Barber v. State

450 S.W.2d 291, 248 Ark. 64, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1174
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 9, 1970
Docket5465
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 450 S.W.2d 291 (Barber v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barber v. State, 450 S.W.2d 291, 248 Ark. 64, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1174 (Ark. 1970).

Opinion

Conley Byrd, Justice.

Appellant Jack Allen Barber1 was apprehended by officers on February 13, 1969, in the Town & Country Liquor Store in Fort Smith, while tying up two women employees. He was charged by informations with the crimes of grand larceny, robbery and assault with intent to kill. At trial the charge of robbery was reduced to assault with intent to rob and he was tried on that charge only. In accordance with the jury verdict, he was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary for assault with intent to rob. For reversal he relies upon the following points:

“I. That the trial court had no jurisdiction to dispose of defendant’s motion on July 3, 1969, while the matter was removed to the United States District Court.
II. The trial court erred in granting the State a continuance in case No. 1325 and in case No. 1327. That the continuance granted the State violates the speedy trial provision of the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution.
III. The trial court erred in refusing to grant the defendant a preliminary hearing as provided by the law of Arkansas and the Constitution of the United States of America. That the manner in which the Arkansas preliminary hearing statute is applied in the Arkansas trial courts and as applied in this case violates the due process clause of the Arkansas Constitution and the due process and equal protection clauses of the United States Constitution.
IV. That the trial court erred in refusing to grant a change of venue.
V. That the trial court erred in denying the appellant’s motion to make available funds to employ one medical expert of appellant’s own choosing to develop appellant’s defense of insanity.”

POINT I. The record shows that on February 14, 1969, appellant Barber, with his two co-defendants, was arraigned before the Honorable Paul Wolfe, Circuit Judge, and in the presence of his retained counsel, Mr. Jack Rose, entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts then pending against him. On March 24th Mr. Rose, upon the request of Barber, was permitted to withdraw as counsel for BarberriAL-the-same time Barber filed a number of motions, which. he had prepared himself, attacking the qualifications of Judge Wolfe to preside at his trial, requesting that the informations be quashed because no preliminary hearing had been held, for a change of venue, and for reduction of bail. Because of the suggestion of disqualification of the regularly elected trial judge, the Chief Justice appointed the Honorable Carl Creekmore to preside in the case. Thereafter Judge Creekmore held a number of hearings for the purpose of appointing counsel, releasing counsel upon appellant’s request and finally for determining whether Judge Wolfe was disqualified to act in the case. Following a hearing on June 16th, Judge Creek-more decided that Judge Wolfe was not disqualified. Appellant on June 19th filed a petition to remove his prosecution to the Federal District Court.

Some time between June 16th and July 3rd Judge Wolfe resumed his duties of hearing appellant’s case. On July 3rd, at the request of appellant, Judge Wolfe held a hearing on appellant’s motions for a preliminary hearing, to quash the information and for a change of venue. At the beginning of the hearing the court let the record show why he re-entered the case and after so doing, asked counsel for appellant which motions they wanted to take up and in what order. At that point the following occurred:

“Mr. Core: Your Honor, Mr. Ledbetter has an objection he wants to make, and, if I may, I’ll respond to what you just said about those witnesses.
The Court: All right.
Mr. Ledbetter: If the Court please, Mr. Barber requests that we state this into the record for him. The defendant has asked me to object to the Court’s jurisdiction in these proceedings on the groupd that the Court has not ruled on his motion to quash, and because of this and other civil, constitutional reasons this Court lacks jurisdiction to proceed in this matter.”

During an examination of Miss Louise Patten, the Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk, about what the trial court record contained, the following occurred:

“The Court: I want to ask one question. What is that last document you referred to, Mr. Ledbetter?
Mr. Ledbetter: My notice filed on June 19th.
The Court: May I see that? Mr. Ledbetter, I’m looking here at what I believe purports to be this motion. Would you mind coming up and identifying it for me. I’m speaking of the petition filed in the United States District Court.
Mr. Ledbetter: Yes, sir, that’s the document and there’s the notice that was filed.
The Court: You’re telling me that this is a true and correct copy of the petition filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas on behalf of Mr. Barber pertaining to the cases now before the Court?
Mr. Ledbetter: Yes, sir.
The Court: The cases here.
Mr. Ledbetter: An exact copy.
The Court: And that this document, this pleading here, is also before the Court at this time, Mr. Ledbetter?
Mr. Ledbetter: No, sir, it’s not.
The Court: It’s part of the record, isn’t it, before the Court?
Mr. Ledbetter: It’s part of the record in that sense, yes, sir.
The Court: All right, sir, thank you. Anything else of Miss Patton?
(Witness is excused.)
Mr. Ledbetter: If the Court please, in support of our motion, we don’t intend to introduce any more testimonial evidence, but we would like to make an argument on it.
The Court: Mr. Barber, I’m asking you personally, do you have anything else that you wish to offer on behalf of this motion for a preliminary hearing?
Mr. Barber: Your Honor, I would like only to reiterate my objection that Mr. Ledbetter read in the record a few moments ago about jurisdiction of the court.
The Court: At the start of the proceeding?
Mr. Barber: Yes, sir.
The Court: That this Court has no jurisdiction?
Mr. Barber: Yes, sir.
The Court: You want the motion to quash ruled on?
Mr. Barber: Yes, sir.”

On September 16th, before commencement of testimony in appellant’s trial, the following occurred:

“Mr.

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429 F.2d 20 (Eighth Circuit, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
450 S.W.2d 291, 248 Ark. 64, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barber-v-state-ark-1970.