Opinion ID: 2093417
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Olsan Ruling: Impeachment

Text: Dreimanis asserts that the admission of prior conviction evidence at trial was plain error because the trial court had limited the introduction of such evidence exclusively to impeachment in the event Dreimanis testified. Dreimanis argues that because he did not testify at trial, the need for impeachment did not arise, and it was plain error for the trial court to receive the evidence in the absence of his testimony. We disagree. The trial court's ruling after the 404, Olsan, and Denno hearings stated in pertinent part: With respect to 404, I have determined that evidence with respect to the acts concerning [E.W.]'s brother ... are admissible, as well as the previous events with [C.G.] with respect to the prior conviction. It is admissible for purposes of impeachment should the defendant testify. Dreimanis asserts that pursuant to the trial court's ruling, impeachment was the only purpose for which evidence of his prior conviction was admissible and that because he did not testify, the prior conviction evidence was improperly admitted at trial. However, Dreimanis misinterprets the trial court's ruling. In its analysis, the Court of Appeals observed: It is clear from the context of the proceedings that the trial court's comment regarding impeachment was directed toward the Olsan aspect of the proceedings. State v. Dreimanis, 8 Neb.App. 362, 373, 593 N.W.2d 750, 758 (1999). We agree with the Court of Appeals' assessment. Given the combined nature of the pretrial hearing, the trial court was obligated to rule, inter alia, on whether evidence of the prior conviction was admissible under rule 404(2) and, separately, on whether it was admissible under State v. Olsan, 231 Neb. 214, 436 N.W.2d 128 (1989), for impeachment, should Dreimanis testify. In the portion of its ruling quoted above, the trial court ruled in the first sentence that the evidence was admissible for rule 404 purposes without specification and then ruled in the second sentence that it was also admissible for impeachment purposes under Olsan should Dreimanis testify. We reject Dreimanis' assertion that the trial court's ruling limited the use of prior conviction evidence exclusively for the purpose of impeachment and that the Court of Appeals erred in failing to find plain error in the trial court's admission of the challenged evidence at trial simply because the admission was on non- Olsan grounds. Dreimanis' fourth assignment of error is without merit.