Opinion ID: 874891
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Coat

Text: Yakovac also contends that her counsel erred by failing to introduce the coat into evidence. She argues this was ineffective assistance of counsel because the lack of blood on the coat would have bolstered her defense that she had just retrieved her coat from her assailant's home and did not know it contained a pipe. When the district court gave Yakovac notice that it intended to dismiss this claim as a tactical decision, Yakovac responded with additional briefing. She argued that the coat could have been used to impeach the testimony of the police officers. She asserted that failing to introduce the coat as impeachment evidence may fall into the category of failure to prepare and constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel. The decision to impeach a witness is a tactical decision. State v. McKenney, 101 Idaho 149, 152, 609 P.2d 1140, 1143 (1980); see also State v. Fee, 124 Idaho 170, 174, 857 P.2d 649, 653 (Ct.App.1993). Likewise, the decision of what evidence should be introduced at trial is also tactical. Bagshaw v. State, 142 Idaho 34, 38, 121 P.3d 965, 969 (Ct.App.2005). When faced with a tactical decision, this Court utilizes the strong presumption that the decision fell within the acceptable range of choices available to trial counsel. Hairston, 133 Idaho at 511, 988 P.2d at 1185. The trial court's notice of intent to dismiss clearly stated that the court considered the issue of the failure to introduce the coat into evidence to be a tactical or strategic decision of counsel. The record provides a substantial basis to support this inference drawn by the trial court. Having been placed on notice of the court's intention to dismiss this claim for this reason, Yakovac did not respond to the notice with admissible evidence. She did not attempt to demonstrate the condition of the coat at the time of trial. She did not attempt to explain how introduction of the coat would impeach the officer's testimony. She did not attempt to explain how the failure to impeach the officer in this fashion may have affected the outcome of the trial. She did not offer evidence, whether from trial counsel or from any other source, susceptible of an inference that trial counsel's decision resulted from a lack of preparation. She did not direct the trial court to evidence in the record that would support an inference that trial counsel's decision was not tactical or strategic. Rather, she simply responded with the suggestion that trial counsel's conduct may fall into the category of failure to prepare. Given the absence of a meaningful response to the trial court's notice of intent to dismiss, we conclude that Yakovac has not demonstrated the existence of a genuine issue of material fact as to whether trial counsel's conduct fell below an objectively reasonable standard.