Opinion ID: 1981665
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The competency of the eyewitness.

Text: The decision with respect to the competency of a witness rests within the sound discretion of the trial court and we will reverse only when an abuse of that discretion is shown. State v. Whitfield, 315 N.W.2d 753, 755 (Iowa 1982); Calvert v. State, 310 N.W.2d 185, 187 (Iowa 1981). Iowa Rule of Evidence 601 governs the trial court's determination and provides that [a] person of sufficient capacity to understand the obligation of an oath or affirmation is competent to be a witness except as otherwise provided by rule or statute. The witness in this case was a twenty-seven-year-old mentally handicapped woman employed by Goodwill Industries. During the course of an in camera examination of both the witness and her father, counsel posed questions concerning the witness' ability to distinguish between truth and falsity, and her general capacity to accurately relate the events she allegedly witnessed. Her answers revealed a fundamental understanding of her obligation to answer questions truthfully. Her father confirmed her general history of reliability in reporting events, pointing to the consistency with which she had related the incident in question to him, her mother, police investigators and her employer. Although she displayed some obvious confusion in response to questions concerning more abstract concepts, we are convinced from an overall examination of the record that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it determined that she was sufficiently competent to testify. Appellant's assertion to the contrary is without merit.