Opinion ID: 1936390
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial judge erred by admitting evidence concerning walls' prior criminal activity?

Text: On cross-examination, Agent Powell was asked the following: Q. Okay. So you know from personal experience that Mr. Walls is a personal user of crack cocaine? A. I had prior information that he had been dealing. Q. And you personally saw him smoke it, did you not, Mr. Powell? A. I saw him and two other guys, which those two guys that was with him was the ones that didn't have nothing to sell. The was just smoking it. Normally, if you get a dealer with other guys smoking, he smokes too. He'll smoke with them. The more he smokes, the more they'll buy. Q. All right. So in your opinion, Mr. Walls is a smoker of crack cocaine? A. He's a smoker and a dealer. Q. Okay. Why do you say he's a dealer? A. Because he sold me crack cocaine. Q. To you? A. And I had prior information that he was dealing. MR. WALKER: Your Honor, I object to that last comment and move for a mistrial. It was not responsive to the question. MR. KELLY: It was, Your Honor. Counsel was trying to get the witness to say that the defendant was only a user, and that's not true. The witness had to respond accurately. THE COURT: I don't think it's objectionable. I think that's proper. I will overrule the objection. BY MR. WALKER: Q. But you had not made a case on Mr. Walls prior to this case, had you, Mr. Powell? A. No, sir. Q. And you had some kind of hearsay information about Mr. Walls being a seller or something? A. I had prior information that he had been dealing crack cocaine. Q. Hearsay, right? Other people telling you? A. Well, I've got to go on something. Q. So you admit it's hearsay? A. Well, if you come to me and tell me something, give me some information or call me and give me information, I would check it out. By me running surveillance in that parking lot, I can see a lot of things. Defense counsel now objects to testimony which he solicited by his own questions. Agent Powell testified that he had prior information that Walls was a drug dealer. Walls argues that, because the trial judge refused to grant the entrapment instruction, the evidence of predisposition was inadmissible under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 404(b). [2] This argument is without merit. This Court has held that [i]t is not the ultimate outcome of whether or not a defendant is able to successfully establish a prima facie case of entrapment, but rather the raising of such a defense that opens the door for the prosecution to introduce evidence of predisposition. Hopson, 625 So.2d at 402 (citing Sayre v. State, 533 So.2d 464, 466-67 (Miss. 1988); see also Smith v. State, 656 So.2d 95, 99 (Miss. 1995) (We have previously held that evidence of prior drug transactions is admissible to show predisposition when a defendant raises the defense of entrapment.). Walls did not make out a prima facie case for entrapment and, therefore, the trial judge properly refused to give an entrapment instruction. However, because Walls raised an entrapment defense, Agent Powell's testimony that he had prior information that Walls sold drugs was admissible to show predisposition  regardless of whether Walls was ultimately given an entrapment instruction. Additionally, defense counsel cannot now complain of the alleged predisposition evidence which he solicited from the agent on cross-examinations. Fleming v. State, 604 So.2d 280, 289 (Miss. 1992) (It is axiomatic that a defendant cannot complain on appeal concerning evidence that he himself brought out at trial.). Therefore, Wall's appeal lacks merit and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. CONVICTION OF SALE OF COCAINE AND SENTENCE OF FIFTEEN YEARS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WITH THE LAST SEVEN YEARS SUSPENDED, WITH CONDITIONS, PAY A FINE OF $2,000.00, ALL FEES AND COURT COSTS AFFIRMED. DAN M. LEE, C.J., and PITTMAN, BANKS, JAMES L. ROBERTS, Jr. and SMITH, JJ., concur. McRAE, J., dissents with separate written opinion joined by SULLIVAN, P.J., and MILLS, J.