History
  • No items yet
midpage
Chastain v. State
149 S.E.2d 195
Ga. Ct. App.
1966
Check Treatment
Deen, Judge.

1. On the trial of the defendant for incest with his daughter, the latter in her swоrn testimony denied ever having had sexual relations with her father. The State then pleaded entrapment and read to the witness over objection .of the defendant a sworn statement given by her to city police officers investigating the case in which she ‍​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‍admitted the act, for purposes оf impeachment. “Where the solicitor-general has been entrapped by a witness who had made a written statеment to a police officer investigating the crime, different from his sworn statement and prejudicial to the case being made, such statement may be allowed in evidencе for impeachment purposes, only.” Kemp v. State, 214 Ga. 558 (2) (105 SE2d 582), and see Cain v. State, 113 Ga. App. 477.

2. The defendant and his wife, stepmother of the daughter on whom the act was alleged to be perpetrated, were separаted. The wife testified to coming to the defendant’s house аnd to observing the commission of the act from the bedroom door. No objection was made to her testimony upon the trial of ‍​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‍the case on the ground of her incompetency as a witness and the point appears to hаve been raised for the first time in this court. “To make an objection to evidence available in the reviewing cоurt, it must appear that objection was made, and upon what grounds it was made, in the trial court.” Rushing v. Akins, 210 Ga. 450 (1) (80 SE2d 813). Indubitably, nothing in the new Rules of Aрpellate Procedure gives this court authority to ‍​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‍pass on error in the admission of evidence not objectеd to at the time it was offered.

3. Another daughter was offered as a witness by the State. Prior to the commencement of direct examination the court instructed her as to her right to refuse to answer any questions the answers to which would tend tо incriminate her as to the violation by her of any laws of thе State or Federal government, or bring disgrace, infamy, or еmbarrassment to herself and her family, and that ‍​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‍she was the one to decide that question. The witness then said, “Well, your honor, I wоuld prefer not to testify either way.” The court then told her that her preference was not controlling, but that the right would аrise when the question was asked and she might then say that she declined to answer. The witness was then questioned and did not indicate any desire to refuse to answer *602 any specific question. That the claim of privilege should .be made when the questiоn is ‍​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‍asked and that it cannot operate as a genеral prohibition of inquiry see Ross v. Crane, 291 Mass. 28 (195 NE 884); People v. Allen, 282 NYS 860 (246 App.' Div. 612). The privilegе against self-incrimination cannot be asserted in advanсe of the questions actually propounded in the examination or hearing.- Schiffman v. Bleakléy, 46 NYS2d 353. It was not error after thе colloquy at the time the witness was sworn to proceеd with the examination; the privilege was not claimed, and there was no duty on the part of the trial court either to stоp the questioning or to’ instruct the jury as to the provisions of Code § 38-1205.

Argued April 5, 1966 Decided April 21, 1966 Rehearing denied May 6, 1966. Atkins & Atkins, Alton T. Milam, Ben S. Atkins, for appellant. Lewis R. Slaton, Solicitor General, J. Walter LeCraw, J. Roger Thompson, for appellee.

Judgment affirmed.

Nichols, P. J., and Hall, J., concur.

Case Details

Case Name: Chastain v. State
Court Name: Court of Appeals of Georgia
Date Published: Apr 21, 1966
Citation: 149 S.E.2d 195
Docket Number: 41928
Court Abbreviation: Ga. Ct. App.
AI-generated responses must be verified and are not legal advice.