State Of Louisiana v. Jason W. Thomas ( 2020 )

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL
FIRST CIRCUIT
2019 KA 1027
STATE OF LOUISIANA
VERSUS
JASON W. THOMAS
Judgment Rendered:
FEB 2 12020 -
Appealed from the
Twenty -Second Judicial District Court
In and for the Parish of St. Tammany
State of Louisiana
Docket Number 563809
Honorable William J. Knight, Judge Presiding
Warren L. Montgomery Counsel for Appellee,
Matthew Caplan State of Louisiana
J. Bryant Clark
Covington, LA
Patricia R. Fox Counsel for Defendant/Appellant,
Covington, LA Jason W. Thomas
BEFORE: WHIPPLE, C.J., GUIDRY, AND LANIER, JJ.
WHIPPLE, C. J.
Defendant, Jason Thomas, was charged by bill of information with two
counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, violations of LSA-R.S. 14: 81( A),I He
pled not guilty. After a trial by jury, defendant was found guilty of two counts of
the lesser included offense of attempted indecent behavior with a juvenile. See
LSA-R.S. 14: 27 and 81( A). The trial court imposed concurrent terms of three -and -
a -half years imprisonment at hard labor, with two years suspended. Defendant
now appeals. For the following reasons, we affirm the defendant' s convictions and
sentences.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
In March 2015, E. A.2 and her father entered the St. Tammany Parish
Sheriff' s Office to file a complaint for crimes defendant perpetrated against E.A.
between late 2010 and 2013 in Pearl River, Louisiana. At trial, E.A. described her
relationship with defendant, her maternal grandfather, detailing frequent visits to
her maternal grandparents' home in St. Tammany Parish, where she enjoyed
fishing and hunting with her " pawpaw." She explained that her sisters did not
enjoy doing those activities as much as she did, so she developed a closer bond to
her grandfather than they did, was treated differently than they were, and
considered herself his " favorite." Defendant never missed E. A.' s softball games,
would purchase her sports equipment, and would travel to watch her play. He
would sometimes bring her to and from games when her parents could not make
the games.
E.A. noticed defendant " looked at [ her] different" after she turned 13. To
her, his " tone" had changed, as well as how he talked to her, and she noticed him
Specifically, defendant was charged with violating LSA-R.S. 14: 81( A) with respect to
W.A. for acts committed between August 27, 1990 and August 26, 1992, and with respect to
E.A. for acts committed between December 3, 2010 and December 3, 2013.
2E. A. was born on December 3, 1996.
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frequently looking down her shirt when she was at his home. He began to make
comments to her regarding her breast development, would say how he liked her
buttocks, would grab her daily, and would pull her onto his lap.
E.A. also explained how several inappropriate photos of herself came to be
found on defendant' s computer. She stated that she would take selfies in a tank top
and shorts and post the photos to her social media accounts. She further
acknowledged sending swimsuit photos to a couple of male friends from school
and a nude photo to one of those friends. The friends were the same age as E. A.
She was grounded by her parents for some of her social media posts and the nude
photo. Despite being told that E.A. was grounded and not allowed to use the
computer, defendant allowed her to use the computer at his home. However, when
defendant learned of the nude photo E.A. had sent, he " came up with a contest" to
see " who was the sexiest." He showed E. A. a photograph of himself in a pair of
tight underwear,3 asked her if she liked it, and if it turned her on. He pressured
E.A. to take similar photos, so she took three topless photos in his bathroom. E.A.
testified that the three topless photos she took with defendant' s digital camera were
left on the camera and that she did not upload the photos. While E.A. admitted
taking several clothed selfies and using defendant' s computer to post the photos to
her social media accounts, with respect to the topless photos, she stated she left the
camera on the bathroom counter when she was finished taking them. Based on
some contemporaneous events, she explained she was "[ a] round 16" at the time
these photos were taken.
Photographs recovered from defendant' s computer were introduced and
published to the jury. E.A. identified three topless selfies as the ones she had taken
at defendant' s request. In the third photo, she identified defendant' s camera as the
one she used to take the photos. During her initial interview with Detective Carli
3This photograph was not recovered by investigators.
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Ferrell Messina, E.A. disclosed everything except the topless photos. E.A.
explained that she did not initially tell Det. Messina that she had taken the photos
because she was embarrassed and blamed herself.
