Opinion ID: 2086038
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Motions for Continuance/Motions to Exclude

Text: Ridley contends that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion for a continuance, and his alternative motion to exclude late produced evidence. The motion for a continuance was filed a couple of weeks before trial, denied, and renewed a few days before trial and again on the first day of trial. The renewed motion was filed along with a motion to exclude on the ground that the State continued to provide the defense with supplemental discovery. The defense requested exclusion of the new material or more time to investigate it. Originally, the trial was scheduled for September 1995 but the court granted the defendants a continuance until early January due to the bulk of the discovery initially provided by the State. The State then provided additional discovery in September and on several occasions in December and January. Ridley contends that the belated discovery was a tactic by the State designed to hinder the preparation of the defense. The State responds that the discovery consisted of documents known to the defense and that the documents were turned over at the earliest opportunity. Specifically, in December, the supplemental discovery included car rental records, phone records, records documenting gun sales, copies of plea agreements, criminal histories of the defendants and potential witnesses, and four audio tapes. In January, days before the trial began, the State provided the defense with a one page Bureau of Motor Vehicles record, a Death Certificate, a one page report on the Movement of Firearms, photographs which were ready for review, fourteen pages of BMV documents, and twelve pages of records from a gun manufacturer. The trial court has wide discretion on issues relating to discovery. Vanway v. State, 541 N.E.2d 523, 526 (Ind.1989). Motions for continuance not based on statutory grounds are also committed to the sound discretion of the trial court and continuances allowing for preparation are not favored. Vance v. State, 640 N.E.2d 51, 55 (Ind.1994). In addition, a specific showing is required as to how the additional time requested would have aided counsel. Clark v. State, 539 N.E.2d 9, 11 (Ind.1989). Ridley does not make any claim as to what he would have done with the extra time. Rather he asserts, without any support for his conclusion, that the State delayed discovery as a trial tactic. He claims, without explanation, that because there was insufficient time to investigate he did not object to or cross examine two witnesses about the gun records. But he makes no showing of what questions he would have asked or how he was prejudiced. The court heard argument from both sides as to whether the additional discovery was a burden to the defense and decided it was not, denying the motion to exclude and motion for continuance. The trial court was in the best position to evaluate the fairness of the proceedings and, on this record, did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion to exclude and motion for a continuance. Id.; Beverly v. State, 543 N.E.2d 1111, 1113 (Ind.1989).