Opinion ID: 195236
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Arizona Traffic Stop

Text: 24 Arizona State Trooper Carlos Contreras testified that he encountered Hahn in February of 1992 when he stopped a black Ford pickup truck with New Hampshire license plates because it lacked mud flaps. The driver, Hahn, was in lawful possession of a .45 caliber Colt Commander. The government argued that the traffic-stop evidence was highly probative of the scope of the alleged conspiracy and Hahn's role in it, and that it corroborated important testimony provided by other prosecution witnesses. 8 25 Hahn argues that the traffic-stop and handgun evidence should not have survived the gauntlet for other acts evidence established under Federal Rules of Evidence 403 and 404(b). 26 First, the past incident must have some relevance other than to show the defendant's propensity to commit the crime. United States v. Ferrer-Cruz, 899 F.2d 135, 137 (1st Cir.1990). Second, even if specially relevant, the danger of prejudice cannot substantially outweigh the probative value of the evidence. Id. at 138; Fed.R.Evid. 403. 27 United States v. Agudelo, 988 F.2d 285, 287 (1st Cir.1993); See United States v. Williams, 985 F.2d 634, 637 (1st Cir.1993) (similar). 28 The district court first conducted an in camera conference with counsel to delimit Trooper Contreras's testimony, heard the testimony, then found that the testimony forged a relevant link among various regional elements in the Lujan organization. Then, with defense counsel's imprimatur, a firm jury instruction was given to the effect, inter alia, that it was lawful for Hahn to possess the handgun. 9 29 The court correctly ruled that the challenged other acts evidence was not precluded under Rule 404(b)'s absolute bar, which excludes evidence ... relevant only because it shows bad character, United States v. Ferrer-Cruz, 899 F.2d 135, 137 (1st Cir.1990) (emphasis in original); see Williams, 985 F.2d at 637; all evidence derived from the traffic stop, including the handgun, clearly bore direct relevance to legitimate issues, see note 7 supra. Furthermore, possession of a licensed firearm is neither a bad act nor indicative of bad character. 30 Under the required Rule 403 balancing, see id., the other acts evidence itself posed scant risk of engendering any improper inference of predisposition to possess or use a firearm unlawfully, as distinguished from lawful access to a particular firearm, a piece of evidence highly relevant to Hahn's involvement and role in the alleged conspiracy and CCE. Whatever prejudice resulted by reason of the fact that Hahn was being tried, inter alia, on a weapons charge, was not only mitigated by the limiting instruction, see Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681, 691-92, 108 S.Ct. 1496, 1502, 99 L.Ed.2d 771, citing United States v. Ingraham, 832 F.2d 229, 235 (1st Cir.1987), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1009, 108 S.Ct. 1738, 100 L.Ed.2d 202 (1988), but did not derive unfairly from the challenged evidence itself. We discern no unfair prejudice and no abuse of discretion.