Commonwealth v. Gouse

429 A.2d 1129, 287 Pa. Super. 120, 1981 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3139
Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided May 15, 1981·No. 132·Published·Cited by 40 cases

Opinions

CERCONE, President Judge:

Appellant, Kevin Gouse, takes this appeal from the judgment of sentence in the Court of Common Pleas of Perry County. After a non-jury trial, Mr. Gouse was convicted of recklessly endangering another person under the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2705 (1973). This section of the Crimes Code provides that:

A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he recklessly engages in conduct which places or may place another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury.

After Mr. Gouse’s post-trial motions were denied, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for three to twenty-three and one-half months.

In this appeal, appellant Gouse raises two issues for our consideration: (1) that the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to establish that he placed or might have placed his alleged victims in danger of death or serious bodily injury; and, (2) that the sentence imposed by the lower court was excessive and, therefore, should be reconsidered and modified. We agree with appellant Gouse that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction for recklessly endangering another person and we, therefore, do not reach the sentencing allegation.

This charge arose from an incident in Marysville, Perry County, Pennsylvania, on an evening in early November, 1977. At that time, two men, James Scholl and Michael Miller, were leaving a local pool hall when they were shouted to by appellant who was sitting in his vehicle across the street. The two men got into their car and pulled alongside of appellant’s vehicle. An argument ensued during which appellant Gouse raised a shotgun and pointed it at the two men for less than one minute. At this point, a mutual friend of all parties concerned intervened and the shotgun was lowered.

[124] At trial, the Commonwealth presented no evidence which would indicate that the shotgun pointed at the two men was loaded at the time. The defendant testified that the gun was not loaded and the friend who intervened in the incident also stated that he believed the gun was not loaded.

In construing the Crimes Code section on recklessly endangering, this court has recently determined that the common law assault requirement of actual present ability to inflict harm must be shown in order to support a conviction under the statute. Commonwealth v. Trowbridge, 261 Pa.Super. 109, 395 A.2d 1337 (1978). Thus, the mere apparent ability to inflict harm is not sufficient for a conviction under section 2705, and the pointing of an unloaded weapon, without more, does not constitute recklessly endangering. Id. See also Commonwealth v. Baker, 287 Pa.Super. 39, 429 A.2d 709. In Trowbridge, however, we specifically retained the rule in Commonwealth v. Painter, 32 Somerset 115 (1976) which held that the pointing of an unloaded gun at a passenger filled car traveling fifty miles an hour created a great risk that the driver would lose control of the vehicle in a panic reaction to the defendant’s actions. Commonwealth v. Trowbridge, 261 Pa.Super. at 116 n.14, 395 A.2d at 1341 n.14. The danger created in that case was a reasonably foreseeable reaction to the actor’s conduct of pointing a gun. See Commonwealth v. Baker, supra. As such, the court in Painter held that the circumstances surrounding the pointing of the gun were so inherently dangerous that the required common law element of actual danger of harm was proven despite the fact that the gun was unloaded.

The Commonwealth relies on Painter in support of its position that the actual ability to inflict harm was present in the case sub judice. We cannot agree. In Painter the victim endangered was driving a car at fifty miles an hour, whereas the alleged victim in the instant case was the driver of a car which was stationary.1 Nevertheless, the Commonwealth asks us to allow an inference that the requi[125] site danger of harm was present in this case due to a possible panic reaction to escape the situation by rapidly accelerating the car. Although the Commonwealth as verdict winner is entitled to all reasonable inferences to be drawn from the evidence produced, which is viewed in their favor, Commonwealth v. Whack, 482 Pa. 137, 393 A.2d 417 (1978); Commonwealth v. Meadows, 471 Pa. 201, 369 A.2d 1266 (1977); Commonwealth v. Siiams, 260 Pa.Super. 409, 394 A.2d 992 (1978); Commonwealth v. Nelson, 245 Pa.Super. 33, 369 A.2d 279 (1976) aff’d 476 Pa. 269, 382 A.2d 715 (1977), we hold that under the circumstances of this case it was not reasonably foreseeable that death or serious bodily injury would be caused to the occupants of the car as a result of Mr. Gouse’s conduct. See Commonwealth v. Baker, supra. Despite the Commonwealth’s contentions, we find Trowbridge, rather than Painter to be controlling.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Commonwealth v. Gouse, 429 A.2d 1129, 287 Pa. Super. 120, 1981 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3139 (Pa. Ct. App. 1981).

429 A.2d 1129 (Commonwealth v. Gouse) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Com. v. Ott, A.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2026
Com. v. Green, M.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. Prieto, A.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
Com. v. Bishop, H.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Jones, D.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Bruder, R.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2022
Com. of PA v. A.J. Moore
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2021
Com. v. Krick, T
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2021
Com. v. Brawley, M.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2021
Com. v. Jackson, K.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2019
Com. v. Vangjeli, A.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2019
Com. v. Handy, C.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2018
Commonwealth, Aplt. v. Ball III, J.
146 A.3d 755 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2016)
Com. v. Flamer, R.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2015
Com. v. Cuff, K.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2014
Commonwealth v. Tisdale
100 A.3d 216 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2014)
Com. v. Tisdale, C.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2014
Commonwealth v. Calhoun
52 A.3d 281 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2012)
Zahorchak v. Neshannock Township School District
1 Pa. D. & C.5th 410 (Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas, 2006)
Singh v. Atty Gen USA
432 F.3d 533 (Third Circuit, 2006)