Corrao v. State

Joseph Corrao appeals his convictions for leaving the scene of a crash involving personal injury and for two counts of driving under the influence involving damage to person or property. He contends that the trial court abused its discretion when it denied the motion for mistrial he made on grounds the prosecutor asked him, in the jury’s presence, whether he had offered to plead guilty in exchange for reduced charges. We agree and reverse.

Certain basic facts were not in dispute at trial: On the night of January 4, 2009, a white van, registered to Mr. Corrao, swerved into oncoming traffic and…