Title: Allen v. State

State: indiana

Issuer: Indiana Supreme Court

Document:

495 N.E.2d 180 (1986)
Otha Oglee ALLEN, Appellant, (Defendant below),
v.
STATE of Indiana, Appellee, (Plaintiff below).
No. 285S46.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
July 16, 1986.
Robert R. Garrett, Appellate Public Defender, Crown Point, for appellant.
Linley E. Pearson, Atty. Gen., Michael Gene Worden, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.
DICKSON, Justice.
Following jury trial, defendant was convicted of child molesting, a class C felony, unlawful deviate conduct, a class B felony, and child molesting, a class B felony. The sole issue presented in this direct appeal is whether the trial court erred in permitting the State to impeach the defendant on a prior misdemeanor conviction.
During the trial, but before the defendant testified on his own behalf, defense counsel presented an oral motion in limine seeking to prevent the State from inquiring into the defendant's prior criminal record. The ensuing bench conference indicates discussion of defendant's prior convictions for receiving and concealing stolen property, and unspecified "weapons charges." In addition, the discussion included previous charges against the defendant for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child molesting, neither of which resulted in a conviction. The trial court granted the motion as to the prior charges against the defendant for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child molesting.
During his direct examination, defendant testified as follows:
The State's cross-examination included the following:
Defendant contends that impeachment by cross-examination regarding the prior weapons convictions is prohibited by Ashton v. Anderson (1972), 258 Ind. 51, 279 N.E.2d 210. We disagree.
Defendant's protection under Ashton was lost when he testified on direct examination regarding certain offenses which he contended were his "only two convictions." This opened the door for the State to cross-examine regarding other convictions concealed by defendant's direct testimony. Baker v. State (1978), 267 Ind. 643, 372 N.E.2d 1174.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
GIVAN, C.J., and DeBRULER, PIVARNIK and SHEPARD, JJ., concur.