Opinion ID: 1289067
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 22

Heading: False Statement to Officer

Text: Schreiner also argues that he should have been allowed to ask K.G. about the underlying conduct of lying to a police officer. While specific instances of the conduct of a witness, for the purpose of attacking or supporting her credibility, may generally not be proved by extrinsic evidence, rule 608(2) provides that specific instances of the conduct of a witness may, however, in the discretion of the court, if probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness be inquired into on cross-examination of the witness . . . (b) concerning [her] character for truthfulness or untruthfulness. [48] We are not persuaded that the court abused its discretion by overruling Schreiner's offer of proof here. The offer of proof was simply that K.G. would, if asked, testify that she had given false information to a police officer. This was, evidently, a reference to an incident referred to in K.G.'s deposition, in which K.G. had run away from home for about a week, and then apparently told the police that she had been with her sister. Schreiner contends that this testimony would have shown that [K.G.] had no compunction about lying to those in authority. [49] But the district court had already sustained the State's motion to preclude any evidence about K.G.'s having run away from home and other kinds of misconduct. Other than the issue under discussion, Schreiner does not challenge that ruling on appeal. And without reference to the incident Schreiner offered to prove, K.G. still admitted on cross-examination that she had lied to her parents, the police, and even at her deposition, about the clothing she had been wearing on the night of the alleged sexual encounter. It is difficult to see what additional value Schreiner could have obtained from the incident he offered to prove, unless he was able to inquire about the specific circumstances of the falsehood. And that would have been beyond the scope of the inquiry permitted by rule 608(2)(b). In short, the incident Schreiner offered to prove was inextricably linked to other, inadmissible evidence, and Schreiner was able to make the same point through other questions. We do not find an abuse of the district court's discretion in its overruling of Schreiner's offer of proof. And even had the evidence been improperly excluded, the evidence was cumulative and there was other competent evidence to support the conviction, so the improper exclusion was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. [50] In summary, we find no abuse of discretion, or prejudicial error, in the district court's overruling of Schreiner's offer of proof regarding K.G.'s adjudication. Schreiner's assignment of error is without merit.