Opinion ID: 2190782
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: issues

Text: At trial, the alleged victim in Counts I and II acknowledged having given a prior statement to the police but testified that its contents were false. The statement was then read to the jury, over objection that the State was attempting to impeach its own witness. Defendant argues that the witness was impeached by a single isolated event in his life, which was not in any manner connected with his general reputation; and therefore, in violation of Morris v. State, (1977) 266 Ind. 473, 484, 364 N.E.2d 132, 139, cert. denied, (1977) 434 U.S. 972, 98 S.Ct. 526, 54 L.Ed.2d 462, where we stated, It is well settled, of course, that a witness cannot be impeached by single events, but rather such must be done by proving his general reputation. The statement from Morris has been lifted out of context and does not foreclose impeachment by showing that the witness has made a prior, inconsistent statement. Unlike Morris, this case does not concern an attempt to impeach a witness by showing specific and unrelated prior bad acts. There was no error in the trial court's overruling Defendant's objection.