People v. Clary

950 P.2d 654, 1997 Colo. J. C.A.R. 1486, 1997 Colo. App. LEXIS 194, 1997 WL 454076
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 7, 1997
Docket95CA1562
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 950 P.2d 654 (People v. Clary) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Clary, 950 P.2d 654, 1997 Colo. J. C.A.R. 1486, 1997 Colo. App. LEXIS 194, 1997 WL 454076 (Colo. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge PLANK.

Defendant, Brandon L. Clary, appeals the judgment of conviction entered upon jury verdicts finding him guilty of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and reckless driving. He also challenges the sentence imposed. We affirm.

On July 28, 1994, defendant, while driving alone in his pickup truck, proceeded through an intersection and hit the passenger side of a car making a left turn from the opposite lane. Defendant told police that his brakes had failed when he attempted to stop for a yellow light, and that he had then changed lanes to avoid hitting a truck stopped in front of him.

Defendant was not seriously injured, but one of the two occupants in the other vehicle, a six-year-old girl, died from injuries sustained in the collision. The other occupant was seriously injured.

*656 In addition to charges of driving a vehicle with inadequate brakes, defendant was charged with the offenses at issue here. An additional charge for driving without compulsory insurance was severed and later dismissed. This appeal followed.

I.

Defendant first contends that the trial court erred by allowing a prosecution witness to refresh his recollection with a note made seven and a half months after an event and by refusing to grant a mistrial when the prosecution failed to provide him with a legible copy of that note. We disagree.

The record discloses that a prosecution witness who worked with defendant at an auto service shop testified that on July 27th, the night before the accident, defendant worked on his brakes at the shop. The witness stated that defendant’s truck at that time was leaking fluids and that the brake pedal, when tested, had no pressure.

The witness further testified that defendant at that time told him a bungee cord was attached to the brake pedal because there was no brake pressure. The witness stated that he warned defendant that the truck was not safe and that he offered defendant a ride home.

On cross-examination, the witness was shown a copy of the shop’s July 27th payroll record, which indicated that neither he nor defendant had worked that evening. The witness then admitted that he was mistaken as to the date.

On redirect, the witness was shown a copy of the shop’s July 23rd payroll record, which indicated that both he and defendant had worked that evening. That document contained a handwritten notation stating that: “This is the night [defendant] brought his truck into the shop.”

The trial court sustained defendant’s objection as to the notation because it was not made contemporaneously with the document. However, the trial court stated that the notation could be used “as basis for refreshing the recollection of testimony.”

The prosecutor then asked the witness not to disclose what the notation said, but to state whether he recognized the handwritten words and his signature. The witness acknowledged that he did. He explained that, about a month and a half before trial, he had looked at the payroll records to determine the exact evening he had worked with defendant before the accident. He made and signed the notation on the payroll record for the date so determined — July 23rd, not July 27th.

A.

Defendant argues that use of the notation allowed the witness to bolster his testimony with hearsay which was not recorded at or near the time of the event and thus does not meet the requirements of the “past recollection recorded” exception. Because the trial court properly allowed use of the notation to refresh the witness’ memory pursuant to CRE 612, we perceive no error.

Hearsay is a statement other than one made by the declarant while testifying at trial, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. CRE 801(e). Hearsay is not admissible except as provided by applicable rules and statutes. CRE 802.

A recorded recollection is not excluded by hearsay rules if:

it appears that the witness once had knowledge concerning the matter and; (A) can it identify the memorandum or record,
(B) adequately recalls the making of it at or near the time of the event, either as recorded by the witness or by another, and
(C) can testify to its accuracy. The memorandum or record may be read into evidence but may not itself be received unless offered by an adverse party.

CRE 803(5).

CRE 612 provides, in pertinent part, that: If a witness uses a writing to refresh his memory for the purpose of testifying, either—
(1) while testifying, or
(2) before testifying, if
the court in its discretion determines it is necessary in the interests of justice, an *657 adverse party is entitled to have the writing produced at the hearing, to inspect it, to cross-examine the witness thereon, and to introduce in evidence those portions which relate to the testimony of the witness. If it is claimed that the writing contains matters not related to the subject matter of the testimony the court shall examine the writing in camera, excise any portions not so related, and order delivery of the remainder to the party entitled thereto. Any portion withheld over objections shall be preserved and made available to the appellate court in the event of an appeal.

Here, a copy of the notation was provided to defense counsel, who had the opportunity to cross-examine the witness. The witness’ prior inconsistent statements as to this issue were disclosed at trial. The notation was removed from the document and was neither read to the jury nor entered into evidence. The document was then admitted into evidence without objection.

Contrary to defendant’s contention, CRE 803(5) does not apply to these circumstances. We agree with the trial court that the notation did not refresh the witness’ memory so that he independently recalled the date of his conversation with defendant. It nevertheless refreshed his memory as to an “event” which occurred approximately six weeks before trial — his determination from the document of the date of his earlier conversation with defendant. Because it properly refreshed the witness’ memory as to that “event,” we conclude that, pursuant to CRE 612, the trial court did not err in allowing use of the notation to refresh the witness’ memory-

B.

Defendant claims that the prosecution failed to provide him with a legible copy of the notation on the July 23rd payroll record, that he was surprised by the witness’ new testimony, and that he was denied the right effectively to cross-examine the witness as to this issue. As a result, he argues that a mistrial is warranted. We disagree.

The determination of whether to declare a mistrial is vested in the trial court’s sound discretion, and its ruling should not be disturbed absent evidence that the trial court grossly abused this discretion. Massey v. People, 649 P.2d 1070 (Colo.1982).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Peo v. Weaver
Colorado Court of Appeals, 2024
Peo v. Witherspoon
Colorado Court of Appeals, 2021
People v. McClelland
2015 COA 1 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2015)
People v. Zweygardt
2012 COA 119 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2012)
People v. Morales
2012 COA 2 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2012)
People v. Cruthers
124 P.3d 887 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2005)
People v. Stewart
55 P.3d 107 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2002)
Bueno v. Denver Publishing Co.
32 P.3d 491 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2001)
People v. Hall
999 P.2d 207 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
950 P.2d 654, 1997 Colo. J. C.A.R. 1486, 1997 Colo. App. LEXIS 194, 1997 WL 454076, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-clary-coloctapp-1997.