Opinion ID: 2449819
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: informant's participation in other sting operations

Text: During cross-examination of Detective Huber, defense counsel inquired as to exactly how many other sting operations Payne had participated in for the police and exactly how much he had been paid. Detective Huber professed to be unable to recall the specific number of stings or the total amounts paid to Payne. However, he did state that Payne had worked for the police in several other drug operations as a paid informant over an extended period of time and that he believed Payne had been paid less than a total of $500.00. Defense counsel then moved the court to compel Detective Huber to provide the specific information. The motion was overruled. Appellant's claim in this regard is essentially a Confrontation Clause argument. U.S. Const., Amend. 6; Ky. Const. § 11; Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974); Williams v. Commonwealth, Ky., 569 S.W.2d 139 (1978). However, once the essential facts constituting bias have been admitted, a trial court may, of course, impose reasonable limits on defense counsel's inquiry into the potential bias of a prosecution witness, to take account of such factors as `harassment, prejudice, confusion of the issues, the witness' safety, or interrogation that [would be] repetitive or only marginally relevant. . . .' Olden v. Kentucky, 488 U.S. 227, 232, 109 S.Ct. 480, 483, 102 L.Ed.2d 513 (1988), quoting Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 679, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 1435, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986). Detective Huber gave the jury enough information to permit a fair appraisal of Payne's possible bias. The trial judge's ruling was a reasonable limitation on this exploration into Payne's motive or bias. Quinn v. Neal, 998 F.2d 526, 529 (7th Cir. 1993).