E.A. also testified about an incident that occurred shortly after she took the
topless photos when defendant asked her to " help him out" with an erection,
because he and her grandmother were " not doing it anymore." E.A. further
explained that Huntington' s disease was prevalent in her family, that her
grandmother, mother, and aunt have it, and that it can affect one' s ability to walk,
eat, remember things, or function independently. She noted that her " nanny" was
able to physically care for herself when E.A. was a minor, but presently was unable
to do so, had difficulty remembering things, and " gets things mixed up."
When E.A. was about 17, her parents caught her having sex with her
boyfriend Cory! Defendant became aware of this and asked her if she enjoyed it,
what she liked about it, what she did not like about it, and if she would do it again.
Cory began to suspect something was not right and told E.A. that "[ t] here' s
something wrong with [ defendant]." Cory did not like the way defendant " looked
at her or acted around her." Eventually, Cory confronted her and demanded to
know what was happening. She became emotional and disclosed to him that
something happened," and Cory gave her a week to tell her parents or else he
would. About two days later, E. A. disclosed the encounters to her mother, W.A.,
who is defendant' s daughter. It was then that E.A. and her father went to the
sheriff' s office.
Det. Messina suggested they make a recorded phone call to defendant to see
if E.A. could get him to admit anything. The phone call was entered into evidence
and played for the jury. Though he did not admit to any illegal conduct on the call,
defendant did text E.A. subsequently with a message indicating he wanted to meet
E. A. eventually married Cory.
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up with her that night so he could tell her he was " sorry" " to [ her] face" and that he
wanted E. A. to apologize to her mother for him as well. She later conceded that it
was not unusual for defendant to tell her he was sorry when consoling her for
things that upset her that were not his fault.
W.A.' described her early childhood in Pearl River, Louisiana. She
explained that as between her and her sister, defendant tended to " favor [ her]
slightly." She often went fishing with defendant alone on the weekend. W.A. also
noticed a change in the way defendant interacted with her once she turned 13. She
recounted an incident when she was sitting in their living room and defendant
flashed" her while her mother was in the shower, exposing his genitals to her.
W.A. explained defendant did it four or five more times over the next month.
She also recalled a later encounter when her mother and sister were out of
town. She was in the bathroom taking a bath and had locked the door. Defendant
came into the bathroom and began " just randomly talking about things, nothing
specific, just rambling, just looking" at W.A. while she was naked in the bath. The
next day, while her mother was still out of town, defendant asked her if she knew
what a French kiss was. When she responded in the negative, defendant reached
over and demonstrated on her, kissing her with " full tongue." Immediately
thereafter, defendant told W.A. that he was sexually attracted to her, that he should
not have been, that he had a problem, and that he would discuss it with her mother,
Nancy Thomas, when she returned home. W. A.' s mother returned home the next
day, and that evening, W.A. was sent to stay with her grandmother. However, her
parents left her at her grandmother' s house for only about two days. When W.A.
was 24, defendant admitted to her that he had flashed her, but denied kissing her
inappropriately.
5W.A. was born in 1978.
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W.A. testified that she feels traumatized by the incidents, and she
immediately believed E.A. when she disclosed what defendant had done to her.
She also explained that she allowed E.A. to spend time at defendant' s house
because her mother promised the behavior had stopped and would not be repeated.
W.A. felt guilty for not wanting her kids to visit their grandparents because her
mother had done nothing wrong, and W.A. wanted the children to see their
grandmother " before they didn' t have that chance."' W.A. acknowledged she
reported the incidents to a church counselor whom her " daughter was seeing," but
that the incidents between W.A. and her father were not reported to the police at
that time. She also admitted allowing defendant and her mother to babysit E.A.
and allowing defendant to take E.A. to softball games.
W.A.' s husband confirmed that she had told him about the incidents with
defendant before they were married. He also explained W.A. did not want to keep
E.A. away from Ms. Thomas and that was why they allowed her to stay with
defendant on occasion.
A forensic interview at the Children' s Advocacy Center was not performed
on E. A. due to her age at the time of the initial report of abuse. Det. Messina
interviewed both E. A. and W.A., as well as defendant' s wife, Ms. Thomas.
