Opinion ID: 1940840
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admissibility of Testimony Offered by State as Rebuttal Evidence.

Text: We next consider defendant's contention that the district court erred in permitting the testimony of witnesses called by the State in rebuttal. His principal area of complaint appears to be that the identity of these witnesses had not been disclosed to the defense. It is not required that the name of a witness who testifies in rebuttal be endorsed on the indictment or information. State v. Bakker, 262 N.W.2d 538, 543 (Iowa 1978); State v. Nelson, 261 Iowa 204, 208-09, 153 N.W.2d 711, 714-15 (1967). The State need not otherwise alert the defense to its knowledge of such witnesses except as required by discovery orders. Cf. State v. Kase, 339 N.W.2d 157, 159-60 (Iowa 1983). The fact that testimony used in rebuttal might have been used as a part of the State's main case does not render it inadmissible as rebuttal under the foregoing rule. Bakker, 262 N.W.2d at 543; Nelson, 261 Iowa at 208, 153 N.W.2d at 714. We are unable to sustain defendant's challenge to the State's rebuttal evidence within the framework of the foregoing rules. The general rule is that the trial court has a good deal of discretion in determining what is proper rebuttal testimony. Bakker, 262 N.W.2d at 543. All that is claimed in the present case is that the State presented seven rebuttal witnesses, several of which were improper. In view of this lack of specificity in identifying the testimony which defendant deems to be improper rebuttal, his argument provides no basis for overturning the district court's ruling.