Opinion ID: 2093320
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Heading: Finson's Statements To the Police

Text: The defendant raises two issues concerning the statements he made to the police on the day of his arrest. First, Finson asserts that the statements he made to the police should not have been admitted into evidence because at the time they were made he was heavily intoxicated. A person under the influence of alcohol is not necessarily incapable of waiving his constitutional rights or giving a voluntary statement, if despite the degree of intoxication he is aware and capable of comprehending and communicating with coherence and rationality. See State v. Kelly, Me., 376 A.2d 840, 849 (1977); State v. Hazelton, Me., 330 A.2d 919, 924 (1974); see also State v. Caouette, Me., 446 A.2d 1120 (1982); State v. Ashe, Me., 425 A.2d 191 (1981). Testimony directed towards this issue indicated that when Finson was taken to the police station he needed no assistance walking or getting out of the car, although he smelt of liquor, had bloodshot eyes and had an untidy appearance. The officer who interrogated Finson indicated that Finson gave meaningful responses to the questions asked of him. Finson testified, however, that he had been drinking all day and that he felt pretty sick when he was picked up by the police. The record provides rational support for the trial court's finding that Finson's intoxication did not preclude the admission of his statements. Accordingly, we must uphold this conclusion on appeal. See State v. Bleyl, Me., 435 A.2d 1349, 1358 (1981). Finson also contends that the trial court erred in admitting testimony relating to what he considered a highly prejudicial portion of his statement to the police. In pertinent part, Officer Page testified as follows with respect to Finson's statement to him: Q Did you ask him if he pulled her pants down? A Yes. Q How did he respond to that? A He said he did not. Q Did you ask him if he might know who had assaulted her? A Yes, I did. Q And how did he respond to that? A He said hehe didn'tthat if she had been 16 or 17 years old and wanted to get it on, maybe. The defendant sought to exclude the last quoted response under M.R.Evid. 403 on the ground that its prejudice outweighed its probative value. The State suggested that the statement be admitted for whatever evidentiary weight the jury wants to give it. The court denied Finson's motion. We agree with the defendant that the court erred in admitting the statement at issue. As evidenced by the prosecutor's remark, the statement's probative value is slight if not non-existent. Under these circumstances, the trial court must carefully weigh the danger of prejudice to the defendant before admitting evidence over an objection raised pursuant to M.R.Evid. 403. We have noted on a number of occasions the prejudicial nature of evidence of sexual misconduct. See, e.g., State v. Terrio, Me., 442 A.2d 537, 541-42 (1982); State v. O'Neal, Me., 432 A.2d 1278, 1282 (1981); State v. Goodrich, Me., 432 A.2d 413, 418-19 (1981). Although the defendant's statement in this case does not relate to an actual event, it may suggest to the jury that the defendant is of bad character. See State v. Terrio, 442 A.2d at 542. This potential for unfair prejudice when weighed against the negligible probative value of the statement at issue leads us to conclude that the statement should have been excluded. Nevertheless, we believe the error to be harmless. The statement is to a large extent exculpatory. It was a one line statement made during a two-day trial in the course of relating the entire statement, exculpatory in nature, that Finson made to the police. Moreover, the record does not suggest and the defendant does not advance that the State emphasized or exploited this testimony later in trial or during summation. Given the circumstances of this case, we consider it highly unlikely that the error influenced the jury's verdict.