Opinion ID: 2360954
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony of Sarah Falconer-Maker

Text: [¶ 15] Ardolino contends the trial court erred by denying his motion for a mistrial following the testimony of the State's witness, Sarah Falconer-Maker. He argues that her challenged testimony coupled with the other evidence relating to the sexual abuse allegations was so prejudicial that it could not be cured by the court's instruction to disregard it. We disagree. [¶ 16] We have previously stated that the trial court's decision whether to grant a mistrial is discretionary. State v. Smith, 675 A.2d 93, 99 (Me.1996). Because of the superior vantage point of the trial court, we will overrule its decision only for exceptionally prejudicial circumstances or prosecutorial bad faith. Id. Prosecutors have a duty to avoid eliciting inadmissible testimony, and a failure to observe this duty is prosecutorial misconduct that may be sufficient to warrant a mistrial. Id. The trial court should deny a motion for a mistrial except in the rare case when the trial cannot proceed to a fair result and no remedy short of a new trial will satisfy the interests of justice. State v. Mason, 528 A.2d 1259, 1260 (Me.1987). [¶ 17] Here, the record reflects that before the State called the witness, a secretary in the Machias office of the District Attorney in March 1993, the court cautioned the State that she was not to testify that Ardolino had scared or intimidated her. On direct examination, following her testimony that she had no personal contact with Ardolino but had answered telephone calls from him on several occasions when he inquired as to the status of the investigation of the sexual abuse charges against his wife, the following colloquy occurred: [State]: What was his tone of voice when you would speak to him? [Witness]: First couple of times he was prettyhis manner was fine. I think it was the third phone call and I instructed him, you know, this is where it is, it's been assigned, I don't know who it's been assigned to. And he wasn't satisfied with that and he told me that he would come down and take care of us with a 20-20. [¶ 18] Ardolino objected to this response and moved for a mistrial. The court denied the motion but immediately instructed the jury, inter alia, to disregard the last statement of the witness and directed that the statement be stricken from the record. The statement of the witness was not responsive to the inquiry of the State. We have previously stated that the trial court's determination of whether exposure to potentially prejudicial extraneous evidence would incurably taint the jury verdict or whether a curative instruction would adequately protect against consideration of the matter stands unless clearly erroneous. State v. Mason, 528 A.2d at 1260-1261. We also must presume that the jury heeds the court's instruction. State v. Herbest, 551 A.2d 442, 445 (Me.1988). Giving fair deference to the trial court's decision in the instant case, we conclude that there was no clear error or an abuse of discretion in the trial court's denial of Ardolino's motion for a mistrial.