Sykes v. State

Judith Rogers, Judge.

Appellant, Louise Sykes, was convicted after a bench trial of second-degree battery for spanking her eleven-year-old grandchild with a phone cord. She was sentenced to three years’ probation, fined one hundred dollars, and ordered to complete a counseling program. On appeal, appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support her conviction. We agree and reverse.

On July 27, 1995, Officer Randy Woodall observed Xavier Calloway, age eleven, and two other young boys playing inside a fenced-in “construction hardware type company.” The officer placed the boys in his…