People v. Spates

The defendant, Lester Spates, was convicted of armed robbery in the circuit court of Winnebago County. The appellate court affirmed the conviction. (62 Ill. App. 3d 890.) The defendant contends that the trial court erroneously denied a motion in limine which would have prevented the admission of a prior misdemeanor theft conviction as evidence impeaching the defendant’s credibility. We granted the defendant’s petition for leave to appeal because there is a conflict within the first appellate district and among the appellate districts on this issue and because we deem it important to the…