Opinion ID: 693464
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Impeachment of Ms. Scholle

Text: 10 Inconsistent statements are admissible under Fed.R.Evid. 613 for the purpose of impeaching a witness's testimony. United States v. Monroe, 943 F.2d 1007 (9th Cir.1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 971, 112 S.Ct. 1585, 118 L.Ed.2d 304 (1992). A trial judge, however, has discretion in deciding the preliminary issues of relevance and inconsistency. Fed.R.Evid. Rule 402 and United States v. Hale, 422 U.S. 171, 176, 95 S.Ct. 2133, 2136, 45 L.Ed.2d 99 (1975). 11 Based on his interview report, Agent Dick would have testified that Ms. Scholle had told him that Tory was wearing sweatpants at the time of the robbery. Yet, Ms. Scholle, when explicitly asked whether she had described Tory's pants to Agent Dick as sweatpants, stated that she did not remember describing them in that particular way but did remember describing them as a white type of pant. 12 The trial judge's ruling that the statement was not inconsistent with Ms. Scholle's testimony was error. The statements in question are inconsistent and relevant to the ability of the sole prosecution eyewitness on the question of whether Tory had a gun and to her ability to recall pertinent details. 3