Court Opinion

ID: 9405227
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-27 20:06:47.305882+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:20:20.438664
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA
                  COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

STATE OF LOUISIANA                                                                          NO.   2023 KW 0605
VERSUS

JARVIS           BOWIE
                                                                                             JTM        27,     2023

In    Re:              State        of         Louisiana,           applying        for
                                                                                           supervisory          writs,
                       19th     Judicial             District          Court,        Parish       of    East        Baton
                      Rouge,        No.        DC - 21- 02287.

BEFORE:               LANIER,        HESTER,           AND MILLER,           JJ.

        WRIT          GRANTED.      The district court abused                               its    discretion           in
granting              the    defendant' s motion in limine to                               allow       the    defense
to    cross- examine                 the         state'   s     witness,           Stephanie      Cofield,           with
regard           to    her     unrelated            criminal           arrests       to    show    bias       with     no
basis       demonstrated                 beyond mere            speculation.
the
                                                                                          A party may attack
        credibility             of         a    witness        by     questioning          him    to    show        bias;
however,
                  an arrest may not be used to impeach a witness'                                              general
credibility.                  See    La.        Code    Evid.        arts.    607    and    609. 1.           See    also
State       v.    Mills,        2018- 0047 (            La.     App.    1st    Cir.       9/ 24/ 18), 259           So. 3d
1045,       writ       denied,           2018- 1686 (         La.    4/ 15/ 19),     267     So. 3d 1128.

                                                               WIL
                                                               CHH
                                                               SMN

OURT OF APPEAL,                 FIRST           CIRCUIT

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      DEPUTY CLERK OF COURT
                  FOR THE       COURT