Turner v. State

4 S.W.3d 74, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7218, 1999 WL 765887
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 29, 1999
Docket10-98-104-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by73 cases

This text of 4 S.W.3d 74 (Turner v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Turner v. State, 4 S.W.3d 74, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7218, 1999 WL 765887 (Tex. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

TOM GRAY, Justice.

At a jury trial for driving while intoxicated, the defendant testified that his prior arrests were in the past and that he was “getting on” with his life. The defendant also testified that he was “polite to police officers because they are public servants.” During cross examination, the prosecution introduced evidence of a violent confrontation defendant had with police several weeks after he was arrested for this offense. Did the defendant “open the door” with his testimony to allow impeachment with this collateral matter? Because we find that the he did, we affirm the ruling of the trial court.

BACKGROUND

Appellant, Timothy Turner, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, a felony under Article 49.04 of the Texas Penal Code. The case was tried before a jury, which returned a guilty verdict and assessed eight years confinement. The trial court sentenced Turner to eight years confinement. Turner appealed in a timely manner.

APPEAL

Turner brings three issues for consideration. In his first issue, Turner argues that the trial court erred when it allowed the State to present evidence of a “bad act” which was not admissible under Texas Rule of Evidence 404(b). Turner asserts that admission of this testimony was an abuse of the trial court’s discretion which was harmful and prejudicial. Turner also asserts legal and factual insufficiency to support the jury verdict.

STANDARD OF REVIEW FOR ADMISSION OF EVIDENCE

In determining whether a trial court erred in admitting evidence of a bad act, we apply an abuse of discretion standard. Montgomery v. State, 810 S.W.2d 372, 391 (Tex.Crim.App.1990). Unless the decision fell outside the zone of reasonable disagreement, given the law and pertinent circumstances, we must uphold the decision. Id.

EVIDENCE ADMITTED

Turner took the stand in his own defense at trial. On direct Turner testified at length regarding his version of the events of the night he was arrested. During this testimony, he made six references to his own polite behavior towards the police while also claiming that he was met with rude treatment from the officer. While still on direct, Turner claimed that he was being polite to the officer because the officer was a public servant. Turner stated that the officer “called in” his drivers license and decided to arrest him only upon learning about his “two priors” for driving while intoxicated. Turner testified that, in response to this turn of events, he told the officer, "... look, sir, that happened years ago. That’s in the past. I made my mistakes, and I am going.to college, I am doing — getting on.”

On cross-examination, the prosecutor began to question Turner about a violent confrontation with the police which occurred several weeks after the arrest for which he was on trial. Turner objected to this evidence as inadmissible character evidence. The prosecution countered that Turner had “opened the door” during his direct testimony by references to his atti *78 tude and conduct towards public servants. The judge overruled Turner’s objection. Turner then testified he had no recollection of the confrontation with the police or the medical treatment required as a result of the confrontation.

Turner anticipated that the State would call the police officer involved in the confrontation during the State’s rebuttal, so prior to the State’s rebuttal and outside the presence of the jury, Turner asked that the testimony regarding the confrontation be limited to Turner’s manner and attitude toward police officers without mentioning his intoxicated appearance. During this exchange with the Court, Turner admitted that he had opened the door on the issue of his attitude, but claimed that he had not opened the door concerning driving while intoxicated on the night of the confrontation with the police. The prosecution responded that it would only reference Turner’s intoxication to show his attitude toward public servants while intoxicated because it was a topic about which Turner himself had testified on direct examination. The prosecution agreed to avoid questions concerning Turner’s driving while intoxicated on the night of the extraneous event. During this exchange outside the presence of the jury, there was no objection to the anticipated testimony of the police officer regarding the violent confrontation.

The State then proceeded with its rebuttal. The State called Officer Daws, who was involved in the confrontation, to testify about the events of that night. Daws testified that Turner attempted to punch him in the arm, had smelled strongly of alcohol, and had attempted to flee on foot. Daws testified Turner was apprehended after he fell and fractured his ankle. Turner was taken to the hospital due to his fractured ankle. Daws also testified that no charges were filed as a result of this subsequent confrontation with the police. Turner made no objections to any of Daws’ testimony.

To present a complaint for appellate review, the record must show that the complaint was made to the trial court by a timely request, objection, or motion. Tex. R.App. P. 33.1(a)(1). A defendant must make a timely objection at trial in order to preserve the complaint for appellate review. Banda v. State, 890 S.W.2d 42, 62 (Tex.Crim.App.1994); Tex.R.App. P. 33.1(a)(1). If he fails to do so, he forfeits the right to complain about the action of the trial court on appeal. Cockrell v. State, 933 S.W.2d 73, 89 (Tex.Crim.App.1996). Turner failed to preserve any complaint with regards to Officer Daws’ testimony. We will, in the interest of justice, exercise our discretion and address the merits of his point in the event that the Court of Criminal Appeals decides that he has preserved his complaint.

OPENING THE DOOR

Turner urges this court to find that the character evidence of his violent confrontation with the police was inadmissible because it is not one of the exceptions to Rule 404(b) of the Texas Rules of Evidence. Specifically, Turner urges us to hold both the questions during his own cross-examination, as well as the testimony of Officer Daws concerning the extraneous event, inadmissible under rule 404(b). At trial, the prosecution stated that the collateral evidence was offered to impeach Turner’s credibility because he had opened the door regarding his attitude toward police officers. We examine Turner’s testimony under established rules concerning impeachment to determine whether Turner opened the door.

It is well settled that “an accused puts his character for veracity (as opposed to his moral character) in issue by merely taking the stand, and thus he may be impeached in the same manner as any other witness.” Hammett v. State, 713 S.W.2d 102, 105 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). When attacking the credibility of witnesses, evidence of prior criminal convictions will be admitted only if the crime was *79 a felony or involved moral turpitude and the court determines that the probative value outweighs its prejudicial effects. Tex.R. Evid. 609.

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Bluebook (online)
4 S.W.3d 74, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7218, 1999 WL 765887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turner-v-state-texapp-1999.