The six assignments of error that respondent juvenile failed to argue in his brief are
deemed abandoned under N.C. R. App. P. 28(b)(6).
2. Appeal and Error--preservation of issues-_challenge to sufficiency of evidence--
failure to make motion to dismiss at close of all evidence
Although respondent juvenile contends the trial court erred by finding him to be
delinquent based upon his contention that the State failed to present sufficient evidence that he
committed the offense of involuntary manslaughter, this assignment of error is dismissed because
the juvenile failed to make a motion to dismiss the petition at the close of all evidence, thus
waiving his right to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence against him.
3. Juveniles_-delinquency--denial of motion to close hearing to public_-no showing of
good cause
The trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying respondent juvenile's motion to
close his delinquency hearing to the public, because: (1) the court made detailed findings of fact
concerning the facts of the case, the media coverage of it, and the fact that the general public in
the community was not only aware of the case, but also that the then eight-year-old juvenile had
been charged with killing a three-year-old child; (2) the court conducted a thorough hearing on
the issue as to whether to close the juvenile's hearing when it heard arguments from both parties
and testimony from a detective and the juvenile's mother; and (3) the court's ruling is not one
that is manifestly unsupported or arbitrary.
4. Appeal and Error--preservation of issues--failure to assign error
Although respondent juvenile contends that he was subjected to three separate instances
of unlawful confinement, the juvenile failed to preserve his appeal on the two prior instances of
confinement because his assignment of error only addresses the third instance of confinement
from the entry of the 21 December 2004 disposition order until 28 February 2005.
5. Juveniles--delinquency--lawfulness of confinement
The trial court did not err in a juvenile delinquency case arising out of the charge of
involuntary manslaughter by concluding that respondent juvenile was not unlawfully confined
pending appeal and/or other placement based on a 21 December 2004 dispositional order,
because: (1) the trial court was authorized to grant custody of the juvenile to DSS for purposes of
obtaining necessary evaluation and treatment pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-2506(1)(c), and further,
the trial court complied with the requirements of N.C.G.S. § 7B-906 by ordering that a review
hearing take place within ninety days of the 30 November 2004 dispositional hearing; (2) the
juvenile's placement in a Level III or IV residential treatment facility was authorized by N.C.G.S.
§ 7B-2506(14), and the court was permitted to order this type of dispositional alternative when
the court found the juvenile had a history of aggressive behavior directed at younger children and
that a facility that offered twenty-four-hour monitoring would ensure that he did not cause any
further harm to other children; (3) although the juvenile contends the court was not permitted toorder his confinement for a period longer than fourteen days, N.C.G.S. § 7B-2506(20) does not
apply since he was not ordered to be confined in a juvenile detention facility but instead was
ordered to be placed in a residential treatment facility; and (4) the temporary order entered on the
same day as the 21 December 2004 disposition order which also ordered the juvenile to remain in
custody of DSS and to be placed in a residential treatment facility for ninety days for evaluation
purposes was authorized under N.C.G.S. § 7B-2605 when the juvenile's parents were unwilling
to consent to the level of evaluation and treatment necessary.
Attorney General Roy A. Cooper, III, by Assistant Attorney
General M. Lynne Weaver, for the State.
Sofie W. Hosford, for juvenile-appellant.
JACKSON, Judge.
Malik Beverly (Malik), age three, was reported missing by
his babysitter on 2 September 2004 shortly after 7:30 p.m. Malik,
who was being cared for while his mother was at work, had been
outside playing much of the afternoon with his older sister. The
two had been seen playing around various homes in the trailer park,
and at one point were seen pouring water from a bucket into an open
septic tank in the yard of one of the trailers. This particular
septic tank was damaged and did not have a proper cover. It
usually was covered with a large piece of plywood with a rock on
top of the plywood. K.T.L. (juvenile), who was then eight years
old, lived in the same trailer park in which Malik and his sister
were playing, and he was seen playing with the two children at
about 6:50 p.m. that evening. After a search of the trailer park, police and residents found
Malik's body floating in the septic tank into which he previously
had been seen pouring water with his sister. The septic tank had
been covered by an eighteen pound piece of plywood, which had a
thirty pound rock and bucket, containing about an inch of water,
sitting atop the plywood. An autopsy determined that the cause of
Malik's death was drowning. The autopsy revealed a bruise on the
top of Malik's head which appeared to have resulted from a blunt
force injury, and would not have been consistent with a fall.
