Opinion ID: 324559
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: the other-crimes references

Text: 22 Lastly, appellant asserts that he was victimized by three separate trial occurrences which indicated to the jury that he had engaged in other criminality. He argues that the disclosure of the photographic identification, actually based on mug shots, 70 suggested to the jury his prior involvement with law enforcement authorities. The record makes plain, however, that at no time during trial were the mug shots referred to as anything but ordinary photographs, and that they were never introduced into evidence or shown to the jury. We are unwilling to speculate that somehow the jury may have recognized them for what they were. 71 23 Appellant next argues that the testimony that a search warrant was executed at his apartment 72 implicated him in another crime. The argument fails because there was nothing to indicate that the warrant was issued for any offenses other than those for which appellant was on trial. The questioned testimony was simply that an officer went to the apartment to execute the warrant, found appellant there, and recovered the shotgun later identified as the weapon used during the robbery. 73 24 Appellant's final complaint relates to a statement by Carey, on cross-examination by appellant's trial counsel, 74 that appellant had been arrested on another charge. 75 When that came out, the trial judge, at defense counsel's request, instructed the jury to disregard the statement and denied counsel's motion for a mistrial. Surely the statement cannot be charged to the Government, and in our view it did not warrant a retrial of the case. The evidence of appellant's guilt was strong, and the judge's admonitory instruction to the jury was swift. Whatever any uncured residium of the statement may have been, we are unpersuaded that it could have substantially swayed the verdict. 76 25 The judgment of conviction of assault with a dangerous weapon is vacated. 77 The conviction of armed robbery is affirmed. 26 So ordered.