State v. Labelle

• Decision Date: 06 January 1995
• Docket Number: No. 20649,20649
• Citation: 887 P.2d 1071,126 Idaho 564
• Parties: STATE of Idaho, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Timothy J. LABELLE, Defendant-Appellant. Moscow, October 1994 Term
• Court: Idaho Supreme Court

Page 1071

887 P.2d 1071

126 Idaho 564

STATE of Idaho, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Timothy J. LABELLE, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 20649.

Supreme Court of Idaho,

Moscow, October 1994 Term.

Jan. 6, 1995.

Knowlton, Miles, Merica & Brudie, P.A., Lewiston, for appellant. Charles E. Kovis argued.

Larry EchoHawk, Atty. Gen., and Lamont L. Anderson, Deputy Atty. Gen., Boise, for respondent. Lamont L. Anderson argued.

McDEVITT, Chief Justice.

I. BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURE

In July 1992, Timothy J. LaBelle (LaBelle) was charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor in violation of Idaho Code § 18-1508. The complaint was subsequently amended twice to add a third count of lewd conduct with a minor and amend the dates of the alleged offenses. After a preliminary hearing, an information was filed in October of 1992, in conformity with the allegations of the amended complaint.

The first count of the information alleged that LaBelle committed the offense of lewd conduct with a minor upon S.C. by genital-genital contact on or about April of 1990 to July of 1990 (at which time S.C. was four years old). The second count of the information alleged that LaBelle committed the offense of lewd conduct with a minor upon A.C. by genital-genital contact on or about April of 1990 to July of 1990 (at which time A.C. was five and a half years old). The third count of the information alleged that LaBelle committed the offense of lewd conduct with a minor upon L.H. by genital-genital and/or manual-genital contact on or about October of 1987 to September of 1989 (at which time L.H. was four to six years old). All three of the alleged minor victims were girls.

Prior to trial, LaBelle filed a motion for physical examinations of the three alleged victims. LaBelle argued that, because no physical examinations of the victims had ever been conducted, the examinations were necessary to determine whether there was physical evidence of molestation. Although LaBelle maintained that the absence of such evidence would corroborate his assertion that he had not molested the three girls, LaBelle presented no expert testimony that a physical examination of the victims two to three years after the alleged molestations would likely provide relevant evidence. The district court denied LaBelle's motion, concluding that it did not have authority to order such an examination and, that even if it did, LaBelle had not made a sufficient showing of necessity.

LaBelle also filed a pre-trial motion in limine to exclude evidence that he had engaged in acts of molestation with victims other than the three children named in the information (specifically, his daughter and step-daughter). The district court heard the testimony of LaBelle's daughter and step-daughter before trial, but reserved ruling on LaBelle's motion in limine until the testimony C.J., LaBelle's daughter, testified that LaBelle began molesting her sixteen years before, when she was four years old. C.J. testified that her father had molested her by touching her vagina and breast area with his hands. Similarly, T.A., LaBelle's step-daughter, testified that LaBelle began molesting her fourteen years before, when she was nine years old, by rubbing his genitals against her and putting lotion on her genitals.

[126 Idaho 566] of the three victims named in the information had been produced at trial.

At trial in March 1993, the three victims described how they met LaBelle and how he had molested them. S.C. and A.C. were sisters who had contact with LaBelle because their mother had a social relationship with him. S.C. testified that LaBelle had fondled her vaginal area with his fingers. A.C. testified that LaBelle touched his genitals to hers and used lotion in the process of molesting her; she was unsure whether or not penetration had occurred.

L.H. had contact with LaBelle because her mother moved in with him and LaBelle continued to baby sit her even after her mother was no longer living with LaBelle. L.H. testified that LaBelle molested her when baby sitting by rubbing her vagina with his hand and penetrating her vagina with his penis. She testified that this penetration was painful.

