Opinion ID: 2220114
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Patterson Issue

Text: During direct examination, defense counsel asked Sergeant Fishburn, who interviewed witnesses at the scene of the shooting, how many shots Carol Heath, another patron at the tavern, told him she had heard. The trial court sustained the prosecutor's hearsay objection to the question. Counsel for Cook argues that Sergeant Fishburn's testimony was admissible under the Patterson rule because Heath had earlier testified at trial concerning other conversations with police about the murder and, consequently, was available for cross-examination. See Patterson v. State (1975), 263 Ind. 55, 324 N.E.2d 482. Under the Patterson rule, the party offering hearsay testimony must lay a foundation for its admission by eliciting testimony about the same facts from the declarant at some point during the trial. See Douglass v. State (1984), Ind., 466 N.E.2d 721, 724; Lewis v. State (1982), Ind., 440 N.E.2d 1125, 1130, cert. denied, 461 U.S. 915, 103 S.Ct. 1895, 77 L.Ed.2d 284. The out-of-court declarant must acknowledge having made a statement before the statement can be admitted as substantive evidence under Patterson. Lambert v. State (1989), Ind., 534 N.E.2d 235, 236-37. Heath acknowledged having a conversation with police on December 1, 1986. Heath did not testify, however, about any any conversation with Sergeant Fishburn at the scene of the crime. Consequently, there was no foundation under Patterson for admitting Sergeant Fishburn's testimony about information he received from Heath on the night of the murder. The trial court correctly sustained the State's hearsay objection.