People v. Harding

After a jury trial, Leroy Harding was convicted of three counts of child abduction and sentenced to six-year terms of imprisonment for each conviction, with two of the terms to be served consecutively. The trial court permitted the prosecution to prove that Harding possessed a culpable mental state by the introduction of prior crime evidence to show his propensity to commit sex offenses. We find that this admission of evidence of other crimes was improper and accordingly reverse Harding’s convictions and remand for a new trial.

S. testified that she was nine years old on June 2, 2003, and that…