Opinion ID: 369136
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Evidence Relating to the Ignition Keys Found in McKillip's Possession

Text: 22 Deputy Sheriff Charles Terrell testified that when he arrived at the Friendly Equipment Company that evening he found a red and white International Transtar tractor with a sign reading T & J Trucking. Inside the tractor he found a set of ignition keys. The defendant challenges the admissibility of the keys, apparently, because he asserts that they are evidence of other crimes. The defendant, however, failed to object to the admission of the keys. We note nonetheless that McKillip's possession of the tryout keys corroborates Schremser's earlier testimony that when he and McKillip stole the White tractor from Langway Express, McKillip gave him a ring of approximately 20 keys which Schremser used until one of the keys started the White tractor. The evidence was properly admitted.G. The Prosecutor's Statement of Personal Knowledge in the Rebuttal Argument 23 Inendino complains that the prosecutor stated his personal knowledge when in the rebuttal argument he commented, Well, you and I, ladies and gentlemen, know who took the tractor to Phebus' garage. Phebus said he wasn't there when he did it. The defendant interrupted, the district court judge announced that he would rely on the jury's recollection of the evidence, and the prosecutor clarified his remark saying that he was referring to Schremser's testimony where the witness stated that he and McKillip drove the stolen White truck to Phebus' garage and that no one was present when he arrived. In these circumstances we find no prosecutorial misconduct as the prosecutor's rhetorical comment was properly based on Schremser's testimony. H. Summary 24 The defendant urges that the above examples of prosecutorial misconduct warrant reversal of his convictions. It is clear, however, that there was no misconduct and that, therefore, the defendant's cases, See United States v. Meeker, 558 F.2d 387 (7th Cir. 1977); United States v. Lozano, 511 F.2d 1 (7th Cir.), Cert. denied, 423 U.S. 850, 96 S.Ct. 94, 46 L.Ed.2d 74 (1975), are inapplicable. The district court judge, furthermore, has broad discretion in relation to the admission of evidence and the defendant failed to show that the judge abused his discretion.