Opinion ID: 2972199
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cecil Swoveland’s testimony

Text: Jones first argues that the district court improperly admitted the testimony of Swoveland, Jones’s longtime acquaintance. He contends that Swoveland’s testimony dealt with events that are too old to be of probative value in the present case. Evidentiary rulings such as this “are subject to the abuse of discretion standard of review.” United States v. Haywood, 280 F.3d 715, 720 (6th Cir. 2002). In general, a “court will find an abuse of discretion where it has a definite and firm conviction that the court below committed a clear error of judgment in the conclusion it reached upon a weighing of the relevant factors.” Huey v. Stine, 230 F.3d 226, 228 (6th Cir. 2000) (citation and quotation marks omitted). No. 03-6239 United States v. Jones Page 3 The government called Swoveland to testify pursuant to Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Under this rule, [e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident . . . . Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). The government argues that admission under Rule 404(b) was appropriate because Swoveland testified that Jones had taught him how to manufacture methamphetamine in 1999. It therefore contends that the testimony is probative in determining Jones’s intent on the day he was arrested by Deputy Murphy. Jones, by contrast, argues that the activities described in Swoveland’s testimony are too old to be probative. Although Jones is correct in noting that “prior conduct must be reasonably near in time under the facts of the particular case,” United States v. Ismail, 756 F.2d 1253, 1260 (6th Cir. 1985), this court has previously concluded that there is “no absolute maximum number of years that may separate a prior act and the offense charged.” Id. Cases from this and other circuits have in fact affirmed the use of testimony relating to prior acts dating back much further than three years. In Ismail, for example, the court admitted into evidence testimony relating to events that had happened up to four years earlier. Id.; see also United States v. Murphy, No. 90-6400, 1993 WL 15102, at -4 (6th Cir. Jan. 26, 1993) (unpublished) (concluding that evidence of prior acts dating back three to four years was admissible under Rule 404(b)); United States v. Rubio-Gonzalez, 674 F.2d 1067, 1075 (5th Cir. 1982) (concluding that evidence of prior acts dating back 10 years was admissible under Rule 404(b)); United States v. Foley, 683 F.2d 273, 278 (8th Cir. 1982) (concluding that evidence of an 11-year-old conviction was admissible under Rule 404(b)). We therefore find no abuse of discretion in the admission of Swoveland’s testimony.