Opinion ID: 1439594
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Production of Witness

Text: For his next point of error, Appellant argues that the trial court erred in failing to require the State to produce a witness that he requested. Specifically, Appellant argues that the State knew the location of Sherry Lewis and should have provided him with that information. The State counters that they did not know the location of the witness and, thus, there is no error on this point. Moreover, the State avers that Appellant received the relief he requested. Prior to trial, Appellant made known his desire to call Lewis as a defense witness, as she was the person who contacted him and set up the meeting at the motel on the night of his arrest. The trial court, in turn, ordered the State to notify Appellant of Lewis's whereabouts, if the State possessed such information. The State informed the court that it had no knowledge of Lewis's whereabouts and, in fact, because she was a confidential informant, her name was not even listed in Appellant's case file. Again, just prior to trial, Appellant argued that the State had an obligation to notify him of Lewis's whereabouts. The State again averred that it had no knowledge of her location, nor did the police officers involved in the case. The trial court once again ordered the State to inquire of the officers if they had any knowledge of Lewis's whereabouts. In fact, contrary to Appellant's assertion on appeal, Officer Dodd testified at trial that he had no idea where Lewis was at that time. Dodd stated that at the time of the undercover operation, some three years earlier, Lewis had been charged with a traffic violation in Mena. This testimony was not, as Appellant argues, proof that the State knew where Lewis was located at the time of trial. In sum, Appellant received the relief he requested. He requested that the State produce information about a witness. The court agreed with Appellant and ordered the State to comply, if it had the pertinent information. Where a party receives the relief he requested, he cannot be said to have suffered prejudice. See Barnes v. State, 346 Ark. 91, 55 S.W.3d 271 (2001). The fact that the State did not have the information Appellant desired does not mean that Appellant suffered prejudice. In order to obtain a reversal of a criminal conviction on the basis of a discovery violation, the appellant must make a showing of prejudice. Smith, 352 Ark. 92, 98 S.W.3d 433. Because Appellant cannot show that he was prejudiced, his argument on this point fails.