State v. Goins, 232 N.C. App. 451 (Feb. 18, 2014)

The trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the State to impeach its own witness where the impeachment was not mere subterfuge to introduce otherwise inadmissible evidence. The court held that it need not decide whether the record showed that the State was genuinely surprised by the witness’s reversal because the witness’s testimony was “vital” to the State’s case and the trial court gave a proper limiting instruction.