Castor v. State

1972 OK CR 190, 499 P.2d 948, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 577
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 19, 1972
DocketA-15643
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1972 OK CR 190 (Castor v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Castor v. State, 1972 OK CR 190, 499 P.2d 948, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 577 (Okla. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinions

BUSSEY, Presiding Judge:

Jane Newman Castor, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged, tried, and convicted in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, for the offense of Attempted Larceny by Fraud; her punishment was fixed at two and one-half (2½) years imprisonment, and from said judgment and sentence, a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

At the trial, Mrs. Price testified that she was employed at the downtown John A. Brown Store, and had been for approximately four years. During her lunch hour on the fourteenth day of May 1969, she was approached by a colored girl, identified as the co-defendant, Davis, outside the Brown’s building, who was carrying an envelope. After a short conversation with the defendant Davis, the defendant appeared and joined in the conversation. The defendant took the envelope, she looked inside it, and then stated that there was money in it. She handed the envelope back to defendant Davis, who stated that she was going to her office to look at the contents. The defendant stated that, “we are entitled to part of the money.” Mrs. Price stated that she did not want any part of the money, and that they should give it to the police. Defendant Davis left, and the defendant stated that they should follow her. They followed her and had another conversation. Defendant Davis stated that she was again going to her office to count the money. The defendant asked Mrs. Price for her name and telephone number, and stated that she would call her after work. Mrs. Price reported what had happened to her employer, Edward Tobin, who called the police. Arrangements were made with Mrs. Price by the police to cooperate with the defendants. That evening, the defendant called Mrs. Price and told her that there was $20,000.00 in the envelope, and that they were going to share it with her. She asked Mrs. Price to meet her the next morning at 9:00 at Main [950]*950and Harvey Streets. She met the defendant the next morning, and after a conversation on the street, joined the co-defendant, Davis, in an automobile. The defendant stated that each one of them would have to talk to the defendant’s lawyer. The defendant left, and was gone a little while, and returned. Defendant Davis then left, and then returned after a short period. The defendant asked her if she was willing to put up $5,000.00 as good faith money, and asked her to go to the bank and draw out the money. Defendant stated that she had $4,500.00 in her purse as good faith money that she was going to put up. The defendant and Mrs. Price proceeded toward the bank, with defendant Davis following them. She and the defendant went to the bank, and drank a cup of coffee; then she proceeded to the teller’s window to cash a check, and the defendant started out the door of the bank. She was to draw the money from the bank, and they would go to the defendant’s lawyer, return her money, and split the $20,000.00.

Edward Tobin testified that he was the assistant credit manager of the John A. Brown Company, and that upon his return from lunch on May 14, Mrs. Price, an employee, had a conversation with him, after which he called the police department. At approximately 9:00 the following morning, he observed the defendant walk up to Mrs. Price. They walked down the street, and got into an automobile with a colored female. The defendant left the car, and was gone for approximately twenty minutes. He walked down the street, and obtained the tag number of the vehicle. He subsequently followed Mrs. Price and the defendant as they walked toward the bank. They both entered the bank, and drank some coffee, and as Mrs. Price approached the teller’s cage, the defendant left the bank.

Officer Greeson testified that on the morning in question he was assigned to the surveillance of Mrs. Price. He observed the defendant meet Mrs. Price on the corner of Main and Harvey Streets. They walked down the street, and got into a vehicle with the co-defendant, Davis. They stayed in the vehicle approximately thirty or forty minutes, and then all three exited. Mrs. Price and the defendant entered the coffee shop of the bank; after leaving the coffee shop, Mrs. Price went into the bank and the defendant walked on down the street east. Officer Greeson immediately placed the defendant and the co-defendant under arrest. They were standing side-by-side when he arrested them. He identified State’s Exhibit Number Five, a blue bag containing a packet of phony money found in the purse of the co-defendant, Davis. He testified that he first observed the bag in the hands of the defendant as she left the vehicle in which they had been sitting.

The defendant testified that she lived in Houston, Texas, and was in Oklahoma City on May 15 and 16 with her husband. She testified that she was downtown to cash a check, and was stopped on the street by Mrs. Price and two colored girls. Mrs. Price showed her a package and asked if she knew the prefix on the telephone number on the front of the package. She replied that she did not know, and that she did not live here. The colored girl asked her if she thought it would be all right if she opened it. Mrs. Price said, “Well, don’t throw it away. You don’t know what’s in it,” and the two colored girls and Mrs. Price opened the package and said that there was money in it. She testified that she did not see any money. A card was in the envelope, which stated that it was gambling money, and they were sending it this way in order to avoid paying income tax. The colored girl closed the envelope and said that she was going to take it to her boss. Mrs. Price and the colored girl argued about the money, and the colored girl said that she was going to take it to her boss, because she did not want to get into trouble. The two colored girls left, and Mrs. Price suggested that they follow them, or they would never see the money again. They followed her to the store, and encountered her again outside.

[951]*951Mrs. Price asked her if it was real money, and the girl said, “Yes,” and that her boss looked at it and put it in his safe. The colored girl asked her and Mrs. Price for their telephone numbers, and stated that she would contact them that night about the money. The girl called her at approximately 7:00 that evening, and requested that she contact Mrs. Price and meet her the following morning. The following morning, she met Mrs. Price at Main and Harvey Streets, and they walked together, and got in the colored girl’s vehicle. The colored girl stated that they were entitled to a portion of the money, and that her boss wanted to talk to them one at a time. She was directed to walk toward the bank building, and told that she would be contacted by the colored girl’s boss. When no one approached her, she returned to the vehicle, and the colored girl stated that she would go find her boss. She denied seeing or carrying the blue bag containing the phony money. When the colored girl returned, she stated that her boss did not want to give the money to anyone that was not used to handling large sums of money. The colored girl asked them if they had any bank accounts, and she replied that she had a bank checking account in Texas. Mrs. Price said that she had at least $5,000.00 in a savings account. The colored girl asked her if she could prove it, and Mrs. Price stated that she would go to the bank and show her. They all walked toward the bank, and she did not notice the colored girl was not with them until they got into the coffee shop. She testified that Mrs.

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Related

Livingston v. State
1990 OK CR 40 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1990)
Dean v. State
1989 OK CR 40 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1989)
Martin v. State
1987 OK CR 127 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1987)
Castor v. State
1972 OK CR 190 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
1972 OK CR 190, 499 P.2d 948, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/castor-v-state-oklacrimapp-1972.