LaFortune v. District Court of Tulsa County

1998 OK CR 65, 972 P.2d 868, 69 O.B.A.J. 4278, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 62, 1998 WL 884939
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 11, 1998
DocketNos. P 98-505, P 98-506
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1998 OK CR 65 (LaFortune v. District Court of Tulsa County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
LaFortune v. District Court of Tulsa County, 1998 OK CR 65, 972 P.2d 868, 69 O.B.A.J. 4278, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 62, 1998 WL 884939 (Okla. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinions

[869]*869ORDER DENYING PETITIONS FOR WRIT OF PROHIBITION.

¶ 1 The Petitioner, the State of Oklahoma, has filed petitions for writs of prohibition challenging orders entered by the Honorable Jesse S. Harris, District Judge, remanding Tulsa County District Court Case Nos. CF-97-4902 and CF-97-3813 for further preliminary hearing. Before addressing the issues, this Court requested a response from Judge Harris, or his designated representative. Attorneys for the defendants in Case Nos. CF-97-4902 and CF-97-3813 have responded as the designated representatives of Judge Harris.

¶ 2 According to the briefs and the record presented, the defendants in each of the District Court cases wanted to call police officers as witnesses at the preliminary hearing. The defendants had not requested, and the State had not made available, law enforcement reports relating to the case. The defendants were unable to make a proper offer of proof that the police officers’ testimony would be relevant to the issues of a preliminary hearing. The magistrate in each case ruled that the defendants could not call the police officers as witnesses without first making a proper offer of proof of the relevance of their testimony pursuant to 22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 259. Each magistrate subsequently found probable cause that a crime was committed and that the defendant committed the crime, and bound each defendant over for trial on the charges.

¶ 3 During pre-trial proceedings in each case, each defendant filed a motion to remand the case for further preliminary hearing, noting the State had not provided law enforcement reports1 to the defense prior to [870]*870the preliminary hearing. The defendants cited this Court’s decision in McLaughlin v. District Court of Delaware County, 1996 OK CR 11, 915 P.2d 919, to argue that because the State had not produced law enforcement reports2 prior to the preliminary hearing, they were unable to make an offer of proof as to the relevance of the testimony, the magistrate could not cut off the preliminary hearing, and they should have unlimited ability to call witnesses. In each case, the State acknowledged they had not made available law enforcement reports,3 but argued production of the reports was only required for the magistrate to cut off the preliminary hearing under 22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 258 (Sixth), and was not required when the preliminary hearing was proceeding under 22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 259.

¶ 4 Judge Harris remanded the cases for further preliminary hearing because ■ the State had not made law enforcement reports4 available to the defendants prior to the preliminary hearing. Judge Harris found it was difficult and unfair for a defendant to make an offer of proof as to the relevance of the testimony of defense witnesses without access to the State’s file and the information contained therein.

¶ 5 The State contends Judge Harris has nullified the provisions of 22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 259, by effectively allowing the defendants to produce witnesses without meeting the requirement in Section 259 of offering proof of the relevancy of the testimony of the witnesses. The State prays that this Court issue a writ of prohibition to Judge Harris directing him not to enforce the order remanding the cases for further preliminary hearing.

¶ 6 This Court finds the State has not met its burden of establishing the respondent has or is about to exercise judicial power that is unauthorized by law. Rule 10.6(A), Rules of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, Title 22, Ch.18, App. (1998).5 While we concur in the results reached by Judge Harris, we do not agree with the rationale used to reach that result.

• ¶ 7 The task in addressing this matter is to interpret and reconcile laws passed concurrently by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1994 which amended preliminary hearing procedures and enacted the Oklahoma Criminal Discovery Code. 22 O.S.Supp.1997, §§ 258-59; 22 O.S.Supp.1997, §§ 2001-02; see State v. Martin, 1998 OK CR 35, ¶ 4, n. 1, 959 P.2d 982, 983 (the amendments to preliminary hearing procedures and the Oklahoma Criminal Discovery Code enacted concurrently in 1994 by the Oklahoma Legislature must be considered as a whole). In 1994, the Legislature amended preliminary hearing procedures to allow magistrates to limit evidence and to require magistrates to terminate the hearings as follows:

A preliminary magistrate shall have the authority to limit the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing to that which is relevant to the issues of: (1) whether a crime was committed, and (2) whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime. Once a showing of probable cause is made the magistrate shall terminate the preliminary hearing-and enter a bindover order; provided, however, that the preliminary hearing shall - be terminated only if the state made available for inspection law enforcement reports within the prosecuting attorney’s knowledge or possession at the time to the defendant five (5) working days prior to the date of the preliminary hearing. In the alternative, upon agreement of the state and the defendant, the court may terminate the preliminary hearing once a showing of probable cause is made.

22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 258 (Sixth). Further amendments limited a defendant’s ability to present evidence as follows:

When the examination of the witnesses on the part of the state is closed, any wit[871]*871nesses the defendant may produce may be sworn and examined upon proper offer of proof made by defendant and if such offer of proof shows that additional testimony is relevant to the issues of a preliminary examination.

22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 259. The Legislature also enacted the Oklahoma Discovery Code setting the time for discovery as being after the preliminary hearing with one exception: “[m]otions for discovery may be made at the time of district court arraignment or thereafter; provided that requests for police reports may be made subject to the provisions of Section 258 of this title.” 22 O.S.Supp.1997, § 2002(D). In interpreting these statutes, we must construe them in conjunction, with each other and give effect to the intent of the Legislature. State v. Day, 1994 OK CR 67, ¶ 10, 882 P.2d 1096, 1098.

¶ 8 Contrary to the analysis used by Judge Harris, and the arguments made by the parties in this matter, the provision “ma[king] available for inspection law enforcement reports” cannot be interpreted as a means of assisting or allowing a defendant to make an offer of proof as to the relevance of the testimony of defense witnesses. The provisions making available law enforcement reports are only contained in Section 258(Sixth) which deals with termination of the preliminary hearing. Such provisions are not repeated or contained in Section 259 which creates the requirement that a defendant make the offer of proof concerning defense witnesses. The Discovery Code also makes a distinction between the sections by limiting discovery until after the preliminary hearing, but specifically referring to Section 258 in providing an exception allowing early access to law enforcement reports. The Discovery Code does not refer to Section 259 and does not provide an exception to assist or allow a defendant to make an offer of proof as to the relevance of testimony of defense witnesses.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1998 OK CR 65, 972 P.2d 868, 69 O.B.A.J. 4278, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 62, 1998 WL 884939, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lafortune-v-district-court-of-tulsa-county-oklacrimapp-1998.