Blackwell v. State

Summary

The Court held that Blackwell's falsification of checks before submitting them to the Division of Revenue supported misdemeanor liability for offering a false instrument, not felony liability for tampering with public records, because the checks were not yet public records when altered. The Court also upheld admission of the checks and a tax-agency letter, concluding that the checks were party admissions, the agency established sufficient authentication, and the letter was a non-hearsay request offered to explain Blackwell's response. The judgment was reversed as to the two tampering convictions and affirmed on the remaining counts.