Court Opinion

ID: 9597508
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:59:29.396629+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:38.239120
License: Public Domain

Banke, Judge,
dissenting in part.
I concur in the dissent of Judge McMurray to Division 1 of the majority opinion.
The majority’s statement that "The assistant district attorney during his cross examination of one of the defendant’s witnesses was permitted over objection to show that this witness was then confined to the local county jail” is not supported by the record. The record (T-38) shows: "Q. (By asst. D.A.) You’re in the county jail down at Fourth Street? A. (By witness) Uh huh. Q. Aren’t you? I mean, that’s what that I.D. bracelet is for . . . A. Yeah.”
The record indicates no objection was made to this testimony, and no ruling was made by the court. It was not until later (T-39) that an objection was made as follows: "Q. (By asst. D.A.)... What are you down there for? A. (By witness) What am I down there . . . Mr. Bell: I want to object to this line of testimony — A. . . . That shouldn’t have anything to do with it — What am I down there for. Mr. Bell:... On grounds it’s totally irrelevant. The court: Why? Mr. Bell: She’s been convicted of a misdemeanor and a conviction for a misdemeanor is not grounds for impeachment — this morning.”
While it is true the question by the assistant district attorney, "... what are you down there for?” was an improper question and should not have been asked, no harm resulted since the record shows that the witness never answered the question. Defense counsel, without asking for removal of the jury from the courtroom, fully answered the question himself thereby informing the jury of the very information which he sought to prevent them from hearing. The record indicates the assistant district attorney did not ask a single further question until the trial judge ruled in substance that the question would not be permitted, whereupon the assistant district attorney abandoned the question and proceeded to other subject *410matter. No motion for mistrial or motion to strike or any other type of motion was made, nor were cautionary instructions requested.
Furthermore, the only objection made to the improper question was that it was irrelevant, which is not "such an objection as would be reversible error to overrule.” Hogan v. Hogan, 196 Ga. 822, 824 (28 SE2d 74) (1943). The proper objection would have been that a witness cannot be discredited by his own testimony as to prior convictions. See Rolland v. State, 235 Ga. 808, 811 (221 SE2d 582) (1976). Finally, the trial judge did not overrule the objection; he sustained it. For these reasons there is no merit to this enumeration of error, and I would affirm the conviction.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Deen joins in this dissent.