State of Tennessee v. Michael C. Bennett

A Grainger County Circuit Court jury convicted the appellant, Michael C. Bennett, of aggravated burglary, a Class C felony, and theft of property valued one thousand dollars or more but less than ten thousand dollars, a Class D felony. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced him as a Range III, persistent offender to fifteen years for the aggravated burglary conviction and twelve years for the theft conviction. The sentences were to be served concurrently. On appeal, the appellant contends that the trial court’s failure to rule on his pretrial motion to prohibit the State from impeaching him with prior convictions pursuant to Rule 609, Tennessee Rules of Evidence, affected his right to a fair trial. The State contends that the issue is waived. Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we conclude that the appellant waived the issue and affirm the judgments of the trial court.