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IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT KNOXVILLE
Assigned on Briefs June 27, 2001

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. ROBERT MORROW
Appeal from the Criminal Court for Cocke County
Nos. 7793 & 7794 Robert Cupp, Judge, sitting by interchange

No. E2000-02796-CCA-R3-CD
September 18, 2001

The defendant entered a best-interest guilty plea in the Cocke County Criminal Court to one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated rape, and one count of criminal exposure to HIV.  The trial court sentenced the defendant as a Range I standard offender to six years incarceration in th e Tenn essee Depar tment of Cor recti on for the cr imin al ex posur e to HIV conviction, as a violent offender to 24 years incarceration for the especially aggravated kidnapping conviction, as a violent offender to 24 years incarceration for one of the aggravated rape convictions, and as a multiple rapist to 24 years incarceration for the other aggravated rape conviction.  The trial court ordered consecutive service of the sentences for an effective sentence of 78 years incarceration. On appeal, the defendant takes issue with the length of the sentences and the consecutive service imposed. Based upon our review, we affirm the sentences imposed.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3; Judgment of the Criminal Court is Affirmed.
JAMES CURWOOD WITT, JR., J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which JOSEPH M. TIPTON and ROBERT W. WEDEMEYER, JJ., joined.
Edward C. Miller, District Public Defender; Susanne Bales, Assistant Public Defender (on appeal); and Edward C. Miller, Assistant Public Defender (at trial), for the Appellant, Robert Morrow.
Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Patricia C. Kussmann, Assistant Attorney General; Alfred C. Schmutzer, Jr., District Attorney General; and James B. Dunn, Assistant District Attorney General for the Appellee, State of Tennessee.

OPINION
On March 15, 1999, TH, who at the time was a 16-year old high school student,1 was working alone at Tropical Pets in Greenville.  Between 8:00 p.m. and 8:20 p.m., the defendant, Robert Morrow, came into the store and inquired about gerbils.  He left when another customer came into the store, but he returned when the customer departed.  The defendant approached TH from behind and held a gun to her head.  When she tried to escape, the defendant became enraged; he slammed TH against the wall and screamed for her to open her mouth.  When she complied, he stuck the gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her if she

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Tennessee Law