State of Tennessee, Appellant v. Gary Michael Parton, Appellee

Summary

The Tennessee Supreme Court held that testimony concerning an alleged prior sexual assault was improperly admitted because the State failed to show that it was relevant to an issue actually contested at trial. The defendant denied being with the victim during the charged period and denied committing any offense, while the victim testified that he—not the defendant—asked to go into the woods, defeating the State's motive and common-plan theories. The court affirmed the intermediate appellate court's ruling and remanded for a new trial.