State v. Groce

¶ 1. Defendant appeals his conviction for sexual assault following a jury trial in Rutland Superior Court on May 22-24, 2012. On appeal, defendant argues that (1) the trial court erred by allowing certain hearsay testimony to be considered by the jury; (2) the trial court erred in scheduling a six-day delay between jury selection and trial without obtaining a waiver from defendant; and (3) the State’s use of inflammatory language and arguments regarding complainant’s character during closing arguments was plain error. We reverse defendant’s conviction and remand for a new trial on the first…