Dangerfield v. State

1976 OK CR 83, 548 P.2d 662
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 12, 1976
DocketNo. F-75-419
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1976 OK CR 83 (Dangerfield v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dangerfield v. State, 1976 OK CR 83, 548 P.2d 662 (Okla. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinions

OPINION

BLISS, Judge:

The appellants, Reginald Leon Green and Milton Clark Dangerfield, hereinafter referred to as defendants, were jointly charged, tried before a jury in a two-stage proceeding and convicted of the crime of Robbery with Firearms After Former Conviction of a Felony in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Case No. CRF-74 — 2891. The jury fixed punishment at 150 years for the defendant Green and 99 years for the defendant Dangerfield. From judgments and sentences in conformance with the verdicts, the defendants have perfected their timely appeal.

Briefly stated, the evidence adduced at trial is as follows: Jack W. Winter testified that on August 17, 1974, he was employed by Safeway at their 36th and Kelly store as a Stocker and worked at night with Mike Vanduker. Shortly before 5:30 A.M., he noticed a hole in the ceiling over the produce area. He also noticed a white Cadillac parked in front of the store with a man slumped over inside. About 7:30 he opened the front door for the produce manager, Bob Hallbaur, told him about the hole in the ceiling and the latter called the store manager. Winter then admitted the meat manager and meat wrapper through the front door. As he and Hallbaur went back to look at the hole a man, whom he identified in court as defendant Green climbed down through the hole, held a gun on them and ordered them to the front. Encountering the meat manager and meat wrapper, he also ordered them to the front and ordered the safe to be opened. Winters said no one present could open the safe and that the manager was on the way. Green again demanded that someone open the safe. The gun discharged striking Winter in the back of the head, stunning him, after which Green told Winter “he was sorry, he didn’t mean to”. Green then had all employees lie on the floor face down. Next Green had Winter unlock the front door and go back and lie down on the floor, and had Hallbaur wait by the front door to admit the manager. Another robber entered, then shortly the manager, George Taylor, arrived. As Taylor had some difficulty opening the safe, Green said he would count ten then start shooting. Taylor got the safe open. The other robber struck Aliene Cravens, the meat wrapper, in the head with a pistol as she was trying to tend Winter’s wound. After getting the money and taking Winter’s billfold which contained his driver’s license, the robbers left. Winter was taken to St. Anthony’s where brain surgery was performed. A few days later a detective showed Winter about six pictures from which he selected one as that of Green. Winter subsequently identified State’s Exhibit 3 as his driver’s license taken in the robbery.

Bob Hallbaur testified that he was the produce manager at the store and arrived there about 6:40 A.M. on August 17, being admitted by Jack Winter who called his attention to the hole in the rear ceiling. Hallbaur then went to call the manager. As he and Winter returned to look at the hole defendant Green came through it and held a .22 caliber blue steel revolver on them, ordering them to the front to open the safe. Winter said no one present could open the safe and as they were being marched to the front Green shot Winter in the back of the head. Green gathered the employees and had all five lie on the floor, threatening to kill them all if the safe was not opened. He then had Winter open the front door and defendant Dangerfield entered. The latter held a gun on Hallbaur and had him go to the front door. Shortly the manager came in and the defendants ordered him to open the safe. While Green and the manager were in the office, Hallbaur stood in front of the office for about two minutes before Dangerfield made him lie face down on the floor. Dangerfield then proceeded to rob each employee, [665]*665striking the meat wrapper with a pistol. The two robbers then left in the white Cadillac. Hallbaur was subsequently shown a group of eight or ten photographs by the police from which he selected one of the defendant Dangerfield. He identified State’s Exhibit 8, a .22 caliber pistol, as being similar to the pistol which Green used in the robbery.

Dr. Stanley Pelofsky then testified that he was a neurosurgeon and that on August 17, 1974, he operated on Jack Winter, removing a blood clot and metal fragments from the head at the site of a gunshot wound.

George Taylor testified that he was store manager and arrived about 7:00 A.M. on August 17, noticing a white Cadillac parked in front. As he entered, one of the robbers put a gun on him and ordered the safe opened. He opened it and then lay face down on the floor as he. was ordered. He identified Green as one of the robbers but could not identify Dangerfield. After the robbery the store was short $3,800.

Officer Michael Fairbanks of the Kansas City Police Department testified that he stopped a Cadillac on August 20, 1974, in Kansas City and talked to Green and Dangerfield. The vehicle had been reported stolen. The latter stated his name to be Jack Wayne Winter and produced an Oklahoma driver’s license, State’s Exhibit 3, reflecting same. Dangerfield gave the name M. C. Johnson. They were given the Miranda warning and Dangerfield consented to the search of their motel room for papers showing title to the vehicle. In the motel room the .22 caliber pistol, State’s Exhibit 8, was found along with a picture indicating that M. C. Johnson was in fact defendant Dangerfield.

Detective Donald Waymire of the Kansas City Police Department then testified that he asked Dangerfield about the Cadillac. Dangerfield, who claimed he was M. C. Johnson, said he had reported the car stolen in Oklahoma City, recovered it, and forgot to notify police. He consented to a room search when he couldn’t show documents of title. After the room search Dangerfield admitted that M. C. Johnson was not his true name. Green also admitted that Jack Winter was not his true name.

The testimony of Alton Keith Freeman, the meat manager, did not differ substantially from that of the other store employees. He could not identify Dangerfield as the second robber. He selected Green’s photograph from about half a dozen as being one of the robbers. The State then rested.

Defendant Green then testified in his own behalf that he left Oklahoma City on August 16, 1974, with Milton Dangerfield, who owned the Cadillac. They arrived in Kansas City early the morning of August 17, 1974. He acquired Winter’s driver’s license at a gambling house in Kansas City so he would have some identification to avoid Logan County, Oklahoma, criminal charges. He denied being in the Safeway store, denied robbing it and denied shooting Winter.

Dangerfield did not testify. Green's prior convictions were admitted and Dangerfield’s prior convictions were stipulated.

The defendants’ first assignment of error urges that the trial court committed reversible error when it denied defendant Green’s motion for mistrial after Officer Fairbanks, in response to a question by the prosecutor, volunteered the following comment, to-wit:

“Q All right, Did you have occasion to meet them at anytime?
A Yes, I did.
Q When was that, officer?
A August 20, 1974.
Q And where was that at ?
A At Linwood and Truce.
Q How did you meet them, please? I mean, what were they doing?
[666]*666A .We stopped the vehicle.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1976 OK CR 83, 548 P.2d 662, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dangerfield-v-state-oklacrimapp-1976.