Fortune v. State

1976 OK CR 99, 549 P.2d 380, 1976 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 447
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 21, 1976
DocketF-75-504
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1976 OK CR 99 (Fortune 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
Fortune v. State, 1976 OK CR 99, 549 P.2d 380, 1976 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 447 (Okla. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

BLISS, Judge:

Appellant, Wayne Eugene Fortune, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was conjointly charged with Tyrone Fails, subsequently tried and convicted in the District Court, Oklahoma County, Case No. CRF-74-3778, for the offense of Robbery in the First Degree, After Former Conviction of a Felony, in violation of 21 O.S.1971, § 791. His punishment was fixed at a term of seventy-five (75) years’ imprisonment. From this judgment and sentence, the defendant has perfected a timely appeal to this Court. /

The State’s first witness at trial was Wayne Smith who testified that on November 6, 1974, he was employed as a relief personnel at Little Jim’s Store located at 2901 North Walker, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, during the hours of 3:30 p. m. until midnight. At approximately 11:00 p. m. that evening, he was robbed by two males who entered the store while he was waiting on other customers at the checkout counter. After all the customers had departed the store, one of the males, with his hand under his shirt, approached him from the rear and he did not know whether or not the man was concealing a gun. He identified in court the defendant as being the man who had approached him that evening. He testified that the defendant told him to get the money out of the cash register, whereafter he told the defendant that the cash register was jammed and he could not open it. Pursuant to the defendant’s instructions, he picked up the cash register and dropped it and then bent down in an attempt to open it. At this point he felt something hit him in the back. He further testified that the defendant and the other male, a juvenile, fled with approximately $200.00 and a glass jewelry case containing blank pistols, rings, crosses and other trinkets. After the robbers had left he called the authorities and gave them a description of the two males. He stated that the robbers were in the store for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Carlve Riley Ervin testified that he presently resided at Boley, a State institution, as the result of his participation in a robbery with Wayne Eugene Fortune and Tyrone Fails on the 6th of November, 1974. He said that at approximately 11:00 p. m. that evening he was riding around with them in a white Ford Galaxie and upon passing Little Jim’s Store he was told to rob the store. He went in and bought some bubble gum. Shortly thereafter, defendant came in with his hand in his shirt and, pursuant to defendant’s order, the store employee dropped the cash register on the floor, whereafter he and defendant left with the money which had been contained therein. They also took a glass display case from the store which contained blank pistols. After leaving the store they drove to a railroad track. The car became stuck in a ditch so they exited the car and walked between some apartments where they dropped the glass case. While walking by the State Capitol they were arrested by the police. Thereafter, he was taken to the City Jail and later transferred to Berry *382 House and then Boley. He finally testified that he was 13 years of age.

On cross-examination he testified that he and the defendant and Fails had been drinking that evening. He also testified that at no time did he see the defendant kick the store clerk.

M. Fairchild testified that he was employed as a police officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department and was so employed on the 6th of November, 1974, on which day he went to work at approximately 11:30 p. m. Shortly after leaving the station that evening, he received a broadcast from the police radio dispatcher in reference to a robbery which had occurred at Little Jim’s Store located in the 2900 block on North Walker. The broadcast gave a description of two black male suspects. Thereafter at approximately 12:35 a. m. at 23rd Street and Lincoln Boulevard, he observed three individuals, two of whom fit the description of the robbery suspects. He asked them to come over to the car at which time he observed the juvenile to have what appeared to be a gun in his hand. Officer Fairchild then drew his service revolver and advised the juvenile to drop the weapon. The juvenile dropped the weapon, and told the officer that it was only a blank pistol. Officer Fairchild then searched the juvenile and the other suspect, later identified as Tyrone Fails, and found a blank gun, assorted costume jewelry and rolls of coins. A search of the third individual, the defendant, revealed, “a set of keys, two rings, four quarters, four dimes, five pennies and one nickel.” (Tr. 68)

William Greggory testified that he was employed by the Oklahoma City Police Department and was so employed on November 6, 1974. In the early morning hours of the 7th of November, 1974, he responded to a call to investigate some suspects in reference to a robbery. He testified that he assisted Officer Fairchild in the investigation and placed the juvenile suspect in his own patrol car. He later proceeded to a location where a white 1965 Ford was stuck in a ditch, adjacent to some railroad tracks. At this location Officer Greggory found $27.55 outside the car in some bushes.

Charles Wood testified that he was a police officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department and was so employed in the early morning hours of November 7, 1974, when upon receiving information concerning a robbery he proceeded to 36th and North Santa Fe Streets where he found a vehicle adjacent to the railroad tracks and which had three panes of glass in the back seat. An investigation of the area revealed articles of jewelry with price tags on them and a glass display case containing numerous rings, bracelets, necklaces, some blank pistol caps, cigarette lighters and a few pocket knives. The display case was located between two residential apartment buildings. The State then rested.

Tyrone Fails testified for the defense that on the 6th of November, 1974, he had loaned his car to Carlve Ervin, his cousin, at approximately 7:30 a. m. that morning. He stated that his cousin did not pick him up from work that afternoon and he then went to his mother’s house to await his arrival. He testified that he waited at his mother’s house until approximately 11:00 p. m. and then he, the defendant and defendant’s brother went to Ervin’s house to look for the car. After waiting there for approximately 15 minutes, Ervin and some other young people came running up to the house. He testified that Ervin subsequent? ly took him to the railroad tracks where he had left the car. He testified that at the railroad track he got the car stuck and at that time became aware of Ervin’s involvement in a crime. Thereafter, they began walking to defendant’s house so that they could telephoné for assistance in getting his car out of the ditch. While walking at 23rd Street and Lincoln Boulevard, they encountered police officers and were subsequently arrested.

Defendant’s first assignment of error asserts that the circumstances of the defendant’s pretrial identification were unneces *383 sarily suggestive and conducive to irreparable mistaken identification, thus denying the defendant due process of law as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The defendant essentially contends that the prosecution witness Wayne Smith identified the defendant at the preliminary hearing without having previously viewed any lineup or photographs for the purpose of identification.

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Related

State v. Reddick
635 A.2d 848 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 1993)
State v. Smith
512 A.2d 189 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1986)
Caffey v. State
661 P.2d 897 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1983)
Tubbs v. State
1981 OK CR 80 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1981)
State v. Shurtliff
609 P.2d 303 (Montana Supreme Court, 1980)
Cooper v. State
1979 OK CR 85 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1976 OK CR 99, 549 P.2d 380, 1976 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fortune-v-state-oklacrimapp-1976.