Commonwealth v. Atkinson

19 Pa. D. & C.3d 588, 1981 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 418
Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lawrence County·Decided January 16, 1981·No. nos. 168, 168A, 168B, 168C, 168D of 1980·Published

Opinion

McCRACKEN, P.J.,

Presently before the court are motions to extend [589] time for commencement of trial by the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth has filed three such motions, which, because of the unusual circumstances surrounding this case, have heretofore not been ruled upon.

The complaint in the present action was filed on March 31, 1980. Normally, this date would constitute the beginning of the 180 day period for commencement of trial under Pa.R.Crim.P. 1100. However, defendant argues that in this case the period should be deemed to have begun on an earner date. In support of this contention, defendant has provided evidence that: (a) the Pennsylvania State Police obtained a search warrant for blood and body hair to be taken from his body on January 24, 1980. The affidavit supplied for this warrant indicates that the requested items were needed for an investigation into the criminal incident involved in the present case; and (b) on February 11, 1980, a complaint was filed in Beaver County charging defendant with receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Again the recital of facts in the complaint indicates that the property involved in that case relates to the same occurrence as the present case. Based on these facts, defendant argues that the 180 day period should have begun to run no later than February 11, 1980. Therefore, he argues, the period should have expired no later than August 9, 1980, and the Commonwealth’s first petition for extension filed on September 19, 1980, as well as the later petitions, should be dismissed as untimely.

The issuing of the search warrant may not be considered as the beginning of the Rule 1100 period. It is only when criminal proceedings commence against a defendant that the Rule 1100 period commences: Com. v. Silver, 238 Pa. [590] Superior Ct. 221, 357 A. 2d 612 (1976); see also Com. v. Mitchell, 472 Pa. 553, 372 A. 2d at 826 (1977); Com. v. Dygert, 277 Pa. Superior Ct. 544, 419 A. 2d 1282 (1980). The fact that one is suspected of a crime does not immerse him in the intricacies of criminal law. As the court summarized in Silver, supra, 238 Pa. Superior Ct. at 230, 357 A. 2d at 616:

“He is subject neither to arrest nor to summons. He will not be arraigned or ordered to a preliminary hearing. Unenviable as his position may be, the accused still has not had a criminal proceeding commenced against him.”

Nor do we agree with defendant’s contention that the 180 day period on all charges arising out of the same set of occurrences begins running on the filing of the first charge. First, we find no authority for the position that all charges must be filed at the same time. While Com. v. Campana, 452 Pa. 233, 304 A. 2d 432, vacated 414 U.S. 808, 94 S.Ct. 73, 38 L.Ed 2d 44 (1973), reinstated on remand, 455 Pa. 622, 314 A. 2d 854, cert. denied 417 U.S. 969, 94 S.Ct. 3172, 41 L.Ed 2d 1139 (1974), requires all such charges to be tried at one trial, it does not extend to the filing of the charges.

Second, there is no indication that the Beaver County authorities knew of, or could have filed, any additional charges. The basis for their complaint was defendant’s attempt to pay for a few days lodging at the home of Thomas Hall (in Beaver County) with stolen goods. The only charge supported by their evidence is receiving stolen property. That is, the Beaver County authorities had evidence that defendant had received the property stolen from the Puz home, but no evidence to tie him to the actual theft. In addition, we note that the theft [591] itself, as well as the alleged homicide and arson, all occurred in Lawrence County. Only defendant’s attempt to divest himself of the property oocurred in Beaver County. Clearly, Beaver County would not be the proper venue for the other charges, which could not, therefore, have been filed along with the “receiving” charge. We must also note that the goods defendant was charged with receiving in Beaver County differ from those he is charged with receiving in Lawrence County. All of the goods allegedly came from the Puz home, but the receiving charges, based on defendant’s possession of them, arise from different circumstances at different times and places and thus are distinct crimes. While the ABA Standards Relating to Speedy Trial, Section 2.2(a) (approved draft 1968) provide that a defendant held in custody, prior to the filing of complaint, on charges arising from the same occurrence, should be treated as though the charges were filed at the time of the arrest, the charges filed here, in different counties, for different actions, do not “arise from the same occurrence.”

Further, we must note that this is not a case where the charges were filed separately in an effort to circumvent Rule 1100. That might be a valid interpretation if we found that the authorities had arranged for defendant to be arrested and held on the Beaver County charges while the Lawrence County authorities prepared a stronger case on the present charges. However, we see no basis for such a finding in this case. Indeed, such subterfuge would have been entirely unnecessary. The search warrant issued on January 24, 1980, indicates that defendant was already incarcerated at that time. In addition, defendant’s former attorney testified that defendant was arrested and charged with another, unrelated pair of homicides “on February 9 or [592]*59210,’’which is before the Beaver County complaint was filed. With defendant already in custody on those charges, nothing would be gained from the above collusive scenario. We therefore conclude that the events were not an attempt to circumvent Rule 1100; that the proper date for beginning the Rule 1100 period is March 31; and that the Commonwealth’s initial petition was timely filed.

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Commonwealth v. Atkinson, 19 Pa. D. & C.3d 588, 1981 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 418 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1981).

19 Pa. D. & C.3d 588 (Commonwealth v. Atkinson) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Commonwealth v. Mitchell
372 A.2d 826 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1977)
Commonwealth v. Campana
304 A.2d 432 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Commonwealth v. Dygert
419 A.2d 1282 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Silver
357 A.2d 612 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Commonwealth v. Campana
314 A.2d 854 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)