Opinion ID: 2276886
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Admissibility of Police Officers' Testimony

Text: At trial, Appellant objected to the introduction of testimony by the police officers who had stopped Appellant several times after the homicides. On each occasion, Appellant was driving a maroon SUV. The circuit court overruled his objection. Appellant now urges this court to reverse the circuit court's ruling on grounds that evidence of other crimes was not admissible under Ark. R. Evid. 404(b), and the State failed to demonstrate the relevance of the subsequent traffic stops. Relevancy of evidence is within the trial court's discretion, subject to reversal only if an abuse of discretion is demonstrated. Kelley v. State, 375 Ark. 483, 292 S.W.3d 297 (2009). Relevant evidence means evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Ark. R. Evid. 401 (2008). Evidence may be relevant even though it is somewhat remote in time from the occurrence of the crime. Teague v. State, 328 Ark. 724, 946 S.W.2d 670 (1997). Rule 404(b) provides that [e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Id. The record here reflects that Latifah Johnson saw Appellant's maroon SUV parked near the Reck Road house on the night of the murders. That same night, around midnight, Tim Mathis saw a maroon SUV at a carwash close to Hindman Park. The victims' bodies were discovered the next day in Hindman Park. The State contends, and we agree, that the police officers' testimony linking Appellant to the maroon SUV did not violate Rule 404(b) because it was not offered for the purpose of showing that he was a bad character, nor was it offered to show a pattern of behavior; rather, it was offered to demonstrate Appellant's identity as the driver of a vehicle that was seen near both crime scenes. The evidence was relevant and not too remote in time from the commission of the crimes. Accordingly, we cannot say that the circuit court abused its discretion in admitting the testimony of the police officers.