Court Opinion

ID: 9766918
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 05:03:05.583864+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:27.204717
License: Public Domain

McDONALD, Judge
(dissenting).
I disagree with the majority opinion in their holding that the trial court did not commit error in refusing to permit appellant to examine the offense report for the purpose of cross-examining Officer Garcia or for the purpose of perfecting his bill of exception.
It seems clear to me that when the trial court refuses to direct a prosecutor to produce a memorandum or writing which a State’s witness has used to refresh his recollection, and make same available to the appellant’s counsel, that the right of adequate cross-examination is seriously im*946paired. The prime objective of cross-examination is to either attempt to impeach or to test the credibility of a witness.
In a case like the one at bar, when it is apparent from the testimony that the witness is today testifying to information obtained by him two weeks ago to refresh his memory, he has definitely placed the instrument in issue, whether he produces it in court physically or not. Officer Garcia was asked: “Two weeks ago you say you read the offense report?” “Yes, sir, approximately two weeks ago,” he responded. He was then asked: “And you are testifying from that refreshed memory today?” He replied: “Yes, sir, I am.” Officer Garcia did testify that Officer Strickland made the report, and he had no part in it himself. Yet Garcia’s testimony reflects that he and Officer Strickland were together with some other officers at the time of the arrest. It is my thought that this testimony of Officer Garcia was inádmissible for'the reason that the offense report was hearsay as to him. Yet the court allowed this officer to testify and adduce testimony based upon a refreshed collection from a hearsay offense report, which the court refused to direct the district attorney to make available to appellant’s counsel. Appellant’s counsel was not given the right or opportunity to explore or test the memory of Officer Garcia. I think the rule has been correctly stated by this Court in Erwin v. State, 171 Tex.Cr.R. 323, 350 S.W.2d 199, wherein we said: “The right to see a document or writing does not obtain when [it] is not used by the state before the jury in some way so as to make [its] contents thereof an issue." In this case, the document might not have been physically present before the jury, but it definitely became an issue before them by virtue of having been used two weeks previous to refresh the recollection of the witness. The witness based his testimony upon this document.
From what I have said, it is vividly clear that I would reverse the case. I respectfully dissent. ... •