A Bibb County jury convicted appellant Jerry Odell Harris of three counts of felony obstruction of officer. Harris appeals challenging the sufficiency of the evidence and asserting error in the trial court’s admission of similar transaction evidence. Finding no error, we affirm. “On appeal from a criminal conviction, the evidence must be construed in a light most favorable to the verdict, and the appellant no longer enjoys a presumption of innocence.” Estrada v. State , 269 Ga. App. 185 1 603 SE2d 721 2004. So viewed, the State’s evidence showed that on December 13, 2003, Officer Amy Wheeler, Officer Roy Chestnut, and Sergeant Walter Avery of the Macon Police Department responded to a disturbance call in the emergency room of Macon Northside Hospital. When the officers arrived at the hospital, they observed a crowd of 20 to 30 people gathered in the emergency room “ER”, which was extremely busy at the time. A nurse informed the officers that Harris’ grandmother had passed away and that the gathering crowd of family members and friends was becoming disorderly and uncontrollable as they flowed back into the treatment area where the deceased’s body was located.
In an effort to restore order, Officer Wheeler positioned herself in the doorway between the ER’s waiting area and the treatment area while the other officers went to talk to family members who were with the deceased in the treatment area. Harris approached the doorway, pushing his mother in a wheelchair, and told Officer Wheeler to move out of the way. Officer Wheeler instructed Harris to wait and turned to speak to a nurse in order to ascertain whether Harris and his mother were authorized to enter the treatment area. Harris became belligerent and yelled, “I’m not going to f —ing wait. I’ve lost my grandmother, I’m not going to lose my mother.” When Harris stepped in front of his mother’s wheelchair, Officer Wheeler instructed him to “back off.” Harris then “physically bowed up his chest and started walking” toward the Officer. Officer Wheeler raised her right hand, placed it on his chest, and told him several more times to back off. After Harris failed to comply with her command, Officer Wheeler requested assistance from the other officers. As Officer Chestnut rounded the corner, Harris struck Officer Wheeler with his hand and pushed her against the wall.
