Opinion ID: 786964
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: He was unconscious (inaudible).

Text: 34 Q. Okay. But he was unconscious, he was faking being unconscious. 35 A. It came to the medical people's attention that he was faking — 36 Q. Being unconscious. 37 It is only Bucher's counsel who supplies the statement he was faking being unconscious. The ranger only gives the information as to the belief of the medical people in the hospital 6 to 8 hours after Jacobs was removed from the trail. When the government had the chance to reexamine the ranger, this exchange took place: 38 Q. So it was only after Mr. Jacobs talked to the defendant and then upon seeing you that he became or appeared to become ill? 39 A. That's correct. 40 Q. And the fact that Mr. Jacobs had this illness or feigned this illness — whichever it was — did that, what extra activity caused you to have to do? 41 A. It caused us to call an ambulance and bring on a crew from the, from Kola and take to the hospital (inaudible) three or four hours of (inaudible). 42 Q. Nothing further. 43 In short, with no testimony on direct that Jacobs feigned unconsciousness, the government on redirect explicitly referred to Jacobs either having an illness or feigning an illness, whichever it was. It is truly remarkable that the prosecutor, knowledgeable about the facts, examining a percipient witness as to what had happened, did not elicit any testimony that Jacobs was playing possum. That was left to the imagination of this court. 44 The facts testified to by the ranger are that between 6 to 8 hours after Jacobs appeared to be unconscious he revived at the hospital. That one could successfully bluff for such a long period deceiving experienced rangers, ambulance personnel, and hospital personnel is highly unlikely. In any event, 6 to 8 hours of bluffing was not testified to by any witness. 45 Suppose one assumes that Jacobs fainted when he saw the rangers because he knew through Bucher's warning that they were coming to arrest him. In that event, Bucher's warning would have interfered with the rangers' work. But one would reach that conclusion by one's initial assumption as to why Jacobs fainted. The conclusion is not supported by testimony, nor is it argued by the government. 46 The government does not contend that Bucher is to be held responsible for interfering with the ranger if the 79-year-old Jacobs, apprehensive at their appearance, became ill. Nor did the government emphasize the colorful playing possum theory advanced by my colleagues. The government's theory in its brief on this appeal is as follows: 47 Boxx (and the other Rangers) had planned to arrest Jacobs when he emerged from Crater Trail. Instead, because of Bucher's interference, the Rangers had to undertake the more difficult task of apprehending Jacobs along the precipitous trail. Had Jacobs successfully retreated to the crater floor, he might have received assistance from others, and/or prevented rangers from ascertaining his true identity (TR 16). Moreover, the (apparent) advance warning of impeding arrest removed the tactical element of surprise, and enabled Jacobs to feign unconsciousness, making his (eventual) arrest more problematic. 48 Just as no evidence supports the government's contention that Jacobs feigned unconsciousness on the trail, so no testimony supports the government's contention that the rangers were forced to change their plans to the disadvantage of their investigation. On that score, the ranger testified on cross-examination: 49 The only worries were that it would prolong the investigation if he went back into the crater. 50 But Jacobs did not go back into the crater or take any action to evade arrest. 51 Conclusion. It is a virtue of our judicial system that a $35 fine can be the subject of an appeal. It is a virtue of the members of this court that they can see and state the harshness of penalizing a man for warning his friend. It is not, however, any service to justice to uphold a conviction on the basis of a scenario unsupported by the evidence. I respectfully dissent.