Murkerson v. State

Ruffin, Presiding Judge.

Following a bench trial on stipulated facts, the trial court found Dean Alan Murkerson, Jr., a Decatur County jailer, guilty of violating his oath of office and of bribery.1 In his sole enumeration of error on appeal, Murkerson contends that the trial court erred in failing to grant his demurrer to the indictment. For reasons that follow, we affirm.

1. As a threshold matter, we must address the State’s contention that Murkerson’s claim is procedurally barred. According to the State, Murkerson’s failure to raise his claim of error before the bench trial operates to bar…