Bryning v. State

70 S.E.2d 779, 86 Ga. App. 35, 1952 Ga. App. LEXIS 867
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedApril 8, 1952
Docket33982, 33983; 33984; 33985
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 70 S.E.2d 779 (Bryning v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryning v. State, 70 S.E.2d 779, 86 Ga. App. 35, 1952 Ga. App. LEXIS 867 (Ga. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

Carlisle, J.

1. This court will take judicial notice that the regular terms of the Superior Court of Coffee County commence on the second and third Mondays of March and of October.

2. After the general term of a superior court has been organized and put into operation by the presiding judge, the term continues until finally adjourned by him or by operation of law. Dover v. Dover, 205 Ga. 241 (53 S. E. 2d, 492); Mathis v. Crowley, 146 Ga. 749 (92 S. E. 213).

3. The March term, 1950, of the Superior Court of Coffee County having been regularly organized on the appointed days, and never having been adjourned by order of court, was adjourned by operation of law on October 4, 1950, according to the agreed statement of fact appearing in the record. See in this connection Code, § 24-3010; Horkan v. Beasley, 11 Ga. App. 273 (75 S. E. 341); Dover v. Dover, supra.

4. Code § 27-1901 provides: “Any person against whom a true bill of indictment is found for an offense not affecting his life may demand at either the term when the indictment is found, or at the next succeeding regular term thereafter, a trial; or, by special permission of the court, he may at any subsequent term thereafter demand a trial. In either case the demand for trial shall be placed upon the minutes of the court. If such person shall not be tried when the demand is made, or at the next succeeding regular term thereafter, provided at both terms there were juries impaneled and qualified to try him, he shall be absolutely discharged and acquitted of the offense charged in the indictment.”

[36]*36Decided April 8, 1952 Rehearing denied April 23, 1952. George E. Maddox, G. H. Mingledorff, for plaintiffs in error. J. Randall Walker, Solicitor-General, Moore, Oberry & Holton, contra.

On March 21, 1950, indictments were found and filed in the Superior Court of Coffee County, charging N. A. Bryning and H. E. Cromartie with the offense of breaking and entering; W. N. Bryning and H. E. Cromartie with the offense of trespass; H. E. Cromartie with the offense of larceny after trust; and H. P. McNeal with the offense of larceny after trust.

Each of these defendants has appealed to this court upon an assignment of error that the trial court refused to grant his mo[37]*37tion for a judgment of acquittal, under the provisions of Code § 27-1901, after he had made a demand for trial. These cases all involve the same principle of law and a decision in one case would be determinative of the others, and for that reason they will be considered here together.

[36]*365. Where, upon a demand made for trial by a defendant indicted during the March term, 1950, of the Superior Court of Coffee County, for an offense not affecting his life, reciting that there were jurors impaneled and qualified to try his case, the judge of the court enters an order thereon reciting that the demand is true and orders the demand, made on September 30, 1950, spread upon the minutes of the court, it is conclusive by the terms of such order that there was a jury impaneled and qualified to try such defendant.

6. Where such demand, together with such order, is filed in the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Coffee County on October 2, 1950, prior to the adjournment of that court on October 4, 1950, it is immaterial that such demand was not actually entered by the clerk upon the minutes of the court until October 6, 1950. The failure of the clerk to keep proper minutes cannot be allowed to destroy the fact that a proper demand had been made. See Cribb v. State, 118 Ga. 316 (45 S. E. 396); Wise v. State, 34 Ga. 348, 353 (3); Smith v. Ross, 108 Ga. 198 (33 S. E. 953).

7. And, where it appears that, at the next succeeding term after the March term, 1950, namely, the October term, such defendant demandant was not tried, and it further appears that at such succeeding term there was a jury impaneled and qualified to try him, according to the agreed statement of fact certified by the trial court, it was imperative that the defendant demandant be discharged and acquitted (Durham v. State, 9 Ga. 306 (2); Brown v. State, 85 Ga. 713 (2), 11 S. E. 831; Nix v. State, 5 Ga. App. 835, 63 S. E. 926), unless the defendant waived his demand, by affirmative consent to the passing of the case to a subsequent term, which does not appear. Walker v. State, 89 Ga. 482 (15 S. E. 553); Nix v. State, supra.

8. It follows, from what has been ruled in the foregoing divisions of this opinion, that the trial court erred on January 5, 1952, in refusing the defendants’ motion for discharge and acquittal, made during the October term, 1951, of that court.

Judgments reversed.

Gardner, P.J., and Townsend, J., concur.

[37]*37The motions of the defendants were heard by the trial court upon the following stipulation of fact, which was approved, sanctioned, and certified as true and correct: “1. The March term, 1950, of the Superior Court of Coffee County, Georgia, for the trial of criminal cases, convened March 20, 1950; petit jurors had been summoned and sworn. The civil causes were tried during the previous week, of the week beginning March 6, 1950. By act of the General Assembly, Coffee Superior Court convenes on the second and third Mondays in March and October of each year, and by judicial custom the first week of said term is always devoted to the trial of civil cases and the second week to the trial of criminal cases. 2. Grand jury for said March term, 1950, of said court was in session during a part of the week of the second Monday of the week beginning with Monday, March 13, and a part of the week of the third Monday, the week beginning with March 20, 1950. The members of the petit jury summoned and sworn for the second week, or the week of the third Monday, which was the 20th day of March, 1950, for the trial of criminal cases, was excused during the afternoon of Monday, March 20, 1950, for the term unless recalled. The grand jury continued to deliberate after the petit jury had been excused as set forth above, and on the following day, to wit, March 21, 1950, returned the true bill of indictment or special presentment in this cause, which was at a time when there was no petit jury present in attendance at said court. 4. The defendants were not under bond to appear at said March term, 1950, of Coffee Superior Court, nor were there outstanding any warrants for their arrest for the offense charged in the indictment. 5. The defendants were not formally placed under arrest after said indictment had been returned, but either by themselves, or through their counsel, agreed to and were allowed to arrange bail to the October term, 1950, of the Superior Court of Coffee County, Georgia, and in pursuance of such arrangement did make and file their bonds conditioned to appear at the October term, [38]*381950, of said court. 6.

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Related

Bryning v. State
70 S.E.2d 779 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1952)

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Bluebook (online)
70 S.E.2d 779, 86 Ga. App. 35, 1952 Ga. App. LEXIS 867, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bryning-v-state-gactapp-1952.