Opinion ID: 2176137
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: refusal to allow defense to conduct discovery during cross-examination of state's witness

Text: Henry claims he was prevented from establishing that a discoverable prior statement of an important witness was in existence. Prosecution witness Robert Williams testified that he was interviewed by a Prince George's County Police detective regarding the murders. During cross-examination, Williams stated that he did not write anything down during the interview. When defense counsel asked whether the detective took notes during the interview, the prosecutor objected. The court sustained the objection, but the witness nonetheless proceeded to answer in the affirmative. The following bench conference ensued: DEFENSE COUNSEL: I just want to put a proffer on the record. What I think he would say is that the officer did in fact write down what he was saying, and in fact I think he may say or will say the officer even had him review it from time-to-time. In effect, to make sure that it was accurate. I just think we need to put on the record at this time that if such statements exist we have never been provided with those statements. I want to put that on the record and make it clear to the Court and enter our objection to that at this time. THE COURT: All right, fine. It is all on the record. Ask him another question. STATE'S ATTORNEY: May I put the State's proffer on the record since this is obviously an appellate issue and was raised in the Kirk Bruce case? The proffer is that the Defense has been provided with all written statements, Grand Jury testimony, prior testimony from the Kirk Bruce trial. I am not aware of any written statements made to the police. Nor am I aware of any statements that he adopted as his own, nor do I have any statements that he signed. What they are talking about are police officer notes. That is my proffer. THE COURT: It is all on the record. Let's go. In Bruce v. State , we discussed whether the detective's notes taken during this same interview with Robert Williams were discoverable. Williams testified at the Bruce trial that he may have reviewed and approved portions of the detective's notes, but did not read, sign, or otherwise adopt or approve all of the detective's notes of the interview. Bruce, 318 Md. at 723, 569 A.2d at 1263. We looked to the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3500 (1985) for guidance in determining which prior witness statements must be made available to the defense after a State's witness has testified on direct examination. The Jencks Act defines a discoverable statement as: (1) A written statement made by said witness and signed or otherwise adopted or approved by him; (2) A stenographic, mechanical, electrical, or other recording, or a transcription thereof, which is a substantially verbatim recital of an oral statement made by said witness and recorded contemporaneously with the making of such oral statement.... We found in Bruce that the trial judge did not err by declining to oblige the State to furnish the detective's notes to the defense. Bruce, 318 Md. at 724, 569 A.2d at 1264. In the instant case, Henry protested that he was not provided with the same notes taken by the detective during Williams' interview if such statements exist, and now asserts that he was prevented from determining whether, in fact, there was such a discoverable statement. The State's Attorney said on the record that he was not aware of any written statements made to the police or adopted by Williams as his own. Clearly, if the witness had made prior inconsistent statements to the police and the State's Attorney had been aware of it, an obligation to produce this information may have existed. Bruce, 318 Md. at 725, 569 A.2d at 1264; Maryland Rule 4-263(a)(1). However, [t]he court is not obliged to assist counsel in conducting a fishing expedition during the trial. Bruce, 318 Md. at 726, 569 A.2d at 1264. Defense counsel, long before trial, had been furnished with all witnesses' statements. When provided the statements, he neither objected nor asked for additional discovery. If he had any basis for suspecting that there were additional statements made or adopted by the witnesses, he should have requested the notes. Henry's counsel never expressly requested the police notes; he made no demand prior to trial, at the onset of Williams' cross-examination, or even at the bench conference. Henry is not entitled to witness statements until a demand is made. See Jones v. State, 310 Md. 569, 582, 530 A.2d 743, 750 (1987), vacated and remanded on other grounds, 486 U.S. 1050, 108 S.Ct. 2815, 100 L.Ed.2d 916 (1988). Henry might also have sought an in camera review of the supposed notes or a hearing outside of the presence of the jury. See United States v. Hogan, 763 F.2d 697, 704, opinion withdrawn in part by, 771 F.2d 82 (5th Cir.1985) (The court has a duty to inspect in camera the documents if a timely request is made by the defense and some indication exists in the record that the notes meet the Jencks Act definition of a statement), reh'g denied, 779 F.2d 296 (1986). In the absence of a demand for the notes, Henry was not entitled to go on a fishing expedition in the presence of the jury to see if he was improperly denied statements he never even requested. Statements of witnesses are discoverable for the purpose of impeachment. Bruce, 318 Md. at 725, 569 A.2d at 1264. In order to be used for this purpose, the statement must have been signed or adopted by the witness. Id.; Collins v. State, 318 Md. at 289, 568 A.2d at 10-11. As we stated in Collins, [w]ithout such ratification, the detective's notes may be classified as his work product, and are not generally discoverable. If the witness has not expressly approved of the statements, it would be unfair for the evidence to be used for impeachment purposes. Id. The prosecutor had previously provided Henry with all witness statements. Henry made no objection that he had not been given all witness statements; he at no time made any request to review the notes or to have a hearing outside the presence of the jury. The cross-examination about the detective's notes in the presence of the jury was simply not relevant to any issue that the jury would decide, and the judge was correct in sustaining the objection.