Opinion ID: 2055714
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: Defendant testified that after he left the Galaxy Lounge he was accosted by the bartender and owner of the tavern, who threatened him, in an effort to obtain an identification of Crenshaw and Carter. Defendant claims that the Gary police, including Officer Wallace James, interrupted this attack. Officer Millard was served with a subpoena intended for James, who failed to appear at trial. At trial, Defendant moved for a continuance and to have a bench warrant issued for Officer James, in order that his account of such attack and a following conversation between himself and Officer James might be corroborated. He contends that the absence of Officer James at trial prevented him from testifying concerning what the Officer had said to him and to others. The trial court noted that there was no proof that Officer James had ever been served with a subpoena and denied the motion. A motion for a continuance based upon non-statutory grounds may be granted in the trial court's discretion. Ind.R. Trial Procedure, TR. R. 53.4, White v. State, (1975) 263 Ind. 302, 330 N.E.2d 84, Minton v. State, (1978) 269 Ind. 39, 378 N.E.2d 639. An abuse of discretion may be demonstrated only by a showing, among other requirements, that the Defendant would be harmed by a denial of the continuance. King v. State, (1973) 260 Ind. 422, 296 N.E.2d 113. In the instant case, Defendant has failed to meet this burden. He never represented to the court what Officer James' testimony would be, if present or how his anticipated testimony would differ from his own testimony on the subject. He has not shown how he was harmed by the trial court's denial of the motion, thus we cannot say that there was an abuse of discretion.