TITLE 19

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

CHAPTER 30

WITNESSES IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

19-3005.  Uniform act to secure attendance of witnesses. (1) Subpoenaing a Witness in This State to Testify in Another State. If a judge of a court of record in any state, which by its laws has made provisions for commanding persons within that state to attend and testify in criminal hearings or prosecutions in this state, certifies under the seal of such court that there is a criminal prosecution pending in such court that a person being within this state is a material witness in such prosecution, and that his presence will be required for a specified number of days, upon presentation of such certificate to any judge of a court of record in the county in which such person is, such judge shall fix a time and place for a hearing and shall notify the witness of such time and place.

If at the hearing the judge determines that the witness is material and necessary, that it will not cause undue hardship to the witness to be compelled to attend and testify in the prosecution in the other state, and that the laws of the state in which the prosecution is pending and of any other state through which the witness may be required to pass by ordinary course of travel, will give to him protection from arrest and the service of civil and criminal process he shall issue a subpoena, with a copy of the certificate attached, directing the witness to attend and testify in the court where the hearing or prosecution is pending at a time and place specified in the subpoena.

If the witness, who is subpoenaed as above provided, after being tendered by some properly authorized person a prepaid, round trip airline ticket or, in the event that there is no regularly scheduled airline service available, a prepaid round trip ticket on any common carrier providing passenger transportation services to and from the court where the hearing or prosecution is pending and five dollars ($5.00) for each day that he is required to travel and attend as a witness, fails without good cause to attend and testify as directed in the subpoena, he may be punished in the manner provided for the punishment of any witness who disobeys a subpoena issued from a court of record in this state.

(2)  Witness From Another State Subpoenaed to Testify in This State. If a person in any state, which by its laws has made provisions for commanding persons within its borders to attend and testify in criminal hearings or prosecutions in this state, is a material witness in a hearing or prosecution pending in a court of record in this state, a judge of such court may issue a certificate under the seal of the court stating these facts and specifying the number of days the witness will be required at such hearing or prosecution. This certificate shall be presented to a judge of a court of record in the county in which the witness is found.

If the witness is subpoenaed to attend and testify in the criminal hearing or prosecution in this state he shall be tendered the sum of fifteen cents (15¢) a mile for each mile by the ordinarily traveled route, one (1) way, to and from the court where the hearing or prosecution is pending and five dollars ($5.00) for each day that he is required to travel and attend as a witness. A witness who has appeared in accordance with the provisions of the subpoena shall not be required to remain within this state a longer period of time than the period mentioned in the certificate, unless such extended period of time is obtained by the written consent of such witness.

(3)  Have Exemption From Arrest and Service of Process. If a person comes into this state in obedience to a subpoena directing him to attend and testify in a criminal hearing or prosecution in this state, he will not while in this state, pursuant to such subpoena, be subjected to arrest or the service of process, civil or criminal, in connection with any matter which arose before his entrance into this state under such subpoena.

If a person passes through this state while going to another state in obedience to a subpoena to attend and testify in a criminal hearing or prosecution in that state or while returning therefrom, he shall not while so passing through this state be subjected to arrest or the service of process, civil or criminal, in connection with any matter which arose before his entrance into this state under such subpoena.

(4)  Uniformity of Interpretation. This section shall be interpreted and construed so as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of the states which enact it.

(5)  Short Title. This section may be cited as "Uniform Act to Secure the Attendance of Witnesses in Criminal Cases."

History:

[(19-3005) I.C.A., sec. 19-2904-A as added by 1935, ch. 10, sec. 2, p. 24; am. 1990, ch. 386, sec. 1, p. 1063.]