Garrison v. State

1935 OK CR 81, 47 P.2d 224, 57 Okla. Crim. 230, 1935 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 54
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 5, 1935
DocketNo. A-8831.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1935 OK CR 81 (Garrison 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
Garrison v. State, 1935 OK CR 81, 47 P.2d 224, 57 Okla. Crim. 230, 1935 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 54 (Okla. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

DOYLE, J.

Harold Garrison was convicted in tbe district court for Payne county of rape upon tbe person of Alma Haskins, a girl under tbe age of 16 years and not tbe wife of tbe defendant, and in accordance with tbe verdict of tbe jury be was sentenced to' serve a term of 2% years in tbe penitentiary. From tbe judgment be appeals.

Tbe charge is, and the evidence shows, that tbe offense was committed June 5, 1933; the prosecuting witness attained tbe age of 14 years May 13, 1933; she gave birth to a fully developed child on March 3,1934.

That some one bad sexual intercourse with tbe complaining witness is indisputable; that such intercourse occurred at a time when she Avas under tbe age of consent is *232 ■undisputed; whether it was committed on the occasion testified to by the prosecuting witness and was committed by the defendant is the only question of controversy.

Many errors are assigned, most of which relate to the rulings of the court upon the admission of evidence. The rulings of the trial court upon the admission of evidence were extremely fair to the defendant, and we find few assignments meriting consideration.

The refusal of the court to grant a continuance on the ground that the defendant’s counsel appointed by the court had been unable for want of time to prepare for the trial is assigned as error.

The case of Noel v. State, 17 Okla. Cr. 308, 188 P. 688, cited in support of the assignment, was a. capital case, and only two' days intervened between the defendant’s arraignment and his trial. The record here shows the defendant was arraigned ten days before the trial, at which time he was represented by counsel chosen by himself.

When an application for a continuance has been denied, this court will look to the entire record with a view of determining Avhether or not an abuse of discretion is shown.

In Hall v. State, 11 Okla. Cr. 57, 142 P. 1044, 1045, it is said:

“When an application for continuance has been overruled by a trial court, this court will look to the entire record with a view of determining whether or not an injustice has been done, and when it clearly appears from the testimony introduced at the trial, and especially the testimony of the accused himself, that he has no defense, and that the conviction was just and proper, a. judgment will not be reversed, in the absence of fundamental error.”

*233 On the record before us, no abuse of discretion appears.

Alma Haskins testified that she had lived nearly all her life in Stillwater; that with Jessie Lakey she went to the fair grounds; there met Harold Garrison and his brother, Dallas. Harold sent his brother home for cards to play strip poker; he returned with the cards and they all played strip poker; that she lost her hairpins, her belt, and footwear, then quit, and, going up on a little bridge near by, she saw officers coming, and went back where they were still playing to tell them; that Jessie was stripped and did not have on anything; that Jessie slipped on what she could, and they ran across a plowed field. It was then after 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Not long after the boys met them on the road and they went up by the fair grounds and again played strip poker; that she lost her clothes as far down as her underwear; that, when Jessie and Dallas left, she found her dress behind a bush where Dallas put it; that Harold then had intercourse with her. They then went back, and met Jessie and his brother near one of the barns and they went on home; that Harold Garrison is the father of her baby born March 3d.

As a part of her' cross-examination she testified that she had sexual intercourse about a year before; that she did not have any act of sexual intercourse in April and May of 1933; that she never had sexual intercourse with Bud Lakey at any time; that she did not complain until she was in the hospital because Harold Garrison had threatened her and she was afraid to ; that some time in July she was out with a party of six or seven boys and girls one night, and she had intercourse with one of the boys; that before noon that day, June 5, with Jessie she registered at the high school.

Valla Lee Cawley testified that she lived at the Rex *234 'Hotel and the defendant and his wife were living there; that in a conversation with Harold Garrison the day the baby was born she asked him if he was responsible for this or if he was at the place they had the strip poker game, and he said “yes he was present and he said she was menstruating that day.”

Dr. Paul Friedeman testified that he is a physician and surgeon; that on the 3d day of March he brought Alma Haskins to the hospital, and, with Dr. Whittenberg assisting, delivered her child; that it was a forceps delivery; that it was a nine months’ baby boy and weighed eight pounds.

Harold Garrison, as witness on his own behalf, testified : That with his brother he went to the Fair Grounds that day and these girls came along. The Lakey girl had a bathing suit. He asked them where they were going. They said, “Swimming down on Stillwater creek.” Some one suggested that they have a game of strip poker, and he sent his brother back to the house after a deck of cards. Then they went east of the Fair Grounds down by the creek and played strip poker. That, after playing a few minutes, Alma Haskins got up and started toward the Fair Grounds, the cops came along in a car and she came back. Then the girls went west across a cotton field. Then he came back and up the road, saw Alma talking across the fence to Orin Pringle, and he left Jessie and Alma talking to Pringle and with his brother went on to town. He denied any act of sexual intercourse.

On cross-examination he stated that “Jessie lost part of her clothes but did not pull them off.”

Jessie Lakey testified:

“We went down there to go swimming and met the *235 boys; then we went clown to the creek, were not there over 15 minutes. We came back to the cow barn and Alma was talking to some guy chopping cotton.” That she waited till she got through talking. “The boys were sitting down by the side of the barn and they said they were going home, and we all went home.” That Harold and Dallas lived next door to her but she did not have a date to meet them there that day. That she did not know what she did lose in the strip poker game except her shoes, and all Alma lost was her shoes. That she did not remember the time, but thought it was late in June. That about the 1st of May or last of April she went with Alma to a dance and the car broke down about four miles this side of Glenco. That there were seven or eight in the party, and the boys could not fix the car, and with Lenora Bales she went and hid. from the boys, and that Alma slept with the boys that night. That witness took her dress off during the game, but had on a bathing suit under it. That all Alma took off was her shoes and hat and maybe her stockings.

A part of her cross-examination is as follows:

“Q. Do you remember the day that Harold Garrison was arrested, I had you brought to my office and I asked you some questions? A. Yes, but I forgot what they was.

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Related

Hay v. State
1968 OK CR 209 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1968)
Stallings v. State
1959 OK CR 101 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1959)
Scott v. State
1955 OK CR 118 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1955)
Bohanon v. State
1955 OK CR 120 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1955)
Secondi v. State
1951 OK CR 131 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)
Weston v. State
1943 OK CR 69 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1943)
Phillips v. State
1941 OK CR 39 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1935 OK CR 81, 47 P.2d 224, 57 Okla. Crim. 230, 1935 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrison-v-state-oklacrimapp-1935.