State v. Dickens

BRANCH, Justice.

Defendant assigns as error the action of the trial judge in admitting into evidence, over objection, clothing worn by defendant when he was taken into custody a short time after the alleged crime.

It is well settled in North Carolina that clothing worn- by a person while in custody under a valid arrest may be taken from him for examination, and, when otherwise competent, such clothing may be introduced into evidence at his trial. State v. Rogers, 275 N.C. 411, 168 S.E. 2d 345, State v. Peele, 274 N.C. 106, 161 S.E. 2d 568; State v. Tippett, 270 N.C. 588, 155 S.E. 2d 269.…