James v. State

Ruffin, Judge.

Following a bench trial, the trial court convicted Dante James of one count of simple battery for biting Joy Monroe. On appeal, James contends the trial court erred in failing to consider his sole defense of justification. As James’ contention lacks merit, we affirm.

On January 29, 1998, Monroe, who lived with James, was talking to a friend on the phone. Although James said that he needed to use the phone to make a business call, Monroe refused to relinquish the phone. The two began struggling over the phone. According to Monroe, James grabbed her by her shirt, ripped the shirt,…