Opinion ID: 2124575
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: witness and testimony

Text: The defendant claims that, because of the failure of the State to find a witness, Thomas Adams, he was denied his right to be confronted with the witnesses against him. Thomas Adams was the other passenger in the pickup truck with the defendant on the night of the accident. At the preliminary hearing, testimony was taken from Adams concerning the events of the evening of the accident. At the time of the trial Adams could not be found, therefore his previously recorded testimony was introduced and admitted in evidence. All that is required of the State is that it make a reasonable, good faith effort to locate a witness. Barber v. Page, 390 U.S. 719, 88 S.Ct. 1318, 20 L.Ed.2d 255 (1968). Whether or not the State has made a good faith effort to locate a witness is within the discretion of the trial court. People v. Phillips, 61 Mich.App. 138, 232 N.W.2d 333 (1975); Jackson v. State, 133 Neb. 786, 277 N.W. 92 (1938). The trial court found that the State had made a sufficient effort to find the witness. We find no abuse of discretion by the trial court on this issue. A subpoena was issued for the appearance of Thomas Adams at the trial. His parents were contacted but did not know where he was. It was learned that Adams worked for a carpet company, so companies in the area were contacted, but this search was unsuccessful. Phone calls were made at ten-minute intervals to a number given to the police by an anonymous caller. When the phone was answered on the second day after the calling began, the police were informed that Adams lived there only occasionally and that his present whereabouts were unknown. A request for information leading to the location of the witness was broadcast over radio and television, but produced no responses. These efforts show a good faith attempt by the police to find Adams. The defendant, who claims he was denied his constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him, made no effort to find Adams. If he believed the cross-examination of this witness would have proved important he should have made some effort to insure the presence of the witness at the trial. The defendant also disputes the trial court's ruling permitting the admission of the prior testimony of the witness (Adams). He claims he did not cross-examine the witness at the hearing because of the nature of the proceeding. This court stated in State v. Jacob, 222 N.W.2d 586, 589 (N.D.1975), that The key to the admissibility of former testimony of a witness is the unavailability of that witness at the subsequent trial. This court, in Jacob, supra, held that where a witness is unavailable for trial, his testimony at a former trial of the same issue is admissible where there was, at the first trial, adequate opportunity for cross-examination. State v. McCarty, 49 N.D. 912, 194 N.W. 335 (1923). If the cross-examination was not as penetrating or extensive as it might have been, it was only because counsel for the defendant chose not to make it so. On page 590 of Jacob, supra, this court said: Under these circumstances, where the choice is between receiving relevant testimony which is subject to all the safeguards of reliability or of rejecting it, and losing the only meaningful evidence the State could produce, the ruling of the trial court to admit it was proper. There was no evidence here that the defendant was restricted in his ability to cross-examine the witness at the prior hearing. He failed to do so on his own volition. Now the witness is not available for cross-examination. This is a risk that the defendant took when he chose not to cross-examine at the prior hearing.