Commonwealth v. Lafy

34 Pa. D. & C. 564, 1939 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 291
CourtBradford County Court of Quarter Sessions
DecidedFebruary 17, 1939
Docketno. 12
StatusPublished

This text of 34 Pa. D. & C. 564 (Commonwealth v. Lafy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Bradford County Court of Quarter Sessions primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Lafy, 34 Pa. D. & C. 564, 1939 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 291 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1939).

Opinion

Culver, P. J.,

The records shows that on December 1, 1938, Private B. J. Lebojesky, Pennsylvania Motor Police, made a complaint before Morris Watkins, Justice of the Peace of Ulster Township, charging defendant with a violation of article X, sec. 1002(5), of The Vehicle Code as amended, supra.

The transcript further shows that on December 1, 1938, the said justice of the peace mailed a copy of the said complaint, together with a notice to defendant to appear, by registered mail and it is conceded defendant received such notice.

Defendant failing to appear before the justice of the peace as required within 10 days from the date of said notice, the said justice on December 14, 1938, issued a warrant, and the above-mentioned motor policeman arrested defendant in Towanda Borough, this county, which is about eight miles from the office of the justice of the peace who issued the warrant in Ulster Township, wherein the violation occurred. Defendant made no request to the arresting officer that he be taken before a justice of the peace of Towanda Borough for the purpose of entering bail, but, on the contrary, expressed his willingness to accompany the officer to the office of the magistrate who issued the warrant, and the officer took him before such magistrate on December 26, 1938.

On appearing before the said justice on said December 26th, defendant, after the complaint was read aloud in his hearing, pleaded “not guilty”, and posted bail by depositing cash for his appearance before the same justice of the peace on January 7, 1939, between the hours of 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

On January 7,1939, at the hour mentioned, defendant voluntarily appeared before said justice and waived a hearing and entered bail for his appearance in this court. [566]*566When the case came on for hearing in this court, defendant, by his counsel, moved to quash the proceedings and dismiss defendant, assigning five reasons therefor, as follows:

“And now-, 1939 defendant, David Lafy, by his counsel, W. M. Rosenfield, respectfully moves your Honorable Court to quash the foregoing proceeding and dismiss défendant for the following reasons:
“1. The transcript does not show affirmatively that the information was filed before a magistrate within the city, boro, incorporated town or township where the alleged violation occurred.
“2. The transcript does not show that a notice in writing of the filing of the information and a notice to appear was served upon defendant.
“3. The record does not show that the notices required were sent by registered mail to the person charged at the address shown by the records of the department.
“4. The record does not show that a warrant was served.
“5. The record does not show that defendant was taken ‘before a magistrate, within the city, boro, incorporated town or township in which defendant was found, or if there was no person holding the office of magistrate in such city, boro, incorporated town or township’, that he was taken before a magistrate in an adjoining city, boro, incorporated town or township to give bail for his appearance before the magistrate who issued the warrant or for his appearance for trial in the proper court, if summary hearing was waived. As a matter of fact the warrant was served upon defendant at Towanda Boro, Bradford County, Pa., and he was compelled to appear before the magistrate in Ulster, all contrary to the provisions of the Act of Assembly in such cases made and provided and particularly to the Act of June 29,1937, P. L. 2329 sec. 3.”

That the court might have full knowledge of each step taken before the magistrate in this proceeding, defendant [567]*567was permitted to show the aforementioned procedural steps taken.

As to the first reason we believe it sufficient that the transcript shows that the offense was committed in Ulster Township, and the complaint was made before Morris Watkins, Justice of the Peace of Ulster, Pa. The court will take judicial notice that the Ulster Post Office and the Village of Ulster, wherein said justice of the peace resides, is within the township of Ulster, this county.

As to the second and third reasons we believe it sufficient that the transcript shows that a copy of the complaint, together with notice in writing to appear, was served by registered mail addressed to defendant, who received the same.

As to the fourth reason that the record does not show that a warrant was served, this relates merely to a procedural matter. The transcript does show that defendant appeared before the magistrate and was arraigned on December 26,1938, and thereat deposited cash bail for his appearance before the same justice of the peace on January 7, 1939, at a definite hour. The transcript further shows that on the said January 7, 1939, defendant again appeared before the justice of the peace and waived hearing and entered bail for his appearance in this court.

We believe this record shows a substantial compliance with all the requirements of the act of assembly to give the justice of the peace jurisdiction of defendant and the subject matter.

The principal complaint made by defendant’s counsel and urged as a reason for quashing the entire proceedings was that the arresting officer did not take defendant before a justice of the peace in Towanda Borough, the place where he was arrested. Defendant made no request, much less demand, that he be taken before a justice of the peace of said borough, but voluntarily accompanied the arresting officer to the office of the justice of the peace who issued the warrant. If this was an irregularity, it was a procedural irregularity, and, in our judgment, did [568]*568not go to the jurisdiction of the justice. The provisions of the statute, requiring that in certain instances a defendant, charged as was the above defendant, shall, when arrested, be taken before a justice of the peace of the municipality in which the arrest is made, are not clear. Section 1202 of The Vehicle Code as amended by the Act of 1937, supra, provides as follows:

“1. If the person named in the information shall not voluntarily appear within ten (10) days of the date of the written notice, a warrant shall then issue and may be served by a peace officer having authority to serve warrants in the county in which the alleged violation has been committed.
“If the person charged cannot be served within such county, then the magistrate shall deputize a peace officer, having authority to serve warrants in the county wherein the person charged resides, or may be found, to serve such warrant.
“2.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 Pa. D. & C. 564, 1939 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-lafy-paqtrsessbradfo-1939.