Opinion ID: 2330825
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Defendant's Telephone Call to Dr. Lambert.

Text: On the night of August 17, 1981, after Tina Easler had been admitted to the hospital, and Patricia Easler had told Dr. Lambert it was she who had injured Tina, Dr. Lambert spoke to the defendant on the telephone. At trial, the doctor testified: I can't exactly remember what he said, but there was a lot of profanity and vulgarity and threats to both my person and to my job, not only at Franklin Memorial Hospital but anywhere that I chose to work.... [The defendant] questioned my judgment as to admitting the patient to the hospital or even suspecting that Tina may have been injured by other than a fall. The defendant objected to the introduction of this testimony as hearsay, unduly prejudicial, irrelevant to the charge against him, and inadmissible as character evidence. The court ruled the doctor's testimony concerning the conversation to be admissible. On appeal, the defendant reasserts his contention the doctor's testimony concerning the telephone call with the defendant was inadmissible as hearsay. We cannot agree. The statement was admissible as an admission, under M.R.Evid. 801(d)(2). In State v. Jones, 405 A.2d 149, 151 (Me.1979), we stated, Any statement by a defendant in a criminal case which, in conjunction with proof of other facts and circumstances, tends to prove guilt is an admission. See State v. Anaya, 456 A.2d 1255, 1265 (Me.1983); State v. Small, 411 A.2d 682, 684 (Me.1980); State v. Blouin, 384 A.2d 702, 706 (Me.1978). The statements made by the defendant, after he learned the doctor suspected Tina to be a victim of child abuse, clearly could be construed as evidence of consciousness of guilt. The admission of the conversation for the jury's consideration was not an abuse of discretion.