Court Opinion

ID: 9680492
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:32:35.125907+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:28.824008
License: Public Domain

SPARLING, Justice,
concurring.
I do not believe that the prosecutor’s argument commenting on the absence of the probation officer was error, therefore, I conclude that the form of the objection or the degree of harm is not material. Accordingly, I concur in the result of the majority, but disagree with their analysis of this ground of error.
During the punishment hearing, the defense counsel elicited the following testimony from his client:
Q. (By Defense Counsel): You realize you are a convicted felon?
A. (By Appellant): Yes.
Q. And you realize you have lost your rights, too and have you had an interview with the probation officer?
A. Yes.
Q. Someone has interviewed you from the probation office and has talked to you?
A. Yes, ma’am, Mr. Wolfe (phonetic).
Q. Okay. When was that?
A. I don’t remember but it was on a Thursday — no, on a Thursday or Friday and I don’t remember.
Q. Did he write a probation report that you signed?
A. Yes.
Q. Now, you realize in the event that you are put on probation, you’re going to have to live like you’re living in a glass house?
A. Yes.
Q. And you realize that the terms and conditions of probation described by the Code of Criminal Procedures are a list of law — a long list of do’s and don’t’s?
*326MR. JEROME: I object to the leading nature of the question.
THE COURT: Don’t lead the witness. BY MR. GOMEZ:
Q. As a part of that interview, were you told—
MS. JEROME: Object to hearsay.
THE COURT: I will let him proceed. You may proceed.
BY MR. GOMEZ:
Q. Were you told that there were rules and regulations that needed to be followed?
A. Yes.
Q. Now, one of those rules is that you cannot commit an offense against the laws of this State?
A. Yes, it was.
Q. And that if you did break the law that your probation would be revoked and that for any period and for that period you would be behind bars?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you also told you would have to pay a probation fee?
A. Yes, $15.00 a month.
Q. And you were told you would have to report to a probation officer?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you told you had to avoid vicious habits?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you told you would have to avoid being with anybody or even being acquainted with anybody that has a criminal record?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you told you might be committed to some social program for treatment if the Judge or the Jury might see fit to put you in?
A. No.
Q. If that was a condition of probation and you were told that, would you do that?
A. Yes.
Q. And you realize that if you did not do any of those things I just told you about, you would be back in jail in a matter of hours, probably?
A. Yes, I realize that.
Q. And if you don’t pay the $15.00 for probation fees, you would be back in jail?
A. Yes.
Q. And was another condition of that probation is that you would pay restitution in the amount of $20.00 to Mr. Henson?
A. No, that wasn’t in there.
Q. You were told you would have to pay him back anything he suffered?
A. Yeah, he told me that.
Q. Whatever that was and you realize if you don’t do that they would put you back in jail?
A. Yes.
Q. If you received probation, would you or would you not follow the rules?
Q. Yes, I would.
I would hold that the gist of the above testimony is that the appellant was interviewed, inspected, admonished, groomed and signed up by the probation department. This testimony may mislead a jury into believing that probation was a foregone decision by the criminal justice system, and their job was only to ratify that decision. The prosecutor objected that the testimony was hearsay, and the court, I would hold, erroneously overruled the objection. The only avenue remaining to the prosecutor was to comment in argument on appellant’s failure to call the probation officer as a witness. This comment is not outside the record because it was apparent from the record that a probation officer existed, that he was not called as a witness, that he was not unavailable as a witness, and that he had information that was worth repeating in court. Alejandro v. State, 493 S.W.2d 230 (Tex.Cr.App.1973). A comment on his absence appears logical. Therefore, I agree with the result reached by the majority but, I would not label the prosecutor’s statement error.