Opinion ID: 1793265
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: surprise witness.

Text: On July 29, 2001, C.J. Anderson and Johnnie Finn, two of the six persons arrested at Appellant's residence on July 24, 2001, were killed in a single-car accident while operating a vehicle owned by Appellant. During their investigation of this accident, two Kentucky State Police officers interviewed Anderson's girlfriend, Christina Hester. On July 31, 2001, Hester gave the police a written statement to the effect that a friend had told her that Appellant had threatened to kill everyone who had been at his residence on July 24th and that he had done something to his vehicle before loaning it to Anderson and Finn. Appellant was never charged with causing the deaths of Anderson and Finn. However, Hester's statement also contained information that she and Anderson had spent the weekend of July 20-22, 2001, at Appellant's residence and that during the weekend, Ricky and his friends were smoking and making meth (crank). Although Hester's statement was filed in the district court record of the charges stemming from the August 3, 2001, search and is found at pages 7-10 of the transcript of record of Indictment No. 01-CR-179, it was not discovered by the Commonwealth's attorney until the second day of trial. Thus, a copy of the statement was not furnished to Appellant's counsel forty-eight hours prior to trial as required by RCr 7.26(1). And since the statement contained evidence of prior misconduct, the Commonwealth also failed to comply with the notice requirement of KRE 404(c). Both rules allow admission of the evidence despite noncompliance for good cause shown. The trial court concluded that the Commonwealth's failure to discover the statement was good cause shown and permitted Hester to testify. The statement was part of the public record of this case; thus, defense counsel, as well as the prosecutor, could be charged with constructive knowledge of its existence. Appellant moved to exclude any evidence of his having ingested or manufactured methamphetamine on another occasion, citing KRE 404(b). That rule proscribes admission of other crimes, wrongs or acts to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith. However, such evidence is admissible if relevant for a purpose other than to prove character, e.g., to prove motive, opportunity, intent, etc. KRE 404(b)(1); Tamme v. Commonwealth, Ky., 973 S.W.2d 13, 29 (1998). Evidence that Appellant had participated in the manufacture of methamphetamine on his property only two days before the July 24th search was relevant to disprove his defense that he was framed, i.e., someone else had planted the chemicals and equipment on his property without his knowledge. Cf. Young v. Commonwealth, Ky., 25 S.W.3d 66, 71 (2000) (evidence that defendant had previously manufactured methamphetamine admissible to disprove his claim that he did not know how to manufacture methamphetamine). Evidence that Appellant had ingested methamphetamine was relevant to prove a motive to manufacture it. United States v. Cunningham, 103 F.3d 553, 557 (7th Cir.1996) (evidence of nurse's Demerol addiction admissible to show motive to tamper with Demerol-filled syringes); State v. Kealoha, 95 Hawai'i 365, 22 P.3d 1012, 1027 (App.2000) (Evidence that Defendant sold methamphetamine to finance her cocaine use is probative of whether Defendant had a motive to manufacture methamphetamine and her intent to do so.); cf. Adkins v. Commonwealth, Ky., 96 S.W.3d 779, 793 (2003) (evidence of drug habit, along with evidence of insufficient funds to support habit, relevant to show motive to commit robbery in order to obtain money to buy drugs). The trial judge did not abuse his discretion in determining that the prejudicial effect of this evidence did not substantially outweigh its probative value. KRE 403; Commonwealth v. English, Ky., 993 S.W.2d 941, 945 (1999). Hester was not permitted to testify with respect to Appellant's terroristic threats or the deaths of Anderson and Finn. Nor was she permitted to repeat the assertion made in her written statement that Appellant made sexual advances toward her both before and after Anderson's death. However, she did testify that Appellant not only manufactured and used methamphetamine during the weekend of July 20-22, 2001, but that he also directed others, including Anderson and Cherry, to sell methamphetamine and return the money to him. She claimed to have seen Appellant place money from those sales into his wallet. The trial court ultimately decided that this evidence should not have been admitted because Appellant was not charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, and admonished the jury to disregard it. [2] There is a presumption that an admonition can cure a defect in testimony. Alexander v. Commonwealth, Ky., 862 S.W.2d 856, 859 (1993), overruled in part on other grounds by Stringer v. Commonwealth, Ky., 956 S.W.2d 883, 891 (1997). See also Price v. Commonwealth, Ky., 59 S.W.3d 878, 881 (2001). The presumption is overcome only (1) when an overwhelming probability exists that the jury is incapable of following the admonition and a strong likelihood exists that the inadmissible evidence would be devastating to the defendant; and (2) when the question was asked without a factual basis and was `inflammatory' or `highly prejudicial.' Johnson v. Commonwealth, Ky., 105 S.W.3d 430, 441 (2003) (citations omitted). The second situation has no application here. As for the first, we are unable to conclude that a jury would be incapable of following the admonition. See, e.g., Kinser v. Commonwealth, Ky., 741 S.W.2d 648, 653 (1987) (admonition sufficient to cure police testimony that he knew enough about the case to think that [the defendants] had possibly committed this murder). Further, since the jury had already heard that Appellant had both manufactured and ingested methamphetamine, it seems hardly devastating that the jury also heard that he sold some of it.