Opinion ID: 1808114
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Discovery Dispute With Roth

Text: On September 18, 1987, Roth and Rhodes were to exchange discovery items in the district courtroom pursuant to a reciprocal discovery order entered in State v. Hunsaker. Roth testified that when he arrived at 1 p.m., Rhodes was already in the courtroom, sitting in the front jury seat. Rhodes was wearing a suit, his coat was buttoned, and he was staring straight ahead with a glazed look on his face. Prior to this occasion, Roth had seen Rhodes carrying a pistol on his side and in a shoulder holster. Roth was concerned that Rhodes was carrying a gun. Roth asked Rhodes if he had any of the discovery materials. Rhodes pointed at items sitting on the ledge in front of him. As Roth walked over to the jury box, Rhodes pushed the items over the ledge so that two documents fell on the floor. The items consisted of a telephone directory, a letter from Rhodes, and the bill of exceptions from Hunsaker's preliminary hearing. There were no police reports. Rhodes gave Roth the telephone book so that Roth could look up the witnesses' addresses himself. Roth testified that the judge had specifically ordered that the police reports be provided. After Roth asked for the police reports, Rhodes responded very sternly, I'm not giving you the police reports until I get your witness list. Roth said it was his understanding that he did not request a witness list from Rhodes, so Roth did not have to provide a witness list. Rhodes continued to refuse to provide the police reports. When Roth asked if he had anything else, Rhodes appeared to lose control. Roth testified that Rhodes came up over the jury box very rapidly with his arms waving and made a loud noise, coming directly at me.... He made a loud, `Gerr-rr-rr.' Roth was stunned and took off and ran around the counsel table. Rhodes did not follow him, but headed toward the back of the courtroom, turned around, and said, You chicken shit. Rhodes denies calling Roth a chicken shit. There were no other witnesses to this incident. Roth testified that he was extremely scared and that he left the courtroom to discuss the incident with Jeff Kawata, a probation officer. Roth returned to his office and prepared a memo for his file about the incident. Rhodes testified that there was a reciprocal discovery order in the Hunsaker case and that he and Roth had a disagreement about the defendant's witness list and the police reports. Rhodes said he became exasperated and said, This is chicken shit. Rhodes denied sitting in the jury box and jumping over the jury box. Roth's partner was eventually ordered to give the State a witness list in the case. Roth testified that he was concerned for his own personal safety from the time he reduced the felony charges against Speer until this incident in the courtroom. Roth and his family began to lock all their doors at home. Roth stopped working in his office at night and made sure that discovery exchanges were made in the presence of a judge. Roth stated that he considered leaving Broken Bow as the result of Rhodes' conduct.