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Williams v. State

The trial court's error in excluding expert testimony on the voluntariness of defendant's statement was harmless, given the evidence of defendant's guilt.

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A jury found Tommy Lee Williams guilty of theft by receiving, driving under the influence, attempting to elude a police officer, and being an habitual violator. On appeal, Williams contends that the trial court erred in excluding the testimony of his expert witness and in admitting into evidence his custodial statement. Williams also asserts that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel. For reasons that follow, we affirm.

The record shows that around midnight the morning of March 15, 2000, Officer Dereck Shelton was on patrol when he saw a van run a stop sign. Shelton activated his lights and siren and pursued the van a short distance, until the driver stopped the van and fled on foot down a wooded path. Although it was night, Shelton testified that the lighting was “good” and that he was able to get a “good look” at the driver, whom Shelton described as thin in stature, wearing whitewashed jeans and a tan, long sleeved sweater.

 
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