Malik's body also showed a scrape about two and one half inches
long on the front of his stomach, which was indicative of his
having been moved over a slightly rough surface, such as pavement
or concrete.
On 3 September 2004, Dayquan Bazemore, a fifth grader at
juvenile's school, was on juvenile's school bus when juvenile asked
Dayquan if he had heard what happened the night before. Dayquan
testified that juvenile stated that he and a little boy had been
playing, and that after beginning to fight juvenile slammed him in
the road. Dayquan stated that juvenile then told him that
juvenile thought he was dead so I drug him over to the septic tank
and threw him in. Dayquan testified that juvenile had a smile on
his face while he was talking.
Monisha Holley, also a fifth grader, was on the same bus as
Dayquan and juvenile on the morning of 3 September 2004. When she
boarded the bus, she asked Dayquan and juvenile if they had heard
what happened the night before. Juvenile responded Yes, to whichDayquan asked juvenile why he had done that to him, referring to
the little boy. Juvenile told the two fifth graders that I didn't
do nothing to him, I was just beating him up. Dayquan asked
juvenile Well how did he die then?, to which juvenile replied,
Because I threw him in the septic tank. Monisha testified that
shortly thereafter, she heard juvenile and Dayquan talking and that
juvenile stated that it was funny when he threw him, referring to
the little boy, into the septic tank. Monisha also stated that
juvenile sometimes liked to brag to the other children, and that in
the past he had threatened children on the school bus.
On 20 September 2004, the State issued a juvenile petition
against juvenile, charging him with involuntary manslaughter in
violation of North Carolina General Statutes, section 14-18. On 22
September 2004, the State called juvenile's case for a hearing, at
which time juvenile and the State jointly moved that the hearing be
closed. Following testimony from a detective and juvenile's
mother, the trial court denied the parties' motions and ordered
juvenile's hearing to be open to the public.
After three days of evidence, the trial court adjudicated
juvenile delinquent on 3 November 2004, finding that he had
committed the offense of involuntary manslaughter. Juvenile was
ordered to remain in custody pending his dispositional hearing, so
that he could receive a comprehensive evaluation of his needs. On
30 November 2004 the trial court heard evidence from both parties
regarding disposition, and announced that it would issue its
decision by written order to be entered on 21 December 2004. Juvenile was ordered to remain in secure custody pending the entry
of the disposition order.
On 21 December 2004, the court entered its disposition order,
and ordered that juvenile be placed in the custody of Bertie County
Department of Social Services (DSS) so that he could be placed in
a Level III or IV residential treatment facility that provided 24-
hour monitoring for a period not to exceed 90 days. The purpose of
this placement was so that juvenile's emotional needs could be
evaluated throughly, and so that the court could make a well-
informed decision regarding juvenile's final disposition. Juvenile
also was placed on intensive probation for one year. The court
ordered the matter to be reviewed on 28 February 2005, at which
time the court would be presented with the results of juvenile's
evaluation, including recommendations as to treatment and placement
necessary to meet juvenile's emotional needs. Juvenile appeals
from both the adjudication and dispositional orders.
[1] We begin by noting that juvenile asserts ten assignments
of error in the record on appeal, however he presents arguments as
to only four of the assignments of error in his brief. The
remaining six assignments of error, for which no argument was
presented, are therefore deemed abandoned. N.C. R. App. P.
28(b)(6) (2005).
[2] In his first assignment of error, juvenile asserts the
trial court erred in finding he was delinquent, based on the
State's failure to present sufficient evidence that he committed
the offense of involuntary manslaughter. In order to challenge thesufficiency of the evidence, a juvenile may make a motion to
dismiss the petition at the close of the State's evidence during
the adjudicatory hearing. In re Clapp, 137 N.C. App. 14, 19, 526
S.E.2d 689, 693 (2000); In re Davis, 126 N.C. App. 64, 65-66, 483
S.E.2d 440, 441 (1997). However, if a defendant [or juvenile]
fails to move to dismiss the action . . . at the close of all the
evidence, he may not challenge on appeal the sufficiency of the
evidence to prove the crime charged. N.C. R. App. 10(b)(3)
(2005); see also, In re Hartsock, 158 N.C. App. 287, 291, 580
S.E.2d 395, 398 (2003); In re Lineberry, 154 N.C. App. 246, 249,
572 S.E.2d 229, 232 (2002), cert. denied, 356 N.C. 672, 577 S.E.2d
624 (2003). In the instant case, juvenile failed to make a motion
to dismiss the petition at the close of all evidence, thus waiving
his right to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence against him.
