The Fifth District affirmed convictions for obstructing official business and assaulting a police dog where the defendant fled from deputies serving warrants, hid from a K-9 search, and kicked the dog when it found him.
The Fifth District affirmed convictions for gross sexual imposition against a minor, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by ruling a child victim incompetent to testify without an in-person hearing and that the Confrontation Clause does not guarantee the right to comment on a witness’s absence at trial.
The Fifth District affirmed a felonious assault conviction arising from an attack at a juvenile correctional facility, holding that inconsistent verdicts between co-defendants do not invalidate a guilty verdict and that the evidence supported a finding of serious physical harm.
The Fifth District affirmed sexual battery and strangulation convictions, finding that the victim’s testimony, corroborated by SANE nurse examination, supported the trial court’s credibility determination in a bench trial.