Sec. 4. (a) If a judge of a court of record in any state which has made provision for the commanding of persons within that state to attend and testify in this state certifies under the seal of the court that:

(1) there is a criminal prosecution pending in the court, or that a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence;

Terms Used In Indiana Code 35-37-5-4

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • State: includes any territory of the United States and the District of Columbia. See Indiana Code 35-37-5-1
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Subpoena: includes a summons in any state where a summons is used in lieu of a subpoena. See Indiana Code 35-37-5-1
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.
  • Witness: shall include a person whose testimony is desired in any proceeding or investigation by a grand jury or in a criminal action, prosecution, or proceeding. See Indiana Code 35-37-5-1
(2) a person being within this state is a material witness in the prosecution or grand jury investigation; and

(3) the person’s presence will be required for a specified number of days;

upon presentation of the certificate to a judge of a court of record with jurisdiction to try felony cases in the county in which the person is located, the judge shall fix a time and place for a hearing, and shall make an order directing the witness to appear at a time and place certain for the hearing.

     (b) If at the hearing the judge determines that:

(1) the witness is material and necessary;

(2) it will not cause undue hardship to the witness to be compelled to attend and testify in the prosecution or a grand jury investigation in the other state; and

(3) the laws of the state in which the prosecution is pending, or grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence, will give to the person protection from arrest, and the service of civil and criminal process;

the judge shall issue a subpoena, with a copy of the certificate attached, directing the witness to attend and testify in the court where the prosecution is pending, or where a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence at a time and place specified in the subpoena. In any hearing the certificate is prima facie evidence of all the facts stated in it.

     (c) If the certificate recommends that the witness be taken into immediate custody and delivered to an officer of the requesting state to assure the attendance of the witness in the requesting state, the judge may, in lieu of notification of the hearing, direct that the witness be immediately brought before the judge for the hearing. If the judge is satisfied of the desirability of the custody and delivery, the judge may, in lieu of issuing a subpoena, order that the witness be immediately taken into custody and delivered to an officer of the requesting state. For this determination, the certificate is prima facie proof of such desirability.

     (d) If a witness subpoenaed as provided in this section is paid or tendered a sum for expenses and fails without good cause to attend and testify as directed in the subpoena, the witness shall 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.

     (e) The amount of the payment for expenses under subsection (d) of this section and section 4(b) of this chapter is set out in IC 33-37-10-2.

As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.171-1984, SEC.78; P.L.192-1986, SEC.38; P.L.305-1987, SEC.33; P.L.98-2004, SEC.148.