As juvenile has failed to preserve his right to appeal on this
issue, this assignment of error is dismissed.
[3] Juvenile next contends the trial court abused its
discretion in denying his motion to close juvenile's delinquency
hearing to the public. At juvenile's first appearance on 22
September 2004, both juvenile and the State moved for the hearings
to be closed to the public. After hearing testimony from
juvenile's mother and a detective who investigated the death of
Malik Beverly, the trial court denied the parties' motions and
ruled that juvenile's hearing would be open pursuant to North
Carolina General Statutes, section 7B-2402. North Carolina General Statutes, section 7B-2402 provides that
all juvenile hearings will be open to the public unless the court
closes the hearing or part of the hearing for good cause, upon
motion of a party or its own motion. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2402
(2004). The trial court must consider a number of factors in
determining whether good cause exists for the hearing to be closed.
Factors to be considered by the court include, but are not limited
to:
(1) The nature of the allegations against the
juvenile;
(2) The age and maturity of the juvenile;
(3) The benefit to the juvenile of
confidentiality;
(4) The benefit to the public of an open
hearing; and
(5) The extent to which the confidentiality
of the juvenile's file will be
compromised by an open hearing.
Id. The decision to close a juvenile hearing to the public is one
that lies within the discretion of the trial court. In re Potts,
14 N.C. App. 387, 391-92, 188 S.E.2d 643, 646, cert. denied, 281
N.C. 622, 190 S.E.2d 471 (1972). An abuse of discretion will be
found only 'where the court's ruling is manifestly unsupported by
reason or is so arbitrary that it could not have been the result of
a reasoned decision.' State v. Campbell, 359 N.C. 644, 673, 617
S.E.2d 1, 19 (2005) (quoting State v. Hennis, 323 N.C. 279, 285,
372 S.E.2d 523, 527 (1988)).
During the hearing on juvenile's motion to close the hearings
to the public, the detective, who investigated and handled the case
involving the death of Malik Beverly, stated that there were
approximately seventy-five people who lived in the trailer parkwhere Malik's body was found. He stated that the circumstances
surrounding Malik's death had become known within the community,
and that the death and details surrounding it had been reported by
both the local television and print media. After the petition had
been drawn charging juvenile with the offense, the detective
received numerous calls from citizens in the community asking about
the case and saying that they had heard about it on the news. The
detective also stated that juvenile lives in the trailer park where
Malik's body was found. Juvenile's mother, who presented brief
testimony during the hearing, stated that she likely would not
return juvenile to the public school once he is released.
Following the testimony, the trial court made detailed
findings of fact concerning the facts of the case, the media
coverage of it, and the fact that the general public in the
community is not only aware of the case, but also that juvenile has
been charged with killing Malik. The court went on to conclude as
a matter of law, that it had considered each of the factors listed
in North Carolina General Statutes, section 7B-2402, and that after
weighing the factors, there was insufficient cause to close
juvenile's hearing and good cause existed to keep the hearing open
to the public. We hold the trial court conducted a thorough
hearing on the issue as to whether or not to close juvenile's
hearing, in that the court heard arguments from both parties and
testimony from the detective and juvenile's mother. After
reviewing the evidence, the trial court exercised its discretion
and denied the parties' motions. We hold that the trial court'sruling is not one that is manifestly unsupported or arbitrary, and
as such, we hold the trial court did not abuse its discretion in
denying parties' motions to close juvenile's hearings to the
public.
[4] Finally, juvenile argues he was confined unlawfully and
that the trial court's 21 December 2004 dispositional order should
be vacated. Juvenile's assignment of error on this issue states
that [t]he trial court erred when it ordered the juvenile detained
pending appeal and/or other placement. The assignment of error
specifically references only the 21 December 2004 dispositional
order, in which the trial court ordered juvenile to be placed in
the custody of DSS, with placement in a residential treatment
facility for no more than ninety days, and that pending this
placement, juvenile was to remain in secure custody.
