Commonwealth v. Layman

434 A.2d 735, 290 Pa. Super. 244, 1981 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3274
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 21, 1981
Docket642
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 434 A.2d 735 (Commonwealth v. Layman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Layman, 434 A.2d 735, 290 Pa. Super. 244, 1981 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3274 (Pa. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

BROSKY, Judge:

Appellant was found guilty by a jury of robbery and theft by unlawful taking on June 9, 1978. A motion to dismiss was filed pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 1100 (hereinafter Rule 1100) and denied. Appellant was ordered to pay the costs of prosecution, make restitution and was sentenced to not less than four years and not more than eight years imprisonment. Post-verdict motions were *247 also filed and subsequently denied. This appeal followed. We affirm the decision of the trial court.

Layman claims the trial court erred on five separate grounds. First, he asserts Rule 1100 was violated. Second, he remonstrates that a search warrant used by police was insufficient because it was not based upon sufficient probable cause. Third, he states the arrest warrant lacked probable cause. Fourth, he contends “a mistrial should have been granted based on the Commonwealth’s failure to provide an adequate bill of particulars listing all witnesses to be called for trial[.]” Appellant’s brief, page 2. And, fifth, he asserts the trial court improperly denied appellant’s request to seek certain questions of veniremen.

Appellant’s convictions stem from the following facts. On June 5, 1977, a robbery occurred at Melvin’s Service Station in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania. The appellant allegedly was confronted by an employee of Melvin’s Service Station at a “pop machine” in front of the station. Layman, according to the testimony of the attendant, held a revolver in one of his hands. The attendant then went to pump gas for a customer. While he returned to the service station building, he noticed the appellant was no longer outside of it. The attendant went inside the building and was apparently confronted by the appellant who is reputed to have said, “This is a stick up.” The attendant gave him what money he had in his pockets. The attendant stated he was then forced out and away from the service station. The attendant did not claim he saw appellant return to or enter the service station. He did state that he called the police and the station owner to report the events. Appellant was apprehended at a subsequent time. The attendant identified the appellant during the trial.

First, appellant claims Rule 1100 was violated. Layman was arraigned on June 23, 1977. Thus, his trial would need to be scheduled on or before December 20, 1977. However, on September 5, 1977, appellant’s counsel requested a continuance until December 5,1977, for the trial court’s December session. The continuance was granted and the *248 case was ordered for trial on December 14, 1977. Thus, the continuance was ordered for at least 91 days. Under Rule 1100(d)(2), 61 days of this continuance are excluded from calculations. Rule 1100(d)(2) states:

(d) In determining the period for commencement of trial, there shall be excluded therefrom such period of delay at any stage of the proceedings as results from: (!)•••
(2) any continuance in excess of thirty (SO) days granted at the request of the defendant or his attorney, provided that only the period beyond the thirtieth (30th) day shall be so excluded.

(Emphasis added.)

Appellant also presented several motions to suppress evidence which were denied on December 14, 1977. In response, presumably, to the court’s decision, Layman pleaded guilty. This plea was withdrawn on April 24, 1978. Thus, an additional 131 days delay was caused by the unavailability of appellant for trial. These days are excluded pursuant to Rule 1100(d)(1) which states:

(d) In determining the period for commencement of trial there shall be excluded therefrom such period of delay at any stage of the proceedings as results from:
(1) the unavailability of the defendant or his attorney;

Therefore, 192 days may be excluded from the Rule 1100, 180 day period. Thus, while the appellant’s trial did not occur until June 8, 1978, 350 days after the Rule 1100 commencement date, 192 of those days are excludable, Rule 1100(d). Therefore, the trial commenced 158 unexcluded days after June 23, 1977. There was no Rule 1100 violation.

Next, the appellant challenges both the legitimacy of his arrest and a subsequent search. These events occurred in the following factual sequence, as described by the Commonwealth:

Mr. Unice was a state police officer at the time Mr. Layman was arrested. He was in the company of Officer *249 Oudinot on the morning of the arrest; he physically took Mr. Layman off of the couch of the living room of the mobile home. Officer Oudinot later got the search warrant, went back and found the gun. Officer Oudinot was not inside the mobile home when Mr. Layman was laying on the couch.

First, appellant claims the arrest warrant under which he was arrested was invalid because it contained insufficient probable cause. In Commonwealth v. Tolbert, 235 Pa.Super. 227, 230, 341 A.2d 198, 200 (1975), we said:

When we examine a particular situation to determine if probable cause exists, we consider all the factors and their total effect, and do not concentrate on each individual element... We also focus on the circumstances as seen through the eyes of the trained officer, and do not view the situation as an average citizen might.... Finally, we must remember that in dealing with questions of probable cause, we are not dealing with certainties. We are dealing with the factual and practical considerations of everyday life on which reasonable and prudent men act. This is not the same “beyond-a-reasonable-doubt” standard which we apply in determining guilt or innocence at trial.

The burden of showing probable cause is on the Commonwealth. Commonwealth v. Holton, 432 Pa. 11, 14-15, 247 A.2d 228, 230 (1968).

The appellant challenges the arrest warrant because it was not sufficiently specific. It is true that we have consistently “held that descriptions equally applicable to large numbers of people will not support a finding of probable cause.” Commonwealth v. Jackson, 459 Pa. 669, 331 A.2d 189 (1975). However, the arrest warrant in the instant case was supported by evidence of a description of the appellant. He was specifically described by a witness and who also gave a description of the type of car driven from the scene of the crime. The police knew through previous experience that these facts matched the appellant and his automobile. Thus, a warrant was issued naming appellant individually. We are satisfied that the warrant was based upon probable cause.

*250 Next, Layman contends that evidence gotten at a search of appellant’s father’s home was illegal. A .25 caliber pistol was discovered by the police on a couch. The gun was linked to the appellant and entered into evidence against him.

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Bluebook (online)
434 A.2d 735, 290 Pa. Super. 244, 1981 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-layman-pasuperct-1981.