State v. Wheeler

Defendant, after trial by jury, was convicted of coercion, ORS 163.275. On appeal, he assigns as error (1) the admission, over timely objection, of statements he made to police, and (2) the trial court’s exclusion of testimony relevant to a justification defense under ORS 161.209, use of physical force in defense of a person. We hold that the trial court committed prejudicial error in excluding the testimony on justification, and reverse and remand for new trial.

A domestic disturbance between Dawn and Ron Hayes, husband and wife, over Ron’s visitation with their 18-month-old son Matthew forms…