Court Opinion

ID: 9771990
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:04:29.375814+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:40.985389
License: Public Domain

Robert L. Brown, Justice, dissenting. The majority affirms the introduction of myriad marijuana sales apart from the charge at issue for the reason that they are independently relevant under Rule 404(b). I disagree. As defense counsel argued in his motion in limine before trial, “Mr. Neal won’t receive a fair trial if the jury hears twenty other incidents he’s not being tried on and we’re not prepared to defend on.” The trial court denied the motion and stated that other marijuana buys could be used to prove lack of mistake or modus operandi. The majority opinion discounts those rationales and affirms for a different reason — independent relevancy. The majority opinion also refers to the fact that Neal’s counsel denied selling marijuana in his opening statement. I do not believe that such a denial in opening statement should open the door to wholesale evidence of other crimes. Indeed, what defendant admits the crime in opening statement? The following testimony was presented by the prosecutor in the State’s case-in-chief: the testimony of Mitch Boyte (purchased marijuana from Neal 20 or 25 times and saw others buy 10 or 12 times), Jamie Edmondson (purchased marijuana from Neal and saw others buy marijuana from him), Mike Bryant (purchased marijuana from Neal 8 or 10 times), and John Shawn Bryant (purchased marijuana from Neal 30 or 40 times). Had Neal denied that he ever sold marijuana as part of his case, this testimony would have been appropriate on rebuttal. See Pyle v. State, 314 Ark. 165, 862 S.W.2d 823 (1993). Alternatively, the prosecutor could have charged Neal with these sales and sought to join the various counts for trial. The prosecutor then would have had to show that the sales were part of a single scheme or plan, if severance was requested. See Ark. R. Crim. P. 22.2(a). The landmark decision of Alford v. State, 223 Ark. 330, 266 S.W.2d 804 (1954), addresses using other bad acts to prove a crime: No one doubts the fundamental rule of exclusion, which forbids the prosecution from proving the commission of one crime by proof of the commission of another. The State is not permitted to adduce evidence of other offenses for the purpose of persuading the jury that the accused is a criminal and is therefore likely to be guilty of the charge under investigation. In short, proof of other crimes is never admitted when its only relevancy is to show that the prisoner is a man of bad character, addicted to crime. 223 Ark. at 333, 266 S.W.2d at 806. In dealing with the same issue that confronts us in this case, we have stated: In the case at bar the issue for the jury was whether Sweatt had sold LSD to Robbie White. Proof that Sweatt had sold marijuana on other occasions had no relevancy except to show that Sweatt had dealt in drugs before and hence was likely to have done so again. That is precisely the type of proof that must be excluded. Sweatt v. State, 251 Ark. 650, 652, 473 S.W.2d 913, 914 (1971). True, we have approved the admissibility of past drug sales in certain cases but only in the limited context of what the defendant told the prosecuting witness about other drug sales he had made that night (Young v. State, 269 Ark. 12, 598 S.W.2d 74 (1980) (res gestae)); or in the context of a previous drug sale made to the same prosecuting witness (Scroggins v. State, 312 Ark. 106, 848 S.W.2d 400 (1993) (intent)); or in the context of a previous comment the defendant made to the prosecuting witness about selling drugs (Holloway v. State, 293 Ark. 438, 738 S.W.2d 796 (1987) (intent)). To me, what happened at this trial in the State’s case-in-chief was prejudicial. Had Neal mounted denial as a defense in his case, the four witnesses would have been appropriate for rebuttal. See Pyle v. State, supra. But this is not what transpired. I respectfully dissent. Dudley and Roaf, JJ., join.