People v. Hatfield

PRESIDING JUSTICE LINDBERG

delivered the opinion of the court:

The State appeals the judgment of the circuit court of De Kalb County granting defendant’s motion in limine to exclude a four-year-old nontestifying child-declarant’s out-of-court statements. The State

has filed a certificate that the exclusion of the evidence substantially impairs prosecution of the case. (107 Ill. 2d R. 604(a)(1).) In a motion to dismiss this appeal, defendant challenges the right of the State to appeal the pretrial exclusion of evidence.

Defendant, Kenneth D. Hatfield, was charged with two counts of aggravated…