Opinion ID: 589639
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Myers' Prior Statement

Text: 53 The statement at issue is a three-page signed, written statement that Myers made during a police internal affairs investigation on Myers' use of the stun gun on Yanez. The statement first came up at trial during cross-examination of Myers. The prosecution questioned Myers on the contents of his report and about the number of times he activated the stun gun. Myers replied that he activated the stun gun five or six times. The government marked the statement as government's exhibit 9 and provided the statement to Myers to refresh his recollection. The statement specified that Myers had used the stun gun to shock Yanez four times. On direct examination, Myers had testified that he used the stun gun on Yanez five times. The prosecution used the statement to impeach Myers' testimony regarding the number of times that he used the stun gun on Yanez. 54 Defense moved for admission of the entire statement. The court refused this request and allowed only portions of the statement that were pertinent to the witness' testimony into evidence. Myers now contends that the court should have admitted the entire statement into evidence, pursuant to Rule 801(d)(1) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, which provides that a prior statement is not hearsay, and thus admissible, if it is consistent with the declarant's testimony and is offered to rebut an express or implied charge against the declarant of recent fabrication or improper influence or motive. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(1)(B). 55 We find that because the court did admit the statement into evidence, albeit in a redacted form, Rule 801(d)(1)(B) does not support Myers' claim. [A] trial court has discretion to exclude those parts of prior consistent statements that do not relate specifically to matters on which the defendant has been impeached. United States v. Brantley, 733 F.2d 1429, 1438 (11th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 470 U.S. 1006, 105 S.Ct. 1362, 84 L.Ed.2d 383 (1985). The prosecution introduced into evidence portions of Myers' statement with respect to the number of times that Myers used the stun gun on Yanez; that was the impeachment purpose. Other information provided in the statement concerning the circumstances of Myers' use of the stun gun reflect his motivation and reason for the use of the gun. Myers objects to the jury not receiving information in his statement that described Yanez's threats to the police officers, the state of the stun gun's battery, the reasons why Myers used the stun gun, and what Yanez said before and after Myers used the stun gun on him. Not only were these facts not in dispute, they were testified to by Myers and other witnesses. 56 Myers also contends that Rule 106 of the Federal Rules of Evidence requires the admission of the entire statement into evidence. Under this rule of completeness when a part of a written statement is introduced by a party, the adverse party may require the introduction of any other part of the statement which ought in fairness to be considered contemporaneously with it. Fed.R.Evid. 106. There are, however, limitations on the rule. 57 A [ ] limitation on the rule of completeness, applicable in all cases, arises when the prosecution seeks only to introduce a portion of the defendant's statement. There, the defendant still has the right to introduce additional portions of his statement. But, this right does not entitle the defendant to introduce portions of his statement that are neither explanatory of nor relevant to those portions of the statement introduced by the prosecution. 58 United States v. Smith, 794 F.2d 1333, 1335 (8th Cir.) (citing United States v. Marin, 669 F.2d 73, 84-85 (2d Cir.1982)), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 938, 107 S.Ct. 419, 93 L.Ed.2d 370 (1986). As we have already explained, the prosecution introduced portions of Myers' statement for the purposes of impeaching Myers' testimony regarding the number of times he used the stun gun on Yanez. The information that was redacted from the statement had to do with events that were not pertinent to the impeachment purpose. The court, therefore, did not abuse its discretion in excluding Myers' three-page statement in its entirety. See United States v. Reed, 887 F.2d 1398, 1405 (11th Cir.1989) (district court has broad discretion in determining admissibility of prior consistent statement and will not be disturbed on appeal absent a clear showing of abuse of discretion), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1080, 110 S.Ct. 1136, 107 L.Ed.2d 1041 (1990).