State v. Dye

¶1 This case requires us to determine whether a court may allow a witness to be accompanied by a comfort animal, here a dog, when testifying during trial. Generally, we give trial courts wide discretion to control trial proceedings, including the manner in which testimony will be presented. We recognize that some trial procedures, such as providing a child witness with a toy on the stand or shackling a defendant at trial, may risk coloring the per*544ceptions of the jury. But trial courts are capable of addressing these risks. Here, the trial court acted within its broad discretion when it…