Ex parte Karnes

121 N.E.2d 156, 67 Ohio Law. Abs. 449, 1953 Ohio App. LEXIS 801
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 9, 1953
DocketNo. 324
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 121 N.E.2d 156 (Ex parte Karnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex parte Karnes, 121 N.E.2d 156, 67 Ohio Law. Abs. 449, 1953 Ohio App. LEXIS 801 (Ohio Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

OPINION

By CONN, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the court of common pleas denying the petition of relator and refusing to discharge the petitioner, in a habeas corpus proceeding begun in that court. The appeal is here on questions of law.

The record discloses that on March 25, 1950, Betty Sisco, now Betty Karnes, the petitioner, was committed to the Girls’ Industrial School at Delaware, Ohio, as a delinquent child, by John H. Pfeiffer, Judge of the juvenile court of Williams County.

June 11, 1952, petitioner was released on parole from the school and placed in the custody of her parents, residing in Bryan, Ohio, where she continued to reside until her marriage December 6, 1952, to Robert D. Karnes. At the time of the marriage petitioner was 16 years of age. Following her marriage, petitioner and her husband lived in Defiance, Ohio, for a period of seven or eight months, part of which time in the home of her husband’s parents. Thereafter, her husband not being able to provide a home for petitioner and upon his request, she returned to the home of her parents in Bryan, Ohio. The evidence tends to show that petitioner was willing to return to her husband whenever he could provide a home for her. There is no evidence that petitioner had abandoned her husband.

Petitioner obtained regular employment in Bryan and lived with her parents continuously to the time of these proceedings, and also promptly advised the Juvenile Field Counsellor for the School that she had returned to Bryan.

The petitioner was visited by the Juvenile Field Counsellor [451]*451regularly each month during her parole, including the period following her marriage. During this time, no specific charges had ever been made against petitioner that she had violated her parole and no complaint made by reason of her marriage or because she went to Defiance with her husband to live.

Sometime after she had returned to Bryan and shortly before her arrest, petitioner’s husband informed her he had a home for her in Defiance, which she promptly investigated. Upon investigation, petitioner found that the place selected by her husband was in a dilapidated condition and unfit for human habitation and she so informed her husband. Thereupon petitioner’s husband told her that if she did not return to him he would send her back to school.

Notwithstanding the, situation thus presented, the field counsellor thereupon informed petitioner that she should return to her husband, which she was willing to do upon condition he provide a home and make provision for her support. In the meantime, petitioner continued to live with her parents and supported herself.

Thereafter, on or about July 30, 1953, the juvenile judge of Williams County, upon request of the Juvenile Field Counsellor, issued a warrant for the arrest of petitioner. Promptly following her arrest by the sheriff of Williams County, a writ of habeas corpus was obtained and petitioner was released on bond. Upon hearing on August 5, 1953, petitioner was discharged on the ground that there was not authority for issuing the warrant for her arrest.

Promptly thereafter and on the same day, a second warrant was issued by the juvenile judge upon request of the field counsellor, directed to the sheriff, and petitioner was again arrested. A second writ of habeas corpus was obtained and the petitioner was again released on bond, to appear August 13, 1953, at 9:30 a. m.

While the second habeas corpus proceeding was pending and petitioner had given an appearance bond, the Superintendent of the Girls’ Industrial School, on August 10, 1953, issued an order, directed to the Chief of Police of Bryan, for the arrest of petitioner. The petitioner was arrested on or about August 12, 1953, and placed in the Williams County jail. A third petition for a writ of habeas corpus was immediately filed, being the petition in the instant case, returnable August 13, 1953, and again the petitioner was released on bond.

Upon the hearing, August 13, 1953, the court found petitioner was legally detained and ordered her remanded to the custody of the Sheriff and Chief of Police, the respondents. [452]*452The application of petitioner to fix supersedeas bond was denied. The judgment of the court was immediately journalized.

' The trial judge stated in open court that he did not want petitioner kept in jail and further stated that the sheriff could relieve himself of the custody of petitioner by delivering her to the Superintendent of the School. However, this order, stated orally and not journalized, was without validity or legal effect.

From the finding and judgment of the common pleas court that petitioner had been legally detained, an appeal was taken to this court. Upon application, an order was entered herein staying execution upon giving bond in the sum of $200.00, conditioned as provided in §12223-14 GC (§2505.14 R. C.).

No formal assignments of error were filed herein but in oral argument and brief petitioner contended, among other things, that the judgment of the trial court was contrary to law and not supported by any evidence.

■ We first take up the claim of petitioner that the judgment of the trial court is contrary to law. Our consideration of this claim leads us to the conclusion that it is well founded.

Sec. 12183 GC (§2725.23 R. C.) provides that “a person who is set at large upon a writ shall not be again imprisoned for the same offense * * The exceptions in the statute have no application in the instant case.

The arrest of petitioner was made by the Chief of Police of the City of Bryan at the place of her employment, on August 12, 1953, by virtue of an order issued by the Superintendent of the School under date of August 10, 1953. When the order was issued and the arrest made, petitioner had previously been “set at large upon a writ” in an earlier habeas corpus proceeding “for the same offense,” and at the time of the second arrest was under an appearance bond, returnable August 13, 1953, at 9:30 o’clock a. m. as above stated. The basis for the warrant in each case was the same, that is: a breach of the conditions of the parole. This section was construed and applied in Copelan, Chief of Police v. McHenry, 42 Oh Ap 200. It is clear that the arrest and detention in the instant case contravened the statute and for this reason is contrary to law.

Sec. 1639-22 GC (§2151.34 R. C.) Juvenile Court Code, in mandatory terms provides that “no child under eighteen years of age shall be placed in any prison, jail or lock-up * *

The arrest of petitioner was made by the Chief of Police of the City of Bryan, one of the respondents herein, upon am order issued by the Superintendent of the School to arrest petitioner and notify the Superintendent when she has been [453]*453placed in detention. This order was issued under date of August 10, 1953, and the arrest of the petitioner followed two days later. Thereupon petitioner was taken to the county jail, where she was incarcerated for a period of time and until released in the habeas corpus proceedings. The county jail of Williams County is a prison within the meaning and inhibition of the statute, and petitioner’s detention therein was unlawful.

We are of the opinion that the arrest and detention of petitioner, as disclosed on the record before us, was unlawful and that she should have been discharged.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
121 N.E.2d 156, 67 Ohio Law. Abs. 449, 1953 Ohio App. LEXIS 801, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-karnes-ohioctapp-1953.