Opinion ID: 2451781
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: order of trial

Text: Piercy further claims that the circuit court allowed Wal-Mart to present its case-in-chief during Piercy's own case-inchief and that this action violated Ark.Code Ann. § 16-64-110 (1987), which governs the order of trial. The issue arose when Wal-Mart requested, after the noon recess, that the circuit court allow it to recall Piercy for several additional questions on crossexamination while Piercy was still putting on his case. Piercy's counsel objected to this, and the circuit court overruled the objection. Trial courts are endowed with authority to exercise reasonable control over the order of interrogating witnesses. Ark. R.Evid. 611(a). We have held that Rule 611(a) vests considerable discretion in the trial court in the regulation of the mode and order of interrogating the witnesses and presenting evidence. Freeman v. Anderson, 279 Ark. 282, 285, 651 S.W.2d 450, 452 (1983). In Freeman , we found no abuse of discretion when the trial court allowed a police officer to return to the witness stand after having been excused and released from the witness rule so that he could testify about his qualifications to estimate the repair cost to an automobile. The same holds true in this case. There was no abuse of discretion.