Opinion ID: 2627462
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Was the erroneous admission of the evidence of the defendant's prior marijuana use harmless?

Text: The conclusion that the evidence of Boggs' previous drug use was inadmissible under K.S.A. 60-455 does not automatically lead to reversal. Instead, we must determine, as the Court of Appeals did in this case, whether the admission of that evidence was harmless under K.S.A. 60-261, which provides: No error in either the admission or the exclusion of evidence and no error or defect in any ruling or order or in anything done or omitted by the court or by any of the parties is ground for granting a new trial or for setting aside a verdict or for vacating, modifying or otherwise disturbing a judgment or order, unless refusal to take such action appears to the court inconsistent with substantial justice. Other than his prior drug use, the only evidence linking Boggs to the glass pipe consisted of Captain Allcock's testimony that he smelled the odor of marijuana on Boggs' clothing and Hockett's extensive testimony at trial. Hockett was the only other occupant of the pickup truck where the pipe was found, and that truck belonged to Hockett's father; both of these facts place Hockett's credibility in question. Under the facts of this case, the evidence that Boggs had used marijuana on a prior occasion was inadmissible, but it was also extremely prejudicial. We cannot discount the very real possibility that the jury was swayed by this prior drug experience and concluded on the basis of the improperly admitted evidence that the defendant was guilty of the crime charged solely based on his previous behavior. In short, we do not believe that the erroneous admission of defendant's prior drug use was harmless. The State argues that the Court of Appeals' harmless error analysis was improper because it required the court to reweigh the witnesses' credibility. Specifically, the State argues that the Court of Appeals discounted Hockett's incriminating testimony due to his interests as the driver of a truck belonging to his fatherand therefore potential biasconcerning the outcome of Boggs' case. This claim fails to recognize that a reviewing court considering a question of harmless error is required to make a determination as to whether the evidence admitted had any likelihood of changing the results at trial. See State v. Gonzalez, 282 Kan. 73, 99-100, 145 P.3d 18 (2006). This determination is different from a question of whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction because considerations of harmless error necessarily involve some weighing of the evidence presented against the court's confidence that the verdict is consistent with substantial justice. See K.S.A. 60-261. Applying this same harmless error standard, we conclude that the admission of Boggs' prior use of marijuana had a real likelihood of changing the result of the trial. The district court's error in admitting the evidence was not harmless. The decision of the Court of Appeals reversing the district court on the issues subject to our grant of review is affirmed, the district court is reversed, and the case is remanded with directions to the district court for a new trial consistent with this opinion.