State v. O'NEAL

RUFFIN, Presiding Judge.

A jury found Frederick O’Neal guilty of armed robbery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. O’Neal moved for a new trial, arguing that the trial court erred in denying his pretrial motion to sever. The trial court agreed, granting the motion for new trial on this basis. We granted the State’s application for interlocutory appeal and, for reasons that follow, reverse.

The evidence presented at trial shows that in the early afternoon on June 4, 1999, Ann Michelle Allen was sitting in a parking lot, cleaning the interior of…