Rollinson v. State

The fact that the officers told the defendant he would be arrested if he refused to talk did not amount to coercion or render his statements inadmissible.

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Everette Rollinson was found guilty by a Tattnall County jury of armed robbery and furnishing a pistol to a minor. Following the denial of his amended motion for new trial, he appeals from the conviction and sentence entered on the jury’s verdict. He raises five enumerations of error, none of which we find meritorious. We therefore affirm the judgment. Construed to support the verdict, the evidence introduced at trial showed that on March 30, 2000, Bobby Berry, Rollinson’s former schoolmate, dropped by Rollinson’s home and asked Rollinson for a ride. Without inquiring into the reason for the ride, Rollinson acceded. He drove Berry to a home near a particular church building and waited outside for Berry. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes later Berry returned and entered the car, and Rollinson drove home. Later that evening, Berry returned and gave Rollinson $600, which Rollinson believed was to pay him back for a loan.

In the course of investigating two armed robberies of filling stations in Reidsville occurring eight days apart in March 2000, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Vickie Horton Tapley arrested three individuals whose statements implicated Rollinson. Tapley sought him out for questioning. On April 4, 2000, Rollinson learned that law enforcement officers were looking for him and voluntarily went to the Reidsville police station. In a taped interview conducted by Tapley, Rollinson admitted that Berry had awakened him in the early morning hours of March 22, 2000, shortly before the first of the two robberies took place. Rollinson admitted that he provided Berry, a minor, with a gun, but he denied knowing that a robbery would shortly take place, even though his cousin had participated.

Rollinson v. State

The fact that the officers told the defendant he would be arrested if he refused to talk did not amount to coercion or render his statements inadmissible.

Share with Email

Thank you for sharing!

Trending Stories

More From ALM

Subscribe to Daily Report