Opinion ID: 1668021
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the court erred in refusing to admit into evidence a statement made by a witness for the state in cross examination made shortly after and at the scene of the accident.

Text: Prior to trial Carraway filed his Motion to Compel All Evidence Favorable to Defendant. This motion in part requested that the state produce for copying or inspection all evidence in the possession and control of the state that may be favorable to Carraway and material to his guilt or innocence. During the first day of trial, Don Smith testified for the state. His testimony was interrupted by the lunch break. He testified that he wrote a statement for the highway patrolman. After the lunch break and during cross-examination, Smith denied making two statements. At that moment defense counsel sought to admit a written statement and question Smith concerning that statement, but the prosecution objected. The prosecution objected because this statement had not been included in the information requested during discovery. In explaining why the statement was not included with the requested material, the defense maintained that they had no knowledge of the statement until Officer Williams gave it to them during the lunch recess. The trial judge allowed the second statement to be marked for identification, but he sustained the state's objection to its use or any reference of it made by defense counsel. During the defense's redirect examination of Williams, the prosecution again objected to any reference to the second statement. Outside the presence of the jury, the trial judge allowed counsel to discuss the evidence. Williams stated that he did take the statements but did not make them a part of his report. Williams, however, did make those statements, as well as the statements taken from Driskell and Bates, available to the district attorney within two weeks of the accident. In addition, Williams explained that the first time he told the defense lawyers about the statements was a few hours earlier during the lunch hour. Again, the court sustained the prosecution's objection.