Court Opinion

ID: 9521408
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:04:27.683802+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:49:44.069058
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE RYAN, also dissenting: I do not agree that the admission of the testimony of the defendant’s prior use of marijuana was prejudicial error. At the time that the alleged prejudicial testimony was given, defendant was being tried for the offenses of theft, unlawful possession of a narcotic drug (marijuana) and burglary. Apparently the defendant’s counsel was not concerned about evidence of the narcotics charge being prejudicial to the defendant or that such evidence would influence the jury against the defendant insofar as the other charges were concerned because no motion was made by the defendant to try these cases separately. Such a motion could have been made under section 114 — 8 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 114 — 8.) Inasmuch as his client was being tried for possession of narcotics (marijuana), he must have realized that relevant testimony concerning the defendant’s connection with narcotics would be offered and presented to the jury. If he thought that such testimony was inflammatory or would prejudice the jury against his client he should have moved to have the charges tried separately. The record discloses that the testimony concerning the defendant’s prior use of marijuana was offered in connection with the possession-of-narcotics charge and not for the purpose of discrediting the defendant in the eyes of the jury in relation to the other charges. The conference at the side bar when the question concerning the defendant’s prior use of marijuana was first asked and objected to clearly shows this to be the case. This court has held that in the trial of a narcotics charge evidence of a narcotics offense other than the one for which the defendant is being tried is admissible when such evidence is relevant to prove the defendant’s identity, his guilty knowledge or to show his design or system. (People v. Cole, 29 Ill.2d 501, 503.) The appellate court properly held in this case that the evidence of the defendant’s prior use of marijuana had been properly admitted in connection with the possession-of-narcotics charge. If the defendant would have been found guilty of the possession-of-narcotics charge the admission of the testimony would not have been error. Therefore, I cannot understand why this evidence should constitute error when there has not been a conviction of a narcotics charge but a conviction of one of the other charges (theft) which defense counsel permitted to be tried with the narcotics charge. The reliance of the majority opinion on People v. Smith, 38 Ill.2d 237, is misplaced. In that case the defendant was charged with theft of an automobile. He testified in his own defense, and on cross-examination he was asked if he had been addicted to the use of narcotics prior to the date of the offense. He admitted that he had been. The question presented to this court in that case was whether or not the credibility of a defendant on trial for an offense unrelated to narcotics may be impeached by showing that he was addicted to narcotics or had used them at a prior time. The objected-to testimony in our case was not offered for the purpose of impeaching the credibility of the defendant on trial for an offense unrelated to narcotics. The defendant was being tried for a narcotics offense, and the evidence was offered for purposes approved in People v. Cole. In fact, in Smith, the court summarized the prior decisions of this court concerning evidence of prior use of narcotics and stated that evidence of a defendant’s prior use is admissible for certain purposes in cases where the defendant is being tried on a narcotics charge. Further disagreement with the court’s opinion concerns the statement near the end of the opinion that “Where error is shown to exist, it will compel reversal, unless the record affirmatively shows that the error was not prejudicial.” Although, as above argued, I do not think the testimony concerning the defendant’s prior use of marijuana was error, in any event, the record plainly demonstrates that the defendant was not prejudiced by the fact that the jury heard this testimony. The defendant was being tried for the offenses of burglary, theft, and possession of narcotics. At the close of the People’s case the court allowed the defendant’s motion for a directed verdict as to the possession-of-narcotics charge, and the case went to the jury on the theft and burglary charges. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on the more serious charge of burglary and found the defendant guilty of theft. During the course of deliberation the jury requested additional instruction on the law of theft. These facts indicate to me that the jury seriously and conscientiously considered and decided the case and reached its decision based on the law and the facts. These facts do not indicate to me that the verdict of the jury was brought about by prejudice against the defendant caused by the testimony concerning his use of marijuana. For these reasons, I would affirm the judgment of the appellate court.