State v. Thompson

Heidi Walker 1 drove across a freeway median and hit a van, injuring its occupants. During her trial on a charge of vehicular assault, the court ruled that no police officers could refer to Ms. Walker’s driving as “reckless.” Later, a detective testified that Ms. Walker drove “in a reckless manner.” The trial court denied her motion for a mistrial and the jury reached a verdict of guilty. On appeal, Ms. Walker contends the trooper’s comment improperly invaded the province of the jury. She also assigns error to the court’s exclusion of lesser-included instructions on reckless driving and…