Opinion ID: 445685
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Denial of the Motion for Discovery

Text: 13 Hutchings claims that the trial court erred in denying his motion to be furnished with a list of the Government's trial witnesses, and his motion to take depositions. This court has stated repeatedly that issues concerning discovery are committed to the sound discretion of the trial court and are reviewable only upon a showing of abuse of that discretion. See, e.g., United States v. Vitale, 728 F.2d 1090, 1093 (8th Cir.1984); United States v. Pelton, 578 F.2d 701, 707 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 964, 99 S.Ct. 451, 58 L.Ed.2d 422 (1978); United States v. Crow Dog, 532 F.2d 1182, 1189 (8th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 929, 97 S.Ct. 1547, 51 L.Ed.2d 772 (1977). In denying Hutchings' motion to be supplied with a witness list, the trial court acted well within its discretion. Neither Fed.R.Crim.P. 16(a), governing information subject to disclosure by the Government in criminal cases, nor any other federal rule or statute requires the Government to supply names of potential witnesses to a criminal defendant in a non-capital case. See Pelton, 578 F.2d at 708; United States v. Rogers, 549 F.2d 490, 494 (8th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 918, 97 S.Ct. 2182, 53 L.Ed.2d 229 (1977). Further, Fed.R.Crim.P. 15, which regulates the taking of depositions in criminal cases, has as its stated objective the preservation of evidence for use at trial. The rule does not have as its purpose to provide a method of pretrial discovery. United States v. Adcock, 558 F.2d 397, 406 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 921, 98 S.Ct. 395, 54 L.Ed.2d 277 (1977). In sum, we find no abuse of discretion, nor any exceptional circumstances to warrant interference with the trial court's exercise of its discretion here.