State v. Hammond

Defendant appeals from a conviction and sentence of grand larceny.

The appeal focuses upon the admissibility of an owner’s valuation testimony concerning the worth of a diamond ring and whether the jury could consider such testimony in determining if the stolen items had a combined value in excess of $75.

The facts pertinent to a resolution of the above issue may be briefly stated as follows. The defendant was charged and found guilty by a jury of grand larceny for having stolen five rings worth in excess of $75. All of the rings were introduced into evidence as exhibits and were before the…