After hearing the above testimony of the three victims, the district court heard argument from the parties on whether or not the testimony of C.J. and T.A. should be admitted pursuant to I.R.E. 404(b). The district court ruled that the evidence was admissible both to establish the credibility of the victims in this case and to show a common plan or scheme.

LaBelle was convicted of all three counts of lewd conduct with a minor. The district court sentenced him to three concurrent indeterminate sentences of twenty years with the minimum ten-year sentence fixed.

On direct appeal, LaBelle challenges the denial of his motion for physical examinations, the admission of the testimony of his daughter and step-daughter, and the length of his sentences.

II. BECAUSE LABELLE PRESENTED NO EVIDENCE THAT PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE VICTIMS WOULD LIKELY PRODUCE RELEVANT EVIDENCE, THE DISTRICT COURT DID NOT ERR IN DENYING THE MOTION FOR EXAMINATIONS

Previously, this Court has explicitly reserved the question of whether or not a court in a criminal case has authority to order a physical examination of the victim in State v. Filson, 101 Idaho 381, 613 P.2d 938 (1980). Filson was a sexual assault case in which the defendant moved for a physical examination of the adult victim arguing that it was necessary to determine her virginity. The defendant in Filson did not make a sufficient showing of necessity because he was unable to show that a court-ordered physical examination would have revealed additional information not already available from the physical examination that had been conducted shortly after the assault took place. That initial examination had revealed no damage to the hymenal ring or vagina of the victim and no motile sperm or seminal fluid were detected. Accordingly, we concluded that the district court in Filson did not err in denying the motion and explained that:

As it is unnecessary to the resolution of this case to decide whether the court had power under I.R.C.P. 35(a) [providing for physical examination of a party in civil cases when the physical condition of the party is in controversy] or inherent power because the court declined to exercise it, we leave that question for another day when the resolution of such question may be necessary.

Id. at 384, 613 P.2d at 941.

LaBelle makes the same arguments in support of his contention that a court has authority to order physical examination of a LaBelle argues that this case is distinguishable from Filson, and that sufficient necessity was therefore established, because no physical examination of any of the three child victims was ever conducted. However, LaBelle's argument does not address his failure to present any evidence tending to show that an examination of the three children two to three years after the last alleged incident of abuse would have produced relevant evidence. While LaBelle's counsel argued that it was "real likely" there would be physical evidence of scarring and damage to the hymen if intercourse had occurred, the district court correctly ruled that counsel's assertion of personal knowledge unsupported by any evidence was insufficient. Moreover, the district court also pointed out that corroboration or refutation of penetration was not dispositive because penetration was not an element of the charged offense. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's denial of LaBelle's motion for physical examinations and explicitly reserve ruling on whether Idaho courts have inherent authority to order such examinations.

                [126 Idaho 567] victim that were put forth in Filson. 1  Also as in Filson, the district court here concluded that LaBelle had not made a sufficient showing of necessity to support the motion for physical examinations
                

III. THE EVIDENCE OF OTHER ACTS WAS RELEVANT AND THE DISTRICT COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN RULING THAT ITS PROBATIVE VALUE WAS NOT SUBSTANTIALLY OUTWEIGHED BY ITS PREJUDICIAL EFFECT

The district court's ruling, pursuant to I.R.E. 404(b), admitting evidence that LaBelle committed other acts of molestation is subject to free review on appeal as to relevancy. See State v. Grube, 126 Idaho 377, 883 P.2d 1069 (1994) (utilizing de novo review of relevancy under I.R.E. 404(a)). The district court's ruling that the probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice may be overturned only for an abuse of discretion. State v. Lewis, 126 Idaho 77, 82, 878 P.2d 776, 781 (1994).

LaBelle argues that C.J.'s and T.A.'s testimony that LaBelle sexually molested them as children was irrelevant. We review that argument by turning to State v. Moore, 120 Idaho 743, 819 P.2d 1143 (1991). The factual similarities between the two cases are...