Craig v. State

594 S.W.2d 91, 1980 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1104
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 13, 1980
Docket55592
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 594 S.W.2d 91 (Craig v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Craig v. State, 594 S.W.2d 91, 1980 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1104 (Tex. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION

Before ONION, P. J., and ROBERTS and W. C. DAVIS, JJ.

ONION, Presiding Judge.

This is an appeal from a conviction for aggravated assault upon a peace officer. V.T.C.A., Penal Code, § 22.02(a)(2). 1 Punishment, enhanced by the allegation and proof of a prior felony conviction, was assessed by the jury at nine (9) years’ imprisonment. See V.T.C.A., Penal Code, § 12.-42(a).

On appeal appellant advances ten grounds of error. Four grounds complain that the trial court erred in refusing to allow appellant to recall for cross-examination the complaining witness, officer Jack Dove, and another officer, both State’s witnesses. Three grounds complain that the court erred in denying appellant’s special plea of “former convict,” in not allowing him to read such plea to the jury and in not submitting an instruction on such plea to the jury in the charge. In two grounds appellant urges the State failed to sustain its burden of proof that his arrest was illegal so as to show that the action of officer Dove was in the lawful discharge of his official duty as a peace officer. Appellant also contends the evidence shows conclusively that he did not have the mental capacity to intentionally assault officer Dove.

In order to better understand appellant’s contentions, the facts need to be recited. It appears that the appellant had been out drinking on the night of May 26, 1975 and was walking home when he was met by his brother-in-law, sister and mother, who were driving around looking for him. On their way home, it was decided they would go to the bus station to get some coffee. After appellant got to the bus station, he got into an argument with a man in the waiting room. Waco city police officers Jack Dove *93 and Jimmie Wilcox each received a report of a case of public intoxication at the bus station from the dispatcher and each proceeded in their police vehicles to the bus station. When the uniformed officers entered the station, the bus station agent pointed to the appellant, with whom both officers were acquainted. Appellant was standing in the station swaying, his hair and clothes were messed up, his eyes were bloodshot, and as he talked to the officers his speech was slurred and there was a very strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath. Both officers formed the opinion that the appellant was intoxicated. As he turned to walk away, the officers told the appellant he was under arrest for public intoxication and took him outside of the station. As they proceeded to a police vehicle, the appellant began to holler and curse and to scuffle with the officers. They got one handcuff on the appellant and had him near the police vehicle with his right hand, on the car when he just slid into the rear part 2 of the vehicle and went limp. The handcuff was removed and officer Wilcox proceeded to jail with the appellant followed by officer Dove. After arriving at the jail, the appellant was asked to get out of the police vehicle. He made no reply to repeated requests. The officers then reached in and grabbed appellant’s shoulders and pulled him to a standing position outside the car. As Dove then walked to the jail doors, the appellant hit Wilcox in the- eye with his fist, knocking his glasses off, shattering them. Wilcox was knocked backwards three or four feet. Dove ran back and grabbed appellant’s left arm and appellant began to struggle with him. At this point Wilcox struck appellant with his blackjack on the head. Appellant then “drop kicked” Dove in the area of the groin, causing great physical pain. In pain Dove tackled appellant and fell on him. Wilcox grabbed appellant’s feet and other officers soon came to assist in subduing the appellant. After appellant was taken to the booking desk, Dove began to dry heave and was taken to the hospital and given medication for his pain.

Dr. Robert F. Corwin testified he had examined Dove at the hospital and found he sustained a blunt injury in the area of the testicles of a rather severe nature, and that Dove was still his patient and being treated for the injury at the time of the testimony.

Appellant’s brother-in-law, sister and mother all testified they went looking for the appellant on the date in question, that they found him and took him to the bus station to get coffee. While there, he was arrested. All three related that in the scuffle outside the station the officers had maced the appellant and had refused the mother’s offer to take the appellant home and had refused the brother-in-law’s offer to give the appellant a cup of coffee after the appellant was in the police vehicle.

Appellant testified that on the date in question he had been drinking, had been picked up by his family and had gone to the bus station for coffee, that he remembered talking to officer Dove, who was in uniform, but did not remember much after that. He did not recall being maced at the bus station nor later kicking Dove. He stated that he was maced after being placed in a jail cell and that he was later taken to a hospital to have two or three stitches taken in his head.

In two grounds of error, appellant contends the court erred in failing to grant his motion for instructed verdict and that the evidence does not support the jury’s verdict because the evidence does not show that Dove was in the lawful discharge of his official duty as a peace officer when the alleged assault took place.

Appellant’s argument centers on his claim that the evidence does not show that all of the elements of the offense of public intoxication were demonstrated before appellant was arrested for that offense.

V.T.C.A., Penal Code, § 42.08, provides in part:

“(a) An individual commits an offense if he appears in a public place under the *94 influence of alcohol or any other substance, to the degree that he may endanger himself or another.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Appellant argues that while the evidence may show he was under the influence of alcohol it does not show he may have endangered himself or another and therefore the arrest for public intoxication was illegal. 3 The offense, of course, was aggravated assault upon a peace officer, not public intoxication, and the State was under no burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt all of the elements of public intoxication in the trial for a different offense. Peace officers may, without a warrant, arrest persons under circumstances which reasonably show that such persons have been guilty of some felony or breach of the peace, or threaten, or are about to commit some offense against the laws. See Article 14.03, V.A.C.C.P. See also Article 14.01, V.A.C. C.P. Under the evidence, the officers clearly had probable cause to arrest the appellant without a warrant. Even if it could be argued the arrest was illegal, V.T.C.A., Penal Code, § 9.31(b)(2) and (c), reads:

“(b) The use of force against another is not justified:
“(1) . . .
“(2) to resist arrest or search that the actor 4 knows is being made by a peace officer, or by a person acting in a peace officer’s presence and at his direction, even

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
594 S.W.2d 91, 1980 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/craig-v-state-texcrimapp-1980.