Opinion ID: 2434052
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Prior Convictions and Other Acts of Misconduct

Text: Appellant complains the state was permitted to offer proof of prior convictions and other acts of misconduct on his part. J.R. Robinson was asked by the state on redirect if he and Dick Watson (appellant's father) had been to the back of Raymond's farm? He said, Yes, he took me up there to get some marijuana. The defense objected and asked for a mistrial or for an admonition to the jury to disregard the last statement. The trial judge refused to declare a mistrial but instructed the jury accordingly. Appellant requested either a mistrial or an admonition. The court chose the latter and appellant's request was satisfied. Gilbert v. State, 277 Ark. 61, 639 S.W.2d 346 (1982). Next, appellant urges error occurred in connection with questions put to J.R. Robinson and Bobby Foster which violated a motion in limine by the defense. The questions concerned the guns which Robinson and Foster said were traded to appellant for marijuana. In Foster's testimony he acknowledged the guns were stolen and appellant argues this proof had no relevance to the offenses being tried. He cites Cabbiness v. State, 241 Ark. 898, 410 S.W.2d 867 (1967) which held that prejudice is presumed in the absence of an affirmative showing to the contrary. That is no longer the rule. See Vasquez v. State, 287 Ark. 468, 701 S.W.2d 357 (1985); Berna v. State, 282 Ark. 563, 670 S.W.2d 434 (1984). Aside from that, the trial judge had denied the motion in limine because he could not decide on the admissibility of the disputed proof until he heard it. Since there was no objection when the testimony regarding the stolen guns was offered, we need not decide whether the testimony had relevance. Adams v. State, 276 Ark. 18, 631 S.W.2d 828 (1982). Appellant also argues that questions by the state focused on his character in violation of A.R.E. Rule 404. He was asked if his father had gone to the penitentiary on a drug charge, and if Gary Cunningham and Donnie Allbright had convictions for marijuana. Appellant had earlier testified on direct that Allbright might have planted the marijuana found on his farm. To what extent these questions had relevance to the issues cannot be determined from the abstract, but the appellant has failed to demonstrate how his own character was put in issue by questions involving Cunningham, Allbright and his father. We find no reversible error here. Another contention: after eliciting from the appellant an admission that he had been convicted of growing marijuana in August, 1984 the state asked how many marijuana plants were found on his property, what penalty the jury imposed, and whether he knew what stripping marijuana meant. Appellant relies on Floyd v. State, 278 Ark. 342, 645 S.W.2d 690 (1983), where we discussed A.R.E. Rule 609 and the use of evidence of prior convictions to impeach. Obviously, what is admissible in one case may not be admissible in the context of another case. Here, the appellant had testified on direct that he had no idea the articles Foster had brought to him were stolen, that he was keeping them simply to determine their value after which he planned to pay for them; moreover, he denied any knowledge of how a sizeable quantity of marijuana got on his farm. When a person in possession of stolen property denies knowing the property is stolen, proof of previous acts of the same nature is admissible to show knowledge. Reeves v. State, 263 Ark. 227, 564 S.W.2d 503 (1978); Walker v. State, 13 Ark.App. 124, 680 S.W.2d 915 (1984). By the same token, questions relating to a conviction for growing marijuana and the quantity involved were permissible under A.R.E. Rule 404(b) to show knowledge, motive and intent of the appellant. Lastly, appellant complains of the state's questioning of appellant about a quarter of a pound of marijuana. When appellant denied that he and Tommy Corp sold a quarter of a pound of marijuana to a B.J. Weaver, he was asked if Corp delivered that amount of marijuana to Weaver in his presence. Another denial. Appellant also denied having said that he usually didn't deal in quarter pounds. Appellant now argues that A.R.E. Rule 606(b) precludes proof of specific instances of conduct by extrinsic evidence. However, the rule also provides that on cross-examination such proof may be admissible if, in the discretion of the trial court, it is probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness. The objection to this line of questioning was merely general, there was no specific objection. See A.R.E. Rule 103(a)(1).