Opinion ID: 1158890
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reputation Issue

Text: (4a) Rocha asserts further that evidence indicating that he was not known to carry a knife was improperly excluded. This contention is without merit. Joe Sanchez, the owner of the Capitol Bar, was asked, [H]ave you ever seen Mr. Rocha with a knife? After an offer of proof that defendant intended to demonstrate that he did not characteristically carry such a weapon, the People's objection to the question as irrelevant was sustained. (5) Evidence of a person's reputation may be introduced to prove that on a specified occasion his conduct was in conformity with an established trait. (Evid. Code, § 1102.) (4b) However, no foundation was laid establishing that the witness was aware of defendant's general reputation nor was the question phrased in a manner designed to elicit proof of character, trait or custom. ( People v. Carnavacci, 119 Cal. App.2d 14, 17 [258 P.2d 1127].) Evidence that the witness had never seen Rocha carry a knife has minimal relevance to his conduct on the particular night in question. It was within the sound discretion of the trial court to exclude evidence of such slight probative value on the ground that its worth was outweighed by the probability that its introduction would necessitate undue consumption of time or mislead or confuse the jury. (Evid. Code, § 352.)