Opinion ID: 1057701
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 27

Heading: the trial court's refusal to permit mr. banks to call officer mike bartlett as a witness during the penalty phase

Text: Mr. Banks takes issue with the trial court's refusal to allow him to call one of its own court officers to testify during the penalty phase of the trial regarding his good conduct as a prisoner. Even though he concedes that he did not include this perceived error in his motion for new trial or raise it before the Court of Criminal Appeals, Mr. Banks asserts that the denial of his request to call the court officer constituted plain error because it infringed on his right to call witnesses under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and violated his constitutional due process of law protections. We have determined that the trial court did not commit plain error by denying Mr. Banks's request to call one of its court officers to testify about Mr. Banks's good conduct. Before the presentation of evidence in the penalty phase of the trial began, the trial court announced that Officer Mike Bartlett, one of the four deputies assigned to safeguard and attend the jury while it was sequestered, had reported to him that the defense had asked him to testify as a mitigation witness. The trial court stated on the record that Absent extraordinary circumstances, I'm not going to allow that to happen. I don't think it's appropriate. I think for bailiffs who have been sworn and charged with the responsibility of guarding the jurors and establishing a rapport with them all week long, to then be called to testify for either side is inappropriate. I think there are many other jailers and law enforcement personnel that have had contact with this defendant over the past two and a half years and over the past week that could testify to the same thing that Officer Bartlett would be available to testify on. And it's almost a betrayal of the trust between the deputy and the jurors to then start calling those deputies to the stand to testify. .. . It's just not appropriate. And so if there were some extraordinary circumstance, if some phenomenal event occurred, then that might be different. But if it's just to generally testify to the good conduct of the defendant as he came and went from the courtroom each day, no, that's not appropriate. And it would be cumulative and for all those reasons. Mr. Banks's lawyer thanked the court for putting that on the record but did not object or take exception to the trial court's decision. During the penalty phase, Mr. Banks called multiple witnesses who addressed his conduct while in jail pending trial including Officer Michael Conner, Officer Charlene Compton, Officer Wayman Thomas, Officer Latosha Nadia, and Commander Roy L. Rogers. Because Mr. Banks did not make an offer of proof regarding what Officer Bartlett's testimony would have been, the record contains no indication that Officer Bartlett had any additional testimony that would be anything more than cumulative to that of the other witnesses. The trial court's decision not to allow the bailiff charged with safeguarding the jury to testify during the sentencing phase of the trial was entirely correct. In parallel circumstances this Court has previously disapproved of the practice of an officer who has testified in a criminal case having charge of the jury. Ellis v. State, 218 Tenn. 297, 306, 403 S.W.2d 293, 297 (1966). We find no error, plain or otherwise, in the trial court's decision to exclude Officer Bartlett as a penalty phase witness.