Court Opinion

ID: 9854486
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:08:17.2083+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:23:06.776705
License: Public Domain

Andrews, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent because I believe the defendant waived any objection to the initial reference to his previous arrest by not objecting to it when made. As to the second incident found to have placed his character in issue, again alluding to previous arrests of defendant, he had previously admitted the commission of numerous other felonies before this occurred, and, even if improper, I, find it *13harmless in this context.
Decided March 8, 1991.
L. Clark Landrum, for appellant.
David E. Perry, District Attorney, Ronnie A. Wheeler, Assistant District Attorney, for appellee.
1. The first reference was that the officer knew defendant “on previous arrest warrants.” No objection was then voiced, nor was any made for the next eight unrelated questions and answers. Then the motion for mistrial was made, contending defendant’s character had improperly been put in issue. “ ‘(A) motion for mistrial which is not made at the time the questions objected to are answered is not timely and will be considered as waived because of the delay in making it. (Cits.)’ Dye v. State, 177 Ga. App. 824, 825 (341 SE2d 314) (1986); [Cits.]” McCounly v. State, 191 Ga. App. 266, 269 (5) (381 SE2d 552) (1989).
2. Pretermitting the issue of whether defendant, by acknowledging commission of several other felonies during his testimony, had already placed his character in issue, see Jones v. State, 257 Ga. 753 (363 SE2d 529) (1988), it is clear that the prosecutor’s allusions to other arrests of defendant did not so prejudice him that the court was required to sua sponte grant a mistrial. Stanley v. State, 250 Ga. 3, 4 (2) (295 SE2d 315) (1982). No request for mistrial or curative instructions was made by defendant, only an objection that the State had placed his character in issue. There was no reversible error. Id.; Tyler v. State, 198 Ga. App. 685 (402 SE2d 780) (1991).
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge McMurray and Presiding Judge Banke join in this dissent.