§ 135.145 Testimony of witnesses

When someone has a preliminary hearing, everything the witnesses say on the stand gets recorded. This means the court makes an official record of the testimony, not just notes or a summary.

This matters because that recording can be used later in the case. For example, if a witness says something different at trial than what they said at the preliminary hearing, the earlier recorded testimony can be brought up to show the change. It also gives both sides a clear, accurate account of what was said, so there's no dispute later about what a witness actually testified to.