Opinion ID: 2199569
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Impeachment by Prior Statement

Text: Kent next claims that the trial court erred when it allowed the State to impeach Kent's testimony with a prior statement made to the State. Prior to being charged with murder, Kent and his attorney requested that Kent be allowed to make a statement in order to present his side of the case. Record at 1098. Kent went to the prosecutor's office voluntarily, accompanied by his attorney, to give the statement. Kent now alleges that the statement was obtained by fraud, trickery, and deceit because, Kent contends, the prosecutor had already determined that they were going to charge Kent before he arrived. [2] Kent specifically alleges that the statement was fraudulently obtained because the detective and deputy prosecutor had signed the information and affidavit of probable cause on September 18, 1992, three days prior to taking Kent's statement on September 21, 1992. However, the testimony of the detective and the prosecutor clearly indicates that the decision to charge Kent was not made until after Kent had given his voluntary statement. Detective Teeling testified that he was present when the prosecutor dictated the charges to his secretary after questioning Kent on September 21, 1992. Thereafter, Detective Teeling and the prosecutor signed the information and probable cause affidavit. The prosecutor testified that the September 18, 1992 date on the information and probable cause affidavits were typographical errors. Furthermore, the file-stamped copies of both documents indicate that they were filed on September 21, 1992 at 3:46 p.m., which was after Kent's statement was taken. The trial court's finding of no deception on behalf of the State is not clearly erroneous. Furthermore, Kent gave this voluntary statement to the prosecutor in the presence of his own counsel, without being subjected to a subpoena, and aware that he was free to leave. Thus, the trial court did not err in allowing impeachment by this prior, voluntary statement.