State v. Gallant

In 1986, Oregon voters passed an initiative known as the “Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights.” Among other changes to the law of criminal procedure, the measure amended OEC 609(1) to allow prosecutors to impeach witnesses with evidence that the witness had previously been convicted of a crime involving dishonesty. The principal issue in this case is whether the defendant’s prior conviction for second degree theft for shoplifting was admissible as a crime involving dishonesty. We hold that second degree theft is a crime involving dishonesty and that the evidence of the prior conviction was…