Following the initial investigation, Det. Messina obtained an arrest warrant for
defendant and a search warrant for his home. Investigators recovered two laptop
computers from defendant' s residence, as well as a Samsung cell phone from him.
Defendant stipulated the photos introduced as State exhibit S- 2 were recovered
from the Toshiba laptop found in defendant' s home, and the text messages
introduced as State exhibit S- 4 were found on the Samsung phone found in
defendant' s possession. Investigators also recovered a notebook with handwritten
W.A. explained she was presently asymptomatic in regard to her Huntington' s disease,
but that her mother was having significant difficulties.
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notes. One of those notes read, " I just want to be clear when I said I was sorry I
ment [ sic] it[.] But I do not atmit [ sic] guilt of all she said." After being informed
of his Miranda' rights and signing a waiver form, defendant provided a recorded
statement to Det. Messina, which was played for the jury. Following the interview,
defendant was arrested and charged.
Defendant testified on his own behalf. He denied " flashing" W.A., but did
admit to " streak[ ing]" or running naked through the living room in front of her. He
denied doing it to sexually gratify himself or W.A. He admitted to walking in on
her in the bathtub, but claimed he did not know she was in there. He denied french
kissing W.A. or grooming' anyone. He said he felt E.A. was wearing inappropriate
clothing and he was attempting to embarrass her into wearing more modest
clothing by making inappropriate statements to her. He later came to regret using
those words. When questioned about it, defendant also admitted to showing E.A.
the photograph of " a person in their underwear." He later admitted it was a
photograph of himself, but claimed he only showed it to E.A. to demonstrate his
disapproval of her clothing choices.
He also said he only would pat or slap E.A.' s buttocks in a non -sexual
manner. He conceded he continued doing so longer than he should have, but when
asked by defense counsel if it " was just a habit," he agreed that "[ m] aybe it was."
He explained that when he said he had " a problem" in his video interview, he was
referring to the fact that his wife of many years had left him. However, on cross-
examination, defendant explained that his " problem" was with " correcting
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16L. Ed. 2d694 ( 1966).
At trial, a pediatric forensics medical expert described the term " grooming" as how an
adult gets a child to do inappropriate and illegal things. He explained that grooming comes in
two forms: ( 1) by the adult " grooming" his or her image to appear as a " good person" by virtue
of the good acts performed for the child; and ( 2) by " grooming" the child to believe that he or
she owes it to the adult to protect the adult and not say anything because of the things the adult
has done for the child.
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inappropriately." Also, when asked by the State if he had told E.A. that men were
going to find her backside attractive," defendant acknowledged that he had.
Defendant denied knowing about the photos of E.A. on his computer, how
they got there, receiving them, or asking her to take them. Defendant said he never
got along with Cory, did not like him, and again tried to embarrass E. A. into
discontinuing sexual relations with him. Defendant asserted that he apologizes for
things he is not responsible for in an effort to " make peace" and not " argue
whether I' m right or wrong." Defendant did not remember telling Ms. Thomas
that he had sexual feelings for W.A.
On rebuttal, the State called Ms. Thomas. After the trial court conducted a
brief competency evaluation,9 she testified that defendant had admitted he had
kissed W.A. and promised that he would never do it again. She explained that
W.A. was sent to live with her mother for a brief period, but that she never told the
police about W.A.' s allegation. After learning of E.A.' s allegations, Ms. Thomas
felt that he was a pedophile and it was time for him ... something to be done."
She explained that while she suffers from Huntington' s disease, her " memory is
very well." She conceded she left her granddaughters alone with defendant at their
house. Ms. Thomas felt defendant was jealous of Cory and that is why defendant
did not care for him. She also explained that her relationship with defendant ended
after she learned of E.A.' s claims about him.
Following Ms. Thomas' testimony, the State recalled Det. Messina to lay a
foundation for introduction of a recorded statement made by Ms. Thomas some
years before trial. Defendant objected to the evidence, but only on the basis of new
evidence and lack of foundation. The trial court overruled the objection, stating
that the video was " being offered to corroborate the testimony of the previous
witness." The video was played for the jury.
