Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
About
This compendium includes significant criminal cases by the U.S. Supreme Court & N.C. appellate courts, Nov. 2008 – Present. Selected 4th Circuit cases also are included.
Jessica Smith prepared case summaries Nov. 2008-June 4, 2019; later summaries are prepared by other School staff.
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The defendant was properly convicted of two counts of malicious conduct by a prisoner when he twice spit on an officer while officers were attempting to secure him. The defendant had argued that only conviction was proper because his conduct occurred in a continuous transaction. The court found that each act was distinct in time and location: first the defendant spit on the officer’s forehead while the defendant was still in the house; five minutes later he spit on the officer’s arm after being taken out of the house.
The evidence was sufficient to establish that the defendant emitted bodily fluids where it showed that he spit on an officer. The evidence was sufficient to show that the defendant acted knowingly and willfully where the defendant was uncooperative with the officers, was belligerent towards them, and immediately before the spitting, said to an approaching officer: “F--k you, n----r. I ain’t got nothing. You ain’t got nothing on me.” The evidence was sufficient to show that the defendant was in custody when he was handcuffed and seated on a curb, numerous officers were present, and the defendant was told that he was not free to leave.