Opinion ID: 402418
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony of Martin Eimer

Text: 47 Matlock sought to introduce the testimony of Martin Eimer, a resident of Rolla, Missouri. In an offer of proof, outside the presence of the jury, Eimer stated that on the morning of January 4, he was having breakfast at a friend's house in Rolla. A man, whom he identified as Dave Childs, came to the door of the friend's house. Eimer was uncertain of the exact time but he estimated that it was between noon and 12:30 p. m. Childs asked Eimer if he owned a big red dog. Childs said he had run over the dog. 48 Eimer left the house and saw the vehicle Childs was driving. He identified it as a dark colored late model van. Eimer searched for his dog and did not see Childs again. 49 Eimer also claimed to have seen one of the Nash boys. While he was unsure whether it was Gilbert or Jerry, he said the man had curly hair. He stated that he was not well acquainted with the two Nashes but he believed the person was Gilbert Nash. Counsel for the government subsequently asked the court to take judicial notice of the fact that Jerry Nash was the Nash brother with curly hair. 50 Matlock's counsel asked only Gilbert Nash whether he knew Eimer or whether he was in a van that ran over Eimer's dog. Gilbert denied that he knew Eimer or that he was involved in the incident. 51 Matlock sought to introduce the testimony of Eimer but the court found that it was impeachment on a collateral matter and refused to admit the testimony. Matlock argued that Childs, Jerry Nash and Gilbert Nash testified concerning what they did on the morning of January 4 and he was thereby entitled to submit this testimony. 52 The district court maintained that this was a collateral matter because it did not deal with the period between 1:00 and 2:00 p. m. when Childs and the Nashes allegedly obtained the dynamite from Matlock. 53 We review the district court's action in refusing to admit this evidence on an abuse of discretion standard. United States v. Milham, 590 F.2d 717, 721 (8th Cir. 1979). We note that evidence should not be admitted to impeach a witness on a collateral matter. Bianchi v. United States, 219 F.2d 182, 195-96 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 349 U.S. 915, 75 S.Ct. 604, 99 L.Ed. 1249 (1955). 54 We hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to allow Eimer's testimony to be admitted into evidence. As the trial court stated, the relevant time period was 1:00 to 2:00 p. m. and there was no evidence that the accident with Eimer's dog occurred any later than 12:30 p. m. 55 In addition, we note that there is nothing necessarily inconsistent between the incident and the testimony of the Nashes and Childs. Gilbert Nash denied that he was present at the scene. Eimer was uncertain which Nash was present and the physical description he gave fit Jerry Nash, not Gilbert Nash. Furthermore, neither Jerry Nash nor Childs was asked about the incident and the thrust of the testimony was that they were driving around Rolla looking for explosives on that morning. 56 In conclusion, it appears little would have been accomplished by the admission of Eimer's testimony except to confuse the jury. We hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to admit the testimony of Eimer on the grounds that it was impeachment on a collateral matter.