9At the competency evaluation, Ms. Thomas was able to correctly identify the current
President of the United States and her home address.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR #1: HEARSAY/ CONFRONTATION
In his first assignment of error, defendant contends the trial court erred when
it admitted into evidence Ms. Thomas' video interview recorded several years
before her trial testimony. Defendant contends that because Ms. Thomas' trial
testimony did not mention that defendant had allegedly admitted flashing W.A.,
the State introduced the video to accomplish that task. Defendant asserts that the
video itself " met the classic definition of hearsay[.]" Consequently, defendant
claims he was unable to adequately cross- examine Ms. Thomas on her video
testimony, and as a result, his right to confront witnesses was infringed. Defendant
argues this infringement was caused by the fact that the video was introduced by
the State through the rebuttal testimony of Det. Messina and contained statements
not in Ms. Thomas' original trial testimony. Therefore, defendant could not recall
Ms. Thomas back to the stand to cross- examine her on the video statements
because the State subsequently rested, and there was no longer any procedural
mechanism by which to have Ms. Thomas testify again.
The State argues in response that Ms. Thomas' statement was a prior
consistent video statement under LSA C. E. art. 801( D)( 1)( b), offered in response
to defendant' s contention that Ms. Thomas' memory was irreparably eroded and
altered by her medical condition. Further, the State contends defendant was able to
call Ms. Thomas to the stand to cross- examine her on the recording, thus resulting
in no confrontation error where defendant failed to do so. Finally, given the other
evidence introduced at trial, the State posits any potential error was harmless.
To preserve the right to seek appellate review, a party must state an
objection contemporaneously with the occurrence of the alleged error as well as
the grounds for that objection. See LSA-C. Cr.P. art. 841( A); State v. Bedwell,
2018- 0135 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 6/ 21/ 18), 2018 WL 3080356, at * 6, writ denied,
2018- 1247 ( La. 1/ 18/ 19), 262 So. 3d 287, 288. Not only does an objection have to
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be made, but LSA- C. Cr.P. art. 841( A) requires that a defendant make known the
grounds for his objection, and he is limited on appeal to those grounds articulated
at trial. A new basis for objection cannot be raised for the first time on appeal.
State v. Duhon, 2018- 0593 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 12/ 28/ 18), 270 So. 3d 597, 631, writ
denied, 2019- 0124 ( La. 5/ 28/ 19), 273 So. 3d 315; see also State v. Guy, 95- 0899
La. App. 4th Cir. 1/ 31/ 96), 669 So. 2d 517, 526, writ denied, 96- 0388 ( La.
9/ 13/ 96), 679 So. 2d 102 ( though he objected on other grounds, defendant' s failure
to object contemporaneously to hearsay precludes review of hearsay issue on
appeal).
At trial, defense counsel objected to the introduction of Ms. Thomas' video
interview based on a lack of foundation and possibly relevance. Defendant is now
raising the objection of hearsay and confrontation error for the first time on appeal,
but this claim was waived by defendant' s failure to contemporaneously raise this
ground at trial.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR #2: IMPROPER OPINION TESTIMONY
In his second assignment of error, defendant claims Dr. Scott Benton
provided improper commentary on the credibility of the claims made by E.A. and
W.A. According to defendant, Dr. Benton' s testimony had the effect of "giving a
scientific imprimatur of approval to the victims' testimony and his characterization
of the defendant -appellant' s conduct." The State argues defendant waived any
claimed error by failing to lodge a contemporaneous objection.
The trial court accepted Dr. Benton as an expert in forensic pediatric
medicine. He testified about delayed disclosure, progressive disclosure, grooming,
suppression of disclosure by a victim' s family, multigenerational abuse, " target
child syndrome," the commonality of " sexting" among teenagers, early
participation in sexual activity by children who have been abused, and partial
admission by perpetrators.
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As an initial matter, LSA- C. E. art. 702( A) provides:
A witness who is qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill,
experience,
training, or education may testify in the form of an
opinion or otherwise if:
1) The expert' s scientific, technical, or other specialized
knowledge will help the trier of fact to understand the evidence
or to determine a fact in issue;
2) The testimony is based on sufficient facts or data;
3) The testimony is the product of reliable principles and
methods; and
4) The expert has reliably applied the principles and methods
to the facts of the case.
Notably, the Louisiana Supreme Court has placed limitations on this provision in
that "[ e] xpert testimony, while not limited to matters of science, art or skill, cannot
invade the field of common knowledge, experience and education of men." State v.
