Opinion ID: 1742617
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Redact.

Text: The Commonwealth admitted into evidence the judgments reflecting Appellant's 1989 convictions of sodomy 2nd and sexual abuse 1st and his 1995 convictions of three counts of sexual abuse 1st. The Commonwealth also sought to introduce a copy of the 1995 indictment, which charged three counts of sodomy 1st, two counts of rape 1st, and PFO 2nd. The trial court sustained Appellant's objection to the admission of the indictment but overruled Appellant's motion to redact from the 1995 judgment a recitation that the convictions of sexual abuse 1st were amended from Sodomy I (3 counts), with Rape I (2 counts), and Persistent Felony Offender II being dismissed. Thus, the Commonwealth was able to inform the jury of the contents of the indictment even though the indictment, itself, was excluded. The Commonwealth also admitted into evidence the sex offender register entry form executed by Appellant on July 17, 1997, before his release from prison. The trial court also overruled Appellant's motion to redact from that form the notation: Sexual abuse I with twelve year old daughter of live-in girl friend. In Perdue v. Commonwealth, 916 S.W.2d 148 (Ky.1995), we held that it was reversible error to inform the jury during the sentencing phase of the trial that the defendant's prior conviction of manslaughter had been amended down from the charge of murdereven though the trial court subsequently admonished the jury not to consider that fact. Id. at 164-65. It is far more prejudicial to introduce such evidence during the guilt phase of a trial. Of course, Appellant could have avoided the admission of either judgment by simply stipulating to the convictions. Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 190-91, 117 S.Ct. 644, 654-55, 136 L.Ed.2d 574 (1997) (where prior conviction was relevant only to prove the element of defendant's status as a convicted felon and defendant offered to stipulate to that fact, trial court abused discretion by permitting government to prove the nature of the offense over defendant's objection). [5] If Appellant could have avoided introduction of the judgment by stipulating that he was a convicted felon, clearly he was entitled to have redacted from the judgment information from which the jury could deduce that he committed far greater offenses than those of which he was convicted. The notation in the 1997 sex offender registry form was also irrelevant and prejudicial. Under the 1994 version of the Sex Offender Registration Act, the age of the victim was not a factor. A person convicted of any sex crime was required to register. 1994 Ky. Acts, ch. 392, § 2(2). The age of the victim only became relevant when the 2000 amendments increased the duration of the registration requirement to life if the victim was a minor. 2000 Ky. Acts, ch. 401, § 17(2) (KRS 17.520(2)). Thus, the Commonwealth was not required to prove the age of the victim in order to establish that Appellant was a sex offender registrant. The notation was particularly prejudicial with respect to the handgun offense because, while the 1995 judgment did reflect the nature of those indicted offenses that had been reduced or dismissed, it did not reflect the age of the victim.