Opinion ID: 1960245
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: videotape of arrest and search.

Text: Appellant next contends that the trial judge abused his discretion under KRE 403 by permitting the Commonwealth, over his objection, to play for the jury the videotape of the search and arrest. We agree that the videotape was unflattering to Appellant, who was shirtless and decidedly uncooperative with the officers. In part of the footage, Appellant can be seen accusing Officer Clark of planting the hypodermic needle in his pocket. It also showed Appellant being handcuffed and searched, and revealed the fact that his house was untidy. The trial court admitted the videotape because the Commonwealth contended that it rebutted Appellant's claim that Officer Clark had planted the hypodermic needle. To counter this purpose, Appellant offered to stipulate that the needle was found in his pocket if such a stipulation would keep the videotape from being shown. The Commonwealth declined to accept the stipulation and the videotape was shown. We review a trial court's KRE 403 decision for abuse of discretion. Roark v. Commonwealth, Ky., 90 S.W.3d 24, 37 (2002); Love v. Commonwealth, Ky., 55 S.W.3d 816, 822 (2001); Walker v. Commonwealth, Ky., 52 S.W.3d 533, 538 (2001); Commonwealth v. English, Ky., 993 S.W.2d 941, 945 (1999). Appellant does not seriously contend that the videotape had no probative value. In fact, it proved the corpus delicti of each offense by showing that the marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in his residence. Young v. Commonwealth, Ky., 50 S.W.3d 148, 169-70 (2001) (surveillance camera video of victim's death throes probative of corpus delicti ). Thus, the videotape of the search was helpful to the jury in weighing Appellant's guilt. See Fields v. Commonwealth, Ky., 12 S.W.3d 275, 279 (2000) (If relevant and probative of an issue in the case, a videotape of a crime scene, like a crime scene photograph, is admissible even though gruesome.); Mills v. Commonwealth, Ky., 996 S.W.2d 473, 489 (1999); Bedell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 870 S.W.2d 779, 783 (1993); Milburn v. Commonwealth, Ky.; 788 S.W.2d 253, 257 (1989). Rather than arguing that the videotape had low probative value, Appellant claims that its relevance would have been greatly diminished if the Commonwealth would have accepted his stipulation that the hypodermic needle was not planted. However, we have held on at least three prior occasions that a stipulation offer cannot provide the foundation for a KRE 403 argument on appeal. Furnish v. Commonwealth, Ky., 95 S.W.3d 34, 46 (2002); Barnett v. Commonwealth, Ky., 979 S.W.2d 98, 103 (1998); Gall v. Commonwealth, Ky., 607 S.W.2d 97, 107 (1980), overruled on other grounds by Payne v. Commonwealth, Ky., 623 S.W.2d 867 (1981). As we noted in Barnett, supra , the prosecution is permitted to prove its case by competent evidence of its own choosing, and the defendant may not stipulate away the parts of the case that he does not want the jury to see. 979 S.W.2d at 103. Compare Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 186-90, 117 S.Ct. 644, 653-55, 136 L.Ed.2d 574 (1997) (district judge abused discretion under Federal Rule of Evidence 403 by permitting government to introduce documents showing nature of defendant's prior offense and length of sentence imposed to prove prior conviction element of present offense even though defendant offered to stipulate to the existence of the prior conviction). Thus, the only question is whether the potential prejudice to Appellant from playing the videotape substantially outweighed its probative value. E.g., Commonwealth v. Higgs, Ky., 59 S.W.3d 886, 895 (2001). The videotape was prejudicial in that it showed Appellant shirtless, bickering, being handcuffed, searched, and accusing Officer Clark of planting the hypodermic needle. The camera, as Appellant now admits, also exposes that accusation as false. However, the issue is not simply whether the videotape was prejudicial; it must have been unduly prejudicial in order to have triggered KRE 403. Price v. Commonwealth, Ky., 31 S.W.3d 885, 888 (2000) ([T]he real issue is whether [the defendant] was unduly prejudiced, i.e., whether the prejudice to him was unnecessary and unreasonable.). We conclude that the videotape was not unduly prejudicial. It was not unnecessarily or unreasonably hurtful. Romans v. Commonwealth, Ky., 547 S.W.2d 128, 131 (1977). As noted supra, the videotape was helpful to the jury's understanding of where and how the evidence was discovered. It was strongly probative of Appellant's guilt of possession of the controlled substances and drug paraphernalia found in his residence. Appellant's argument that showing the videotape destroyed his presumption of innocence is both baffling and unsupported by authority. Indeed, in the only other published Kentucky case involving the admission of a videotape showing the execution of a search warrant and the defendant's arrest, we affirmed the admission of the videotape despite dramatic footage of the persons arrested being handcuffed by police in riot-type gear, patted down and asked to identify themselves. Edmonds v. Commonwealth, Ky., 906 S.W.2d 343, 346 (1995). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the Commonwealth to play the videotape.