Young, 2009- 1177 ( La. 4/ 5/ 10), 35 So. 3d 1042, 1046- 47, cert. denied, 562 U.S.
1044, 131 S. Ct. 597, 178 L. Ed. 2d 434 ( 2010) ( quoting State v Stucke, 419 So. 2d
939, 945 ( La. 1982)); State v. Le, 2013- 0611 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 11/ 4/ 13), 2013 WL
5935677, at * 2, writ denied, 2013- 2828 ( La. 5/ 23/ 14), 140 So. 3d 724.
Testimony in the form of an opinion or inference otherwise admissible is not
to be excluded solely because it embraces an ultimate issue to be decided by the
trier of fact. However, in a criminal case, an expert witness shall not express an
opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the accused. LSA- C. E. art. 704.
Additionally, expert assessment of witness credibility is improper. State v. Foret,
628 So. 2d 1116, 1130 ( La. 1993).
On cross examination, the following was asked and answered during Dr.
Benton' s testimony:
Q. I want to get something right up front. Are you testifying
specifically about this case or generally about the science in this field?
A. I have no independent knowledge of the facts in this case. I
have been presented with the facts in this case and, if asked a
question, could discuss it, but it' s the latter that he said. There are
many things you may not have heard before. I' m here to educate you
on the dynamics of sexual abuse as we see it, what' s the science about
it. I know when I started this I would never have thought what the
truth was about the dynamics.
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Defendant argues that Dr. Benton saying " the truth about the dynamics"
indicates he was testifying regarding the specifics of the instant case and the
credibility of E.A. and W.A. However, when viewed in context and in its entirety,
Dr. Benton' s meaning is clear. He was testifying that it is his job to discuss the
generalized factors present in cases of abuse, especially relating to delayed
disclosure, and there was nothing in his testimony that addressed any claim raised
in either E.A. or W.A.' s testimonies. At no time did Dr. Benton issue an opinion
as to their credibility or the ultimate truth of whether what they said happened
occurred. Therefore, regardless of whether counsel lodged a contemporaneous
objection, there was no error for which counsel could have objected. This claim
also lacks merit.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR #3: INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE/ RESPONSIVE
VERDICT
In his final assignment of error, defendant argues the verdict of guilty of two
counts of the lesser included offense of attempted indecent behavior with a
juvenile is not supported by the evidence. In his view, either the jury believed the
testimony of E.A. and W.A. that defendant committed the charged offenses, or the
jury believed the testimony of defendant that he committed no offense at all. The
State contends it presented ample evidence to support the convictions, and it is
absurd to equate convictions of lesser included offenses with the notion a jury
disbelieved the State' s evidence.
Absent a contemporaneous objection to the giving of instructions on a
responsive verdict, a defendant cannot complain if the jury returns a legislatively
approved responsive verdict, even where there is insufficient evidence to support
such a verdict, provided that the evidence is sufficient to support the charged
offense. State v. Schrader, 518 So. 2d 1024, 1034 ( La. 1988); State ex rel. Elaire v.
Blackburn, 424 So. 2d 246, 252 ( La. 1982), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 959, 103 S. Ct.
122432, 77 L. Ed. 2d 1318 ( 1983). In such a case, a jury has the right to
compromise" between the charged offense and a verdict of not guilty. Jurors may
return a " compromise" verdict for whatever reason they deem to be fair, so long as
the evidence is sufficient to sustain a conviction for the charged offense. State v.
Miller, 2012- 0581 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 11/ 2/ 12), 2012 WL 5387681, at * 4, writ
denied sub nom., State ex rel. Miller v. State, 2012- 2675 ( La. 8/ 30/ 13), 120 So. 3d
256.
Here, defendant did not challenge the jury instructions given by the trial
court at the beginning of deliberation, or when the court provided the definitions
again upon the jury' s request. Louisiana' s system of responsive verdicts
presupposes a jury' s authority to compromise its verdict even in the face of
overwhelming evidence of the charged crime. State v. Jones, 2018- 0085 ( La. App.
1st Cir. 11/ 5/ 18), 2018 WL 5785450, at * 7, writ denied, 2018- 1993 ( La. 4/ 22/ 19),
268 So. 3d 294. Thus, this claim also lacks merit as there was sufficient evidence
to support the charged offenses.
CONVICTIONS AND SENTENCES AFFIRMED.
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