Opinion ID: 2611456
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 18

Heading: The district court properly exercised its discretion by admitting the imprints after ruling the State had demonstrated they were in significantly the same condition.

Text: Detective Thompson testified that he investigated the crime scene from approximately 7:00 a.m. until about 9:15 a.m. on the morning of the assaults, and photographed some shoe and tire imprints outside the victims' home. That evening, at around 9:20 p.m., Detective Thompson returned to the crime scene and took castings of the tire and shoe imprints for comparison to the tires on Bush's car and the shoes he was wearing when he was arrested. Contrary to Bush's argument that there was no testimony that the imprints were in the same condition when Thompson made the castings as when he first observed them earlier in the morning, Detective Thompson specifically testified that he took castings of the same shoe and tire imprints he had seen that morning, that the imprints were in the same condition as they had been that morning and that they had not been disturbed in any way. Although Thompson did testify that the crime scene was not under constant guard from early in the morning until he returned that evening, the only requirement is that the evidence be in substantially the same condition as when the crime was committed. State v. Griffith, 94 Idaho 76, 81, 481 P.2d 34, 39 (1971). In Griffith, the Court explained: It is not necessary that an object which is offered in evidence should be in precisely the same condition at the moment of its offer as at the time when it played a part in the occurrence which gave rise to its offer in evidence. But, the change in its condition must not have been wrought for unjustifiable purposes, and it must not be of sufficient moment so that the exhibit will mislead. Id. at 81, 481 P.2d at 39 (quoting State v. Hood, 225 Or. 40, 356 P.2d 1100, 1103 (1960)). This Court then held that if the lower court is satisfied that in all reasonable probability the article has not been changed in any important respect, it is admissible into evidence. Id. at 82, 481 P.2d at 40. Thus, by admitting the tire and shoe imprint castings into evidence, the district court must have been satisfied by Detective Thompson's testimony that the evidence had not changed in any material aspect. The district court properly exercised its discretion under the three-part Hedger test in admitting the evidence.