Opinion ID: 1629938
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the trial court erred in refusing to grant a mistrial when the court reporter reacted to the 911 tape.

Text: ¶ 20. Seeling's attorneys moved for a mistrial because the court reporter allegedly was emotional when the 911 tape was played for the jury. Sandi Necaise, a spectator, brought this to the attention of the defense counsel. She testified that it appeared that the court reporter was about to start crying. The court reporter testified that she did put her head in her hand on the desk during the playing of the tape because she had a headache. She had previously heard the tape at the hearing on the motion to suppress. There was no other testimony in the trial court asserted as a basis for a mistrial. No substantial or irreparable prejudice was shown by the court reporter's actions. In fact, the court reporter gave a reasonable, plausible explanation to the trial court regarding her actions. ¶ 21. The trial judge, who is in the best position to determine if a remark or an action is truly prejudicial, is given considerable discretion to determine whether a remark or an action creates irreparable prejudice necessitating a mistrial. Reynolds v. State, 585 So.2d 753, 755 (Miss.1991). Where the remark creates no irreparable prejudice, then the trial court should admonish the jury to disregard the improper remark. Roundtree v. State, 568 So.2d 1173, 1177 (Miss.1990). While in the present case it was not a remark but an alleged act by the court reporter, the trial judge heard the motion for mistrial and all of the testimony regarding the alleged incident. It was in his discretion to determine if the act was prejudicial. The trial court obviously accepted the plausible explanation given by the court reporter for momentarily putting her head in her hand due to a headache. This assignment of error is without merit.