Ricardo Cartledge was charged with the following in connection with a series of robberies in Richmond County in April 1998: six counts of armed robbery; seven counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime; one count of aggravated assault; and three counts of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon.1 A jury found him guilty of four counts of armed robbery and four counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime.2 On appeal, Cartledge challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. He also contends that the trial court erred by failing to sever his trial from that of his co-defendant, by introducing evidence of crimes not alleged in the indictment, and in charging the jury. We affirm, for reasons that follow. On appeal, Cartledge no longer enjoys a presumption of innocence.3 We review the evidence presented at trial in a light most favorable to the verdict, without weighing it or assessing the credibility of witnesses, to determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.4 We set forth in detail many of the facts relevant to this case in Metoyer v. State ,5 which affirmed the conviction of Cartledge’s co-defendant, Shaun Metoyer. Here, we summarize the facts and include others relevant to Cartledge’s appeal.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Department investigated a series of armed robberies that occurred in the same general vicinity in April 1998. On April 23, 1998, shortly after one of the robberies occurred, authorities stopped a vehicle matching the description of the perpetrator’s car given by a witness. The police detained the three occupants of the vehicle, Toine Daniels, Nicholas Nichols, and Tico Duncan. Daniels led the police to the home of Cartledge, the group’s alleged “leader,” where the police observed an automobile that matched a description of one of the vehicles involved in some of the robberies. Jenethia Hardin —who was dating Cartledge at the time —was leaving the house when they arrived. Hardin said that Cartledge had brought home a purse that evening and would not tell her where he obtained it. The police found Cartledge inside the house and arrested him. The authorities found two semi-automatic pistols at the house , and from Hardin’s car they recovered three skull caps, a ski mask, goggles, a box of .380 ammunition, a brown, hooded sweatshirt, and two pairs of gloves.
