Opinion ID: 1115545
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: authentication of discharge certificate from parole

Text: The State introduced over defendant's objection, a copy of his certificate of discharge from parole. This document was introduced to show that the defendant had not been discharged from custody on the 1963-64 burglary convictions until January 8, 1971, within ten years of the commission of the possession offense. See LSA-R.S. 14:95.1(C)(1). [2] In this assignment of error, defendant contends the trial court erred in allowing the introduction of the discharge certificate because the State failed to authenticate it properly. We agree. In State v. Nicholas, 359 So.2d 965 (La. 1979), this court stated: [11] According to this court's reasoning in Tillman and Martin, in order to be properly authenticated, a copy of a document presented in court must either be certified to by the officer who is the legal custodian of the document, or it must appear by clear evidence that the person certifying the document has been entrusted with legal custody of the original by the original custodian. Likewise, the witness introducing the document in evidence must testify from personal knowledge as to the fact of its official custody, such as testimony as to from whom or from which office he received the document. Wigmore, Section 2158(b)(b)(1). [footnote omitted]. In State v. Tillman, 356 So.2d 1376 (La. 1978), a document was held inadmissible where it bore no certificate that it was a true copy of an original and where it was not established that the official who testified at trial in connection with the introduction of the document was the legal custodian of the original or had been delegated the duties of maintaining lawful custody and certifying copies as required by LSA-R.S. 15:457. [3] In our case, Steve Cole, a probation and parole agent employed by the Department of Correction in the Division of Probation and Parole, testified that he had custody, control and supervision over parole records of the State of Louisiana in his district. Cole produced what he asserted was defendant's original certificate of parole and testified that he had retrieved it from his office. He could only assume how the certificate came into his office, however, and stated that he believed at some time the document had been maintained in the state archives. He admitted that he was not the head of his department and he did not work in the state archives. A copy of the certificate of discharge admitted into evidence bears no certificate of authenticity. Furthermore, Cole did not testify that he had been delegated as the legal custodian of the document. Applying the Nicholas and Tillman cases to the instant case, we hold defendant's parole discharge was not properly certified and should not have been admitted into evidence. Having so concluded, we reverse and set aside the conviction. Because the erroneous admission of the parole discharge certificate constituted a trial error, defendant is granted a new trial. State v. Tillman, supra. [4] Accordingly, this matter is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent herewith. REVERSED AND SET ASIDE. NEW TRIAL GRANTED.