State of Tennessee v. Randy Joe McNew

A Sullivan County Criminal Court jury convicted the defendant, Randy Joe McNew, of driving after having been declared a motor vehicle habitual offender, see T.C.A. § 55-10-616 (2004), violating the vehicle registration law, see id. § 55-5-115, and driving under the influence, see id. § 55-10-401. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of four years to be served in the Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant challenges the sufficiency of the convicting evidence, argues that a violation of the rule of sequestration rendered a State’s witness incompetent to testify, claims that the trial court erred by refusing to rule prior to trial on the admissibility of evidence of the defendant’s prior convictions, and attacks the sentencing decision of the trial court. Discerning no error, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.