Cottonreeder v. State

The appellant was indicted and convicted for defrauding an innkeeper in violation of Ala. Code § 34-15-18 (1975). The trial court fixed his punishment at two years in the state penitentiary.

The crux of this appeal concerns the sufficiency of the State's evidence. The State presented a single witness, Ms. Shelby Allred, the motel manager of the Decatur Inn, and at the conclusion of her testimony rested its case. The appellant made a timely motion to exclude the evidence on the ground the State failed to prove a prima facie case. Thus, we must decide whether Ms. Allred's testimony, standing…