PEOPLE OF MI V KELLY RAY TIBBS
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
December 21, 1999
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 208980
Macomb Circuit Court
LC No. 96-001815 FH
KELLY RAY TIBBS,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: White, P.J., and Sawyer and Griffin, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of two counts of felonious assault, MCL
750.82; MSA 28.277, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony,
MCL 750.227b; MSA 28.424(2). He was sentenced to concurrent terms of two years' imprisonment
for the felony-firearm convictions, to be served consecutive to concurrent sentences of two years'
probation for the felonious assault convictions. Defendant appeals as of right. We affirm.
Defendant first claims that he was the denied his right to counsel at a photographic lineup while
in custody. Because defendant failed to present this issue to the trial court, relief is precluded unless
defendant establishes plain error affecting substantial rights. People v Carines, 460 Mich 750, 774;
597 NW2d 130 (1999). The remedy for a violation of the right to counsel at a photographic lineup is
suppression of the in-court identification unless there is an independent basis for its admission. People v
Gray, 457 Mich 107, 114, n 8; 577 NW2d 92 (1998). Because defendant failed to raise this issue in
the trial court, no evidentiary hearing to determine whether an independent basis existed for the
identification was conducted. For this reason, and giving due regard to the trial evidence and
defendant's failure to even argue that the victims' in-court identifications lacked an independent basis, we
conclude that defendant has not shown that his substantial rights were affected by plain error.
Defendant next claims that the trial record establishes that a police witness procured a statement
from him in violation of his right to remain silent, thereby triggering the safeguards and foundation
requirements set forth in People v Catey, 135 Mich App 714; 356 NW2d 241 (1984). Defendant
failed to preserve this issue with an appropriate objection in the trial court. Further, we note that a
totality of the circumstances test is the proper test to apply in determining if the police "scrupulously
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honored" a defendant's "right to cut off questioning." People v Slocum (On Remand), 219 Mich App
695, 704-705; 558 NW2d 4 (1996). In any event, the trial record does not plainly show that
defendant invoked his right to remain silent. Catey, supra at 722. To be plain, error must be clear or
obvious. Carines, supra at 763. Even if there was plain error, defendant is not entitled to relief
because his substantial rights were not affected by the evidence of his exculpatory statement.
We also find that defendant has failed to show that the prosecution's cross-examination of a
defense witness about an offer of immunity made during the course of one of the witness' pretrial
statements constitutes plain error. Regardless whether there was a basis for the prosecution to make
the offer of immunity, there was evidence that the offer was made. Hence, the offer was probative of
the context in which the statement was made. Under the rule of completeness, a thought or act cannot
be accurately understood without considering the entire context and content in which the thought is
expressed. People v McReavy, 436 Mich 197, 214-215; 462 NW2d 1 (1990). In any event, even
assuming that there was plain error, defendant is not entitled to relief because his substantial rights were
not affected. The defense witness did not implicate defendant, but rather was consistent in his position
that defendant was not involved in the assault and that he did not identify defendant as the assailant in his
statements to the police. The defense witness named a prosecution witness as the individual with the
weapon.
Finally, limiting our review to errors apparent from the record, we conclude that defendant has
not established any basis for relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel. People v Plummer, 229
Mich App 293, 307-308; 581 NW2d 753 (1998). Contrary to defendant's argument, the record
contains a notice of an alibi defense. An evidentiary hearing would be needed to determine the reasons
why defense counsel did not have the alibi witness testify or pursue the related theory presented in his
opening statement about defendant's illness. However, having reviewed the trial record and given due
regard to defendant's failure to either move for a remand or provide a satisfactory offer of proof under
MCR 7.211(C)(1), we are not persuaded that such relief is warranted. Cf. People v Price, 214 Mich
App 538, 547; 543 NW2d 49 (1995).
Affirmed.
/s/ Helene N. White
/s/ David H. Sawyer
/s/ Richard Allen Griffin
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