A jury found Ryan Craig Pitts guilty of false imprisonment, interference with a 911 call, and simple battery. The jury found him not guilty of criminal trespass, and the trial court directed a verdict of acquittal on a charge of cruelty to children. Pitts appeals, contending that the family court lacked jurisdiction to preside over the felony trial, that the court erred in admitting hearsay evidence, that he was denied effective assistance of counsel, and that the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions. We agree that the trial court erred in admitting statements the victim made to sheriff’s deputies during a field investigation. Nonetheless, that error was harmless given that there was other evidence to support the convictions. Because none of the remaining enumerations has merit, we affirm his convictions. Viewed in a light most favorably to the verdict, the evidence shows that the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call around midnight from a residence.1 The caller stated that her husband broke into her house, that a second man was on her porch, and that she needed police to come to her house. The caller, Pitts’ wife, yelled “Get away from me,” and the call was disconnected. The 911 operator called right back. On the third attempt, Pitts’ wife answered. The operator asked what was going on. The victim reported that her husband broke into her house, that he was not supposed to be inside the county, and that she wanted him out of her house. The victim screamed, then the phone was disconnected again.
The 911 operator called the residence two more times. On the second of these attempts, the victim answered the phone and stated that the second man was still standing outside her house, that Pitts broke into her house and was taking a shower, that he did not live there anymore, that he was running around her house with no clothes on, that he was not supposed to be in the county, that he was violating his probation, that “he’s wanted,” and that he was involved in a police chase the preceding weekend. During this 911 call, the victim ordered Pitts to put on his clothes and get out of her house. The call was again disconnected. The 911 operator made several more attempts to call the residence, but no one answered the phone.
