Younger v. State, 48003

• Decision Date: 07 October 1974
• Docket Number: No. 48003,48003
• Parties: Sylvester YOUNGER v. STATE of Mississippi.
• Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Page 300

301 So.2d 300

Sylvester YOUNGER v. STATE of Mississippi.

No. 48003.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

Oct. 7, 1974.

Rehearing Denied Oct. 28, 1974.

Constance Iona Slaughter, Forest, for appellant.

A. F. Summer, Atty. Gen., by William D. Boerner, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee.

INZER, Justice:

Appellant Sylvester Younger was indicted, tried and convicted in the Circuit Court of Scott County for using obscene, indecent language over the telephone in violation of Section 2291.5, Mississippi Code 1942 Annotated (Supp.1972) (Section 97-29-45, Miss.Code Annot. (1972)). Appellant was sentenced to serve a term of two years in the State Penitentiary. From this conviction and sentence he appeals. We affirm.

The uncontradicted facts in this case reveal for several weeks prior to September 22, 1973, Mrs. Ellen Thrash, a resident of Morton, had been receiving obscene telephone calls. Shortly after she started receiving these calls she complained to the telephone company. The telephone company directed that she keep a log of the calls and report them. This she did, and when the calls persisted, the security department of the telephone company authorized the placement of a holding device, commonly referred to as a trap, on the line leading to the residence of Mrs. Thrash. This device allowed Mrs. Thrash complete control over all calls she received in that by not hanging up the receiver of her telephone, she could maintain connection between her telephone and the caller regardless of what the caller did. The caller could not make another call until the connection was broken by Mrs. Thrash hanging up the receiver on her telephone. Mrs. Thrash was directed by the company to leave her receiver off the hook when she received another obscene call and notify the company over another telephone so that the call could be traced.

At about 3:00 a. m. on September 23, 1973, the telephone in the home of Mrs. Thrash rang. She answered the call and speaking softly in a sort of a whisper the caller said:

. . . (T)his is a black man. Don't hang up. Don't be afraid. I want to fuck you. Will you meet me somewhere? Do you want to fuck me?

Mrs. Thrash made no response and placed the receiver under her pillow and went back to sleep. The next morning the telephone company was informed of what happened. The company had two of its employees to trace out the line to determine the telephone which was still connected to Mrs. Thrash's telephone. The trace revealed that the telephone connected to the Thrash telephone was listed in the name of Mrs. Sara Younger, the mother of appellant.

At this point John Coleman, an investigator for the Mississippi Highway Patrol, was advised of what had happened. Coleman contacted Mr. Lauris Sessums, the city marshal of Morton, and asked him to go to the Younger home and pick up the telephone and begin talking. Coleman then went to the Thrash home. The receiver of the Thrash telephone was still off the hook, and Coleman picked it up and listened. When Sessums reached the Younger residence he received permission from Mrs. Younger to use the telephone. He picked up the receiver and talked with Coleman. Sessums noticed that the telephone was in a room which appeared to be occupied by a man. Mrs. Younger told him that the only other person who lived in the home was her son, Sylvester Younger, and that he was the last person to use the telephone.

Appellant was arrested and after being warned of his Miranda rights made a statement in which he admitted he had been calling telephone numbers at random and when he reached home that morning at about 3:00 a. m. he had called a number that turned out to be the Thrash number.

Appellant assigns several grounds for the reversal of his conviction, but we will only discuss the errors assigned that merit discussion.

It is contended that the trial court was in error in denying appellant's motion to suppress the confession that was introduced in evidence. Appellant was the only witness who testified in support of his motion to suppress. He testified that no one informed him of his Miranda rights, although he admitted that he was given a card which had his rights printed on it. He admitted that he read the card but said that he did not understand it, although he was twenty-six years of age and a high school graduate. Appellant also testified that when he was brought to the sheriff's office, by Investigator Coleman, an officer who was sitting behind the desk in the outer office told him that he ought to be whipped, and he signed the statement because he was afraid. He also said that Coleman told him that it would be better for him if he told the truth.

On cross examination appellant admitted that Coleman never threatened him in any way and never used any force to induce him to make the statement. He admitted that he signed the statement on his own.

John Coleman, the only officer present at the interrogation, testified that he picked up appellant at the jail in Morton and brought him to the sheriff's office in Forest. When they arrived at the sheriff's office the only person in the sheriff's office was a person referred to as Judge Glaze and that he and appellant went immediately into a small office where the interrogation was held. Coleman handed appellant a card containing the Miranda rights and told him to read it. Coleman then left the room and returned to his car in order to obtain an interview sheet. He returned in a few minutes and then informed appellant of his rights which appellant said he understood.

Coleman then asked appellant if he wanted to tell him about the telephone calls he had been making and advised him to tell the truth but denied that he told him it would be better if he told the truth. Coleman said that appellant then told him that he had been making telephone calls for some five or six weeks. These telephone calls were to numbers that he selected at random and if a man answered the telephone he would hand up. He said he made a telephone call about 3:00 a. m. that morning. He said he did not know why he had been making these calls. Coleman then reduced the statement to writing and read the statement to appellant. He then handed the statement to appellant and at Coleman's request appellant wrote at the bottom of the statement the words, 'I have read this statement as (sic) it is true to the best of my acknowledgement.' Coleman did not know whether appellant ever read the statement, but after writing the above words, appellant did sign the statement.

On cross examination Coleman admitted that appellant did not use the name of mrs. Ellen Thrash that appeared in the written statement but did admit making a telephone call about 3:00 a. m.

Upon examination by the court Coleman testified that after appellant was advised of his rights he never requested a lawyer and that no threats, coercion or promises were made. The court then overruled the motion to suppress the confession.

At the trial of the case on the merits, and before the statement of appellant was...