Opinion ID: 1658346
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: was it error to refuse into evidence a copy of a complaint report made by the bolivar county sheriff's office dispatcher, joe earl gilbert?

Text: Gilbert was the dispatcher and monitored the calls from the patrol car of Weeks on the night of the killing of Maxwell. During his testimony his Complaint Report was offered into evidence and the State's objection was sustained. Gilbert was allowed, however, to refresh his memory with the complaint report and he ultimately testified from it. Gilbert further testified that he made the complaint report as a part of his official duties and it was an official record of the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department and it was made during the time that the radio traffic was going on and that the copy was a true and correct one. The ground for the objection by the prosecutor was the failure of the defense to lay the proper predicate. The complaint report record could have been properly introduced into evidence as a business record exception to hearsay. Johnson v. State, 476 So.2d 1195 (Miss. 1985). However, the officer testified from the radio log and the radio log was introduced. He also testified from the complaint report. Weeks himself later testified to essentially the same thing that was contained in the radio log and the complaint report. The material contained in the complaint report was therefore cumulative to the material in the radio log and to the testimony of Weeks. There was no prejudice in refusing the introduction of the report and therefore, no abuse of discretion by the trial judge. If this be error, it is harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt under Rule 11 of the Mississippi Supreme Court Rules.