Opinion ID: 2224109
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Independent Basis.

Text: When an improper pre-trial identification has occurred, as it did in this case at the Gary Police Station, the witness may, nevertheless, identify the accused in court if there exists a substantial independent basis for such identification. In Neil v. Biggers (1972), 409 U.S. 188, 199, 93 S.Ct. 375, 382, 34 L.Ed.2d 401, the U.S. Supreme Court stated that ... [T]he factors to be considered in evaluating the likelihood of misidentification include the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of the witness' prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation, and the length of time between the crime and the confrontation. See also Swope v. State (1975), Ind., 325 N.E.2d 193; Vicory v. State (1974), Ind., 315 N.E.2d 715. The events under review in this case transpired on a Saturday morning, and Rebecca Westcott first observed the appellant at a distance of no more than five feet when he approached her and her companion about delivering the papers. When she entered appellant's vehicle, she sat next to him on the front seat with Krystal sitting by the door. The drive to the sodomy scene took about ten to fifteen minutes, and Rebecca recognized her grandmother's and her aunt's house as they drove by. She was able to identify the vehicle as bluish-gray Oldsmobile. She further stated that It had a paper rose on the right visor. It had three stickers on the windshield. One was a moose head, and one was a flag and one was part of a star. Rebecca was in the car after it stopped for approximately ten to fifteen minutes, during which time her ability to observe appellant's facial features was periodically curtailed, for reasons stated above. Nevertheless, she was able to give a detailed description of appellant's clothing and his general physical appearance, including several missing teeth. On both direct and cross-examination, Rebecca remained steadfast in her identification of the appellant as the man who abducted her. Under all the circumstances, we believe the identification was reliable and rests upon a basis sufficiently independent of the impermissible show-up conducted at the Gary Police Department. The trial court properly denied appellant's motion to suppress.