Opinion ID: 449257
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Surprise Evidence

Text: 17 On the second day of defendants' joint jury trial in November 1979 for attempted murder, attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery, the state informed the court and the defense for the first time that Officer Von Ahn would testify at trial against the defendants. Von Ahn is a Los Angeles Police Officer who had arrested Olbrot in California and who had given a statement saying that Olbrot had told him in a bar about being involved in a robbery of a drug store in Indiana where someone was shot. Before trial the defense had believed that the Indiana statement was the only statement made by Olbrot that the state would attempt to use. On the second day of trial, however, the state indicated that Von Ahn would also testify that Olbrot had told him that he had committed a robbery in Illinois where a police officer was shot and that Olbrot had taken Von Ahn into the men's room and shown him a gunshot wound in his right shoulder. The court denied the defense motion for a continuance, but permitted the defense to depose Von Ahn the night before his testimony. During the deposition, Von Ahn stated that he had spoken to an Illinois assistant state's attorney named Callum and had told him about both of Olbrot's statements. Callum had been in charge of Olbrot's prosecution. Von Ahn was allowed to testify at trial about the new statement of Olbrot.