State v. Dawkins

Toal, Justice:

The defendant, Gene Dawkins, was convicted of two counts of criminal sexual conduct against a minor. He was acquitted of two other counts of the same crime. Dawkins was sentenced to two 30 year terms, to be served con secutively. The issues raised on appeal involve acts of alleged prosecutorial misconduct.

Before discussing the issues of this case, we note that this matter might never have been appealed nor would this conviction be subject to attack but for the overzealousness of the assistant solicitor. This case is a prime example of a prosecutor striving to obtain a conviction…