Finley v. State

1947 OK CR 67, 181 P.2d 849, 84 Okla. Crim. 309, 1947 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 229
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 11, 1947
DocketNo. A-10619.
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 1947 OK CR 67 (Finley 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
Finley v. State, 1947 OK CR 67, 181 P.2d 849, 84 Okla. Crim. 309, 1947 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 229 (Okla. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

BRETT, J.

The defendant, George Finley, a constable in Oklahoma county, was charged, tried, convicted of the crime of bribery, and his punishment assessed at one year in the county jail and a fine of |500. The jail sentence was suspended.

There are numerous assignments of error, which we will consider under the various propositions set forth in the defendant’s brief.

In his first proposition, George Finley complains that the preliminary information was not sworn to by W. N. Mounger, assistant county attorney, the complaining witness. This objection was first raised in the district *313 court, after the information had been filed. In this connection, the law is well settled by many decisions of this court, as well as the general rule, that an unverified complaint is good for all purposes, except as the basis for the issue of a warrant of arrest. If, however, a warrant of arrest is issued on an unverified complaint, the law is likewise settled that, the objection must be raised at the earliest opportunity by a motion to quash before arraignment and plea. When the defendant has been apprehended, on an unverified complaint, and arraigned and submits to the jurisdiction of the magistrate, and has a preliminary trial on said complaint without ever challenging the sufficiency of the complaint for lack of verification, that defect is waived. State v. Jackson, 57 Okla. Cr. 277, 48 P. 2d 861; Steiner v. State, 33 Okla. Cr. 298, 243 P. 1002; Conti v. State, 45 Okla. Cr. 105, 282 P. 182. If the defendant had filed his motion to quash the warrant of arrest, prior to his arraignment and plea of not guilty, his plea would have been well taken and should have been sustained. Conti v. State, supra. But, not having done so, he waived the objection and cannot now be heard to complain of his arrest on the unverified complaint. This objection is therefore without merit.

The defendant’s next contention, under his first proposition, is that the court erred in not sustaining his demurrer to the information. This contention is founded on the proposition that the information charges extortion and not bribery. For a consideration of this contention, the charging part of the information reads as follows, to wit:

“That is to say, the said defendant, George Finley, being then and there Constable of Bural District No. 2, Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma, appointed, qualified and acting as such, and said defendant, Finley being then and there charged by law to perform the duties of his *314 office with fidelity, and not to knowingly receive, directly or indirectly, any money or other valuable thing for the performance or non-performance of any act or duty pertaining to his office, did then and there corruptly receive and accept, for the use and benefit of himself, a certain sum of money, to wit: Forty and 00/100 Dollars ($40.00), good and lawful money of the United States of America, and one pint of Green Label, tax paid, James Stewart brand, straight bourbon whisky, as a gift and gratuity in consideration of the non-performance of the official services of said defendant in his capacity as said Constable, and said money so accepted as aforesaid was accepted by said defendant in consideration of the promise by said defendant of the nonperformance of the official duty of said defendant, in the manner and form as follows, to wit:
“That is to say, the said defendant aforesaid did, while acting as an officer as aforesaid, communicate with one Ruth Fugatt, who was, for some days prior to the date aforesaid, engaged in the business of dispensing spiritous liquors, contrary to the penal code of the State of Oklahoma; that said defendant did, some days prior to the date aforesaid, and at the time of said communication, know that said Ruth Fugatt was engaged in the business aforesaid, being commonly referred to as 'bootlegging’; that said communication and conversation with said Ruth Fugatt occurred some two or three days prior to the date above mentioned, and said defendant stated to said Ruth Fugatt, who was known to be a 'bootlegger’ to said defendant, in substance, that he would perform his duty under the law, insofar as her business was concerned, by securing search warrants and raiding her, unless she agreed to pay him the sum of Ten and 00/100 Dollars ($10.00) and one pint of whisky per week, in advance, and, in this connection, said defendant demanded the sum of Forty and 00/100 Dollars ($40.00), in advance together with the one pint of whisky.
“That, after said conversation between the defendant and said Ruth Fugatt, the defendant delivered an ultimatum to said Ruth Fugatt aforesaid, which, in effect *315 and substance, provided that unless sbe agreed to pay bim the money and whisky demanded by him, he would commence performing his duty as a law enforcement officer and constable on Saturday, January 22nd, 1944; that he would give said Ruth Fugatt until that time to decide whether or not she would comply with his ultimatum.
“That, on the 22nd day of January, 1944, as aforesaid, said Ruth Fugatt did comply with said defendant’s ultimatum, by delivering to him Forty and 00/100 ($40.00) Dollars, good and lawful money of the United States of Amercia, in the following denominations: two (2) ten dollar bills, numbered J 26077735 A and J 20327817 A; three (3) five dollar bills, numbered F 93896608 A, L 25858372 A, and K 14043475 A; and five (5) one dollar bills, numbered Z 49390616 B, I 65205358 C, E 33599869 C, G 64598223 C, and I 08908773 B; that said money was delivered by the said Ruth Fugatt to the said defendant pursuant to the demand and ultimatum of the defendant, as aforesaid, near the Elmwood Dance Hall, on South Shields Boulevard, in Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma.
“That, thereafter, the said Ruth Fugatt informed other law enforcement officers of Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma, of the said defendant’s demand and her compliance therewith; whereupon, said defendant was taken into custody by the Sheriff’s Office of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, at which time said defendant had on his person the aforementioned money, less one (1) one dollar bill, and the pint of whisky, which had been delivered by the said Ruth Fugatt to said defendant.
“Your informant further states that said defendant, on the evening of the 22nd of January, 1944, after 8:00 P.M., at which time the ‘pay-off’ aforesaid was made, noticed law enforcement officers of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, in the Elmwood Dance Hall, and called said Ruth Fugatt, to warn her that the said officers were át the dance hall and cautioned her to ‘lay low’ in compliance with his previous agreement not to enforce the law against *316 the said Ruth Fugatt and to afford her protection against the law enforcement agencies of this County and State.
“And, the said defendant, George Finley, then and there being Constable of Rural District No.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1947 OK CR 67, 181 P.2d 849, 84 Okla. Crim. 309, 1947 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/finley-v-state-oklacrimapp-1947.