State of Arkansas, Appellant v. Billy Gene Coble, Appellee

Summary

The court accepted the State’s criminal appeal because it presented a narrow, purely legal statutory-interpretation question with widespread implications for uniform administration of criminal law. It held that the phrase “another person” in the sexual-indecency statute refers to someone other than the defendant-actor and the minor victim, and therefore affirmed the directed verdict for Coble. Paul E. Danielson, Justice, dissenting, would have interpreted “another person” to include the guardian-perpetrator and would have declared error in the directed verdict.