Cascio v. State

171 S.W.2d 356, 146 Tex. Crim. 49, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 475
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 28, 1943
DocketNo. 22497
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 171 S.W.2d 356 (Cascio v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cascio v. State, 171 S.W.2d 356, 146 Tex. Crim. 49, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 475 (Tex. 1943).

Opinions

HAWKINS, Presiding Judge.

[51]*51Conviction is for theft of an automobile tire, wheel and inner tube from Mack Massey, punishment assessed at a fine of $500.00 and two years in the county jail.

On the night of February 28, 1942, Massey’s car was parked on the street in Denton in front of his home. The spare wheel, tire and tube were in the trunk compartment of the car. Mrs. Woodrum lived across the street from Massey. About eleven o’clock that night she saw a dark car in the street and saw two men walking around the car. She called Mr. Massey on the phone. She could not identify the men. When Massey went to his car he discovered the property mentioned was gone. The tire was new, had never been on the ground. He immediately notified the officers. Later he found his property at the city hall, identified it and it was turned over to him by Jesse Griffith, one of the police officers.

Charles Selvidge, a student at the North Texas State Teachers College, testified that on the night of February 28, 1942, someone took a tire from his car which was parked in front of Chilton Hall. He recovered the tire the next day. Don Thomas, who also lived at Chilton Hall, testified that he saw two men get out of a car and one of them made several attempts to get in other cars which were parked in front of the hall. On direct examination the witness pointed out appellant as one of the men, but on cross examination said he could not swear to his identity, and on redirect said it was his opinion that appellant was the man he saw. Thomas did not see the man take anything from the Selvidge car. He reported to the police what he had seen, however.

Buddie Harris worked at the Goen Funeral Home in Den-ton. On the night in question his car was parked in front of the funeral home. The next morning he discovered the lock on the car had been broken. He did not say anything had been taken from his car.

Jess Griffith’s evidence, in substance is as follows: He and other officers first had a report about the theft of the Massey tire, and then the report of the theft from Selvidge at Chilton Hall. On the way to the latter place they passed the funeral home, and saw a car parked there with one man in the car. The officers turned and went back and the car moved away. At this time two men were in the car. At this point the chase began. At one point the car the officers were following turned into the light from the officers’ car, and some of the officers gave it as [52]*52their opinion that appellant was the driver of the car. Sometimes reaching a speed of 90 miles per hour the chase continued until the fugitive car turned over, as did also the officers’ car, both cars going through a fence at a turn in the street. Both men ran away from their wrecked car and escaped arrest that night. There was a tire and wheel in the back seat of the car. It was a used tire. The trunk was locked. This witness did not examine the inside of the trunk. The Grace Barrow Motor Company took the cars in. Two hats were found at the scene of the wreck. Witness took them to the city hall and turned them over to Mr. Hodges.

Mr. Hodges, a deputy sheriff, testified that after appellant had made bond and gotten out of jail he asked witness if he would go to the city hall and “get his hat for himthat witness did go and get one of the hats which officer Griffith had turned over to witness, delivered it to appellant, who said it was his hat.

Floyd Graham, a teacher at the North Texas State Teachers College was in the chase on the night in question. After the wreck he noticed the keys were still in the ignition lock on the fugitive’s car. He took the keys and the next day gave them to Glen Lanford, who is also a city officer.

On recross examination of this witness appellant’s attorney developed the following: “We got the Massey call first. I do not remember whether we got a description of the car. We got a description of the car at Chilton Hall. We saw a car that fit the description at the Goen and Farris Funeral Home.”

Lanford testified on direct examination as follows:

“I was a city policeman in Denton on February 22, 1942. I remember when the police car turned over on West Oak Street. I came on duty the next morning. I know where the Grace Barrow Motor Company is located. I went to the Grace Barrow Motor Company and saw a Ford that had been wrecked. I looked at two cars there. The wrecked city car was there also. I examined the other car. I made two trips down there. It was a 1940 or 1941 black Ford. It had a trunk on it. The trunk was locked. I unlocked the trunk with a key. I got the key from an officer that was in the chase. I got the keys from Floyd Graham. He is a Deputy City Marshall and Teacher at the Teachers College. I opened the trunk and examined it. I found two tires there. There were two tires and wheels in the trunk. One of them was bolted down. I judge it was the spare tire of the car. [53]*53The other tire and wheel were lying loose in the trunk. The one that I took out of the trunk was a size 650 x 16 U. S. Royal tire. It appeared to be a new tire. The tire was on a wheel. It was a dark grey Pontiac wheel with a red stripe. I took it to the city hall and Mark Massey identified it as his tire.”

We have been at some pains to detail the evidence at greater length than would ordinarily be thought necessary on account of appellant’s contention that the evidence does not connect him with the Massey property. The case of Hampton v. State, 138 Tex. Cr. R. 408, 136 S. W. (2d) 820, is cited as supporting appellant’s contention. There, by inadvertence likely, the State left a gap in the evidence which failed to connect Hampton with the stolen car. We discover no such defect here as is apparent from the evidence related.

Appellant objected to the testimony of Selvidge and Thomas as to the incident occurring at Chilton Hall, and as to the loss by Selvidge of a tire, wheel and tube, on the ground that it was proof of an extraneous crime which did not come within any exception to the general rule prohibiting such proof. The trial court says in his explanation of the bills (Nos. 1 and 2) complaining of the matters mentioned, that the evidence was admitted upon the question of system and identity of appellant. In Lawrence v. State, 128 Tex. Cr. R. 417, 82 S. W. (2d) 647, we said: “Reverting now to the State’s other contention that proof of the other offenses by appellant was admissible to show ‘system.’ The use of this unqualified term as pointing out another exception to the general rule which excludes proof of extraneous crimes has been productive of much confusion. It has been held many times that the fact that two or more crimes were committed in the same way does not show system. Long v. State, 39 Tex. Cr. R. 537, 546, 47 S. W. 363; Smith v. State, 52 Tex. Cr. R. 80, 105 S. W. 501; Missouri v. State, 109 Tex. Cr. R. 193, 4 S. W. (2d) 68. The mere fact that two or more distinct crimes were committed in the same way, or even in pursuance of the same conspiracy, does not show system. Hunt v. State, 89 Tex. Cr. R. 89, 229 S. W. 869; Cone v. State, 86 Tex. Cr. 291, 216 S. W. 190; Long v. State, 39 Tex. Cr. R. 537, 47 S. W. 363; Smith v. State, 52 Tex. Cr. R. 80, 105 S. W. 501.”

It is our understanding that evidence developing a system used in the commission of crimes is not admissible unless it goes to the identity of accused as the perpetrator of the offense for which he is then on trial, or to show intent, where that is an [54]

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Related

Collins v. State
602 S.W.2d 537 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Pendell v. State
253 S.W.2d 426 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1952)
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215 S.W.2d 327 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1948)
Clements v. State
182 S.W.2d 915 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1944)

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Bluebook (online)
171 S.W.2d 356, 146 Tex. Crim. 49, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 475, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cascio-v-state-texcrimapp-1943.