PEOPLE OF MI V SCOTT DWIGHT BARGER
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
January 17, 1997
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 190014
Jackson Circuit Court
LC No. 95-072612-FC
SCOTT DWIGHT BARGER,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Smolenski, P.J., and Michael J. Kelly and J.R. Weber,* JJ.
MEMORANDUM.
Defendant was convicted by a jury of aiding and abetting an assault with intent to rob while
armed, MCL 750.89; MSA 28.284 and MCL 767.39; MSA 28.979, and sentenced to three to twenty
years’ imprisonment. Defendant appeals as of right. We affirm.
Defendant argues that the trial court’s failure to instruct the jury with CJI2d 8.3 constituted error
requiring reversal. Specifically, defendant argues that it is appropriate to instruct a jury with CJI2d 8.3 if
a defendant is criminally liable as an aider and abettor for a crime committed during the course of a
criminal enterprise. Here, on January 28, 1995, defendant drove Steven Barger and Paul Conant to a
Hungry Howie’s restaurant so that Barger and Conant could rob the restaurant. Defendant had
knowledge of Barger’s and Conant’s intent. However, defendant claims that he was unaware that
Barger and Conant were armed and that, therefore, he should have only been convicted of the lesser
included offense of assault with intent to rob while unarmed. Defendant argues that the court’s failure to
instruct the jury with CJI2d 8.3 unfairly precluded such a conviction. We disagree.
Jury instructions are reviewed de novo to determine whether the issues to be tried were fairly
presented and the defendant’s rights were adequately protected. People v Davis, 199 Mich App 502,
515; 503 NW2d 457 (1993). The failure of a trial court to include a requested jury instruction is “error
requiring reversal only if the requested jury instruction (1) is substantially correct; (2) was not
substantially covered in the charge given to the jury, and; (3) concerns an important point in the trial so
that the failure to give it seriously impaired the defendant’s ability to effectively present a given defense.”
* Circuit judge, sitting on the Court of Appeals by assignment.
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People v Moldenhauer, 210 Mich App 158, 159-160; 533 NW2d 9 (1995). In this case, CJI2d 8.3
was substantially correct and concerned an important point in the trial. However, the trial court
instructed the jury on aiding and abetting and the lesser-included offense of assault with intent to rob
while unarmed. Thus, defendant’s theory of the case, i.e, that he was guilty of only assault with intent to
rob while unarmed, was substantially covered by the charge given to the jury. Therefore, defendant’s
ability to effectively present his defense was not seriously impaired. Accordingly, we find no error
requiring reversal where the issues to be tried were fairly presented and defendant’s rights were
adequately protected.
Affirmed.
/s/ Michael R. Smolenski
/s/ Michael J. Kelly
/s/ John R. Weber
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