On appeal, juvenile address three separate instances of
confinement in his brief, and presents arguments that each of them
was unlawful. Specifically, juvenile contends that he was
subjected to three separate instances of unlawful confinement: (1)
from the trial court's 3 November 2004 adjudication order until the
30 November 2004 dispositional hearing; (2) from the 30 November
2004 dispositional hearing until the entry of the court's 21
December 2004 dispositional order; and (3) from the entry of 21
December 2004 dispositional order until the 28 February 2005 review
hearing. As juvenile's assignment of error only addresses the
third instance of confinement, the confinement from the entry of
the 21 December 2004 disposition order until the 28 February 2005review hearing, the issues of juvenile's confinement post-
adjudication and leading up to the entry of the dispositional order
are beyond the scope of juvenile's assignment of error. Therefore,
we hold juvenile has failed to preserve his appeal on the prior
instances of confinement, and the issues of juvenile's confinement
prior to the entry of the dispositional order are not properly
before this Court. N.C. R. App. P. 10(a) (2005) (the scope of
review on appeal is confined to a consideration of those
assignments of error set out in the record on appeal); State v.
Wiggins, 161 N.C. App. 583, 591, 589 S.E.2d 402, 408 (2003) (To
the extent defendant raised arguments in his brief beyond the scope
of this assignment of error, they are not properly before this
Court.). Thus, we need only address juvenile's confinement
following the entry of the dispositional order.
[5] On 21 December 2004, the trial court entered a Level I
and Level II Delinquency Disposition Order stating, inter alia,
that: (1) juvenile was to be placed on intensive probation for one
year, terminating on 21 December 2005; (2) juvenile was to be
placed in the custody of DSS; (3) juvenile was to be placed in a
Level III or IV residential treatment facility that provides
twenty-four-hour monitoring for a period not to exceed ninety days,
in order for his emotional needs to be evaluated; (4) pending
placement in the residential treatment facility, juvenile was to be
retained in secure custody pursuant to section 7B-1903(c); (5) at
a review hearing to be held 28 February 2005, the court was to be
provided with the results of juvenile's evaluation andrecommendations as to placement necessary to meet juvenile's
emotional needs; and (6) juvenile was ordered to complete fifty
hours of community service, remain on good behavior and not violate
any laws, not possess any firearms, and submit to warrantless
searches for firearms at reasonable times.
The offense for which juvenile was adjudicated delinquent was
involuntary manslaughter, a Class F offense, which is considered a
serious offense pursuant to our Juvenile Code. N.C. Gen. Stat.
§ 7B-2508(a)(2) (2004). The trial court found that juvenile had no
prior history of delinquency, and that based on the provisions of
section 7B-2507, juvenile's delinquency history level was
determined to be low. Therefore, pursuant to section 7B-2508(f),
juvenile could be sentenced under either a Level 1 or Level 2
disposition. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2508(f) (2004).
Level 2 dispositions, as provided for by section 7B-2508(d),
allow a trial court, with jurisdiction over a juvenile who has been
adjudicated delinquent and found to be subject to a Level 2
disposition, to
provide for evaluation and treatment under
[N.C. Gen. Stat. §] 7B-2502 and for any of the
dispositional alternatives contained in
subdivisions (1) through (23) of [N.C. Gen.
Stat. §] 7B-2506, but shall provide for at
least one of the intermediate dispositions
authorized in subdivisions (13) through (23)
of [N.C. Gen. Stat. §] 7B-2506.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2508(d) (2004). North Carolina General
Statutes, section 7B-2506 provides numerous dispositional
alternatives from which a court may choose once a juvenile has been
adjudicated delinquent. See, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2506 (2004). Specifically, section 7B-2506(1)(c) provides as one dispositional
alternative available to the trial court:
In the case of any juvenile who needs more
adequate care or supervision or who needs
placement, the judge may:
. . .
c. Place the juvenile in the custody of the
department of social services in the
county of his residence . . . . An order
placing a juvenile in the custody or
placement responsibility of a county
department of social services shall
contain a finding that the juvenile's
continuation in the juvenile's own home
would be contrary to the juvenile's best
interest. This placement shall be
reviewed in accordance with [N.C. Gen.
Stat. §] 7B-906.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2506(1)(c) (2004). Section 7B-906 provides
that in all cases where custody is removed from a parent . . . the
court shall conduct a review hearing within 90 days from the date
of the dispositional hearing . . . . N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-906(a)
(2004).
In the present case, the trial court's detailed dispositional
order removed custody of juvenile from his parents, and placed him
in the custody of DSS. The trial court did so based on its finding
that it was contrary to juvenile's best interest for him to return
home at the time, and the fact that his parents were not willing to
authorize his placement in a facility that provided twenty-four-
hour monitoring so that he could obtain further evaluation. The
trial court found that when placed in the custody of DSS, DSS would
then have the authority to authorize and consent to juvenile's
placement for further evaluation of his emotional needs. Uponremoving juvenile from the custody of his parents and granting
custody to DSS, the trial court ordered a review hearing to be held
on 28 February 2005, at which time juvenile's emotional needs would
be assessed and the court would determine if further treatment was
needed. We hold the trial court was authorized to grant custody of
juvenile to DSS for purposes of obtaining necessary evaluation and
treatment pursuant to section 7B-2506(1)(c), and further, the trial
court complied with the requirements of section 7B-906 by ordering
that a review hearing take place within ninety days of the 30
November 2004 dispositional hearing.
Similarly, juvenile's placement in a Level III or IV
residential treatment facility also was authorized by statute, and
the court was permitted to order this type of dispositional
alternative. North Carolina General Statutes, section 7B-2506(14)
provides that when a juvenile has been adjudicated delinquent, a
trial court may [o]rder the juvenile to cooperate with placement
in a residential treatment facility, an intensive nonresidential
treatment program, an intensive substance abuse program, or in a
group home other than a multipurpose group home operated by a State
agency. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2506(14) (2004). In the instant
case, the court found that juvenile had a history of aggressive
behavior directed at younger children, and that a facility that
offered twenty-four-hour monitoring would ensure that juvenile did
not cause any further harm to other children. Thus, upon finding
that juvenile posed a high risk to re-offend, and that he needed an
extensive emotional evaluation to determine if he required aclinical diagnosis, the trial court had valid reason to order
juvenile placed in a residential treatment facility that would
provide the evaluation and treatment that he needed. As section
7B-2506(14) permitted this type of dispositional alternative, we
hold the trial court did not commit error in ordering juvenile's
placement in a residential treatment facility.
Juvenile argues that the trial court was not permitted to
order his confinement for a period longer than fourteen days.
Juvenile's argument is misplaced. North Carolina General Statutes,
section 7B-2506(20) provides that a juvenile may be confined in an
approved juvenile detention facility for a term of up to 14 24-hour
periods. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2506(20) (2004). This section of
the statute is inapplicable to juvenile's case, as juvenile was not
ordered to be confined in a juvenile detention facility, and was
instead ordered to be placed in a residential treatment facility.
As such, juvenile's argument on this basis fails.
On 21 December 2004, the same day the trial court entered the
dispositional order, the court also entered a Temporary Order
Affecting Custody and Placement, which provided for juvenile's
custody and placement pending the appeal of his disposition order.
This temporary order, in all material aspects, was identical to the
court's dispositional order. We hold the temporary order, which
also ordered juvenile to remain in custody of DSS and to be placed
in a residential treatment facility for ninety days for evaluation
purposes, was authorized pursuant to North Carolina General
Statutes, section 7B-2605. Section 7B-2605 provides that: Pending disposition of an appeal, the release
of the juvenile, with or without conditions,
should issue in every case unless the court
orders otherwise. For compelling reasons
which must be stated in writing, the court may
enter a temporary order affecting the custody
or placement of the juvenile as the court
finds to be in the best interests of the
juvenile or the State.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7B-2605 (2004). In the instant case, the trial
court made, in writing, specific findings of fact and conclusions
of law, stating that it was not in juvenile's best interest to
return home at the present time, and that it was in his best
interest to be placed in a residential treatment facility where he
would receive the evaluation and treatment he needed. The court
stated that juvenile's parents were unwilling to consent to the
level of evaluation juvenile needed, and that it therefore was
necessary that DSS be granted custody of juvenile. We hold the
trial court acted properly in entering its temporary order which
stated compelling reasons authorizing, pending appeal of his
disposition order, DSS to be granted custody of juvenile and his
placement in a residential treatment facility.
Affirmed.
Judges BRYANT and CALABRIA concurs.
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