Handley v. State

1939 OK CR 154, 96 P.2d 546, 68 Okla. Crim. 183, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 21
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 29, 1939
DocketNo. A-9508.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1939 OK CR 154 (Handley 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
Handley v. State, 1939 OK CR 154, 96 P.2d 546, 68 Okla. Crim. 183, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 21 (Okla. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

Frank Handley was by information charged jointly with Charles Handley in the district court of Canadian county with the crime of maintaining a public nuisance, having been heretofore convicted for one or more violations of the prohibition law and served a sentence; was tried separately, convicted, and sentenced by the court to serve a term of three years in the state *184 penitentiary, and pay a fine of $1,000. From the judgment and sentence, the defendant Frank Handley appeals.

When the case was called for trial and the appearances noted, the defendant Frank Handley, by his attorneys, advised the court that he had filed a motion to suppress the evidence heretofore filed in this case, and desired to present the same to- the court. The court examined the motion; without taking any testimony, so1 far as this record shows, overruled the same, and exceptions were saved. The case then proceeded to trial.

W. N. Fariss, called on behalf of the state, testified in substance as follows:

“My name is W. N. Fariss. I live at 1115 West Wade, El Reno, Oklahoma. I am acquainted with the defendant Frank Handley. He lives on lots 1 to 8 inclusive, block 5 of Riley’s addition to- the city of El Reno-. His residence and location is approximately four blocks east of the Rock Island tracks on-Foreman street. It is on Foreman street and two blocks north on Donald street in the City of El Reno, Oklahoma. I have been out to the defendant’s place within the last twelve months prior to the 12th day of August, 1937. I have been to his residence on several occasions. By the State: Q. What was the purpose? By Mr. Harrod: We object to the purpose of his going out there as being incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial. By the Court: Overruled. By Mr. Harrod: Exception. A. For the purpose of searching the premises for liquor. Q. Did you find any liquor on these premises, Mr. Fariss? By Mr. Harrod: Now, we object to it unless the time is fixed. By Mr. Roberson: Q. Well, within the last twelve months, or one year, since the 12th day of October, 1936?”

This was objected to by the defendant’s attorney unless he fixed the date within a month or so.

“By the Court: Overruled. By Mr. Harrod: Exception. A. Well, the first time has been farther back than 12 months. It must have been at least two years ago. *185 The last time I was out there was August 12, 1937. Q. All right, what if anything did you find there at that time?”

Defendant objected on the ground that the officers were not armed with a valid search warrant to search the home or residence of this defendant on the 12th day of August, 1937.

“By the Court: Where is the search warrant? By Mr. Harrod: I don’t know; I haven’t seen it. By the Court: Overruled. A. We found four bottles of gin.”

The Avitness continued:

“Boy Pool and Dan Hahn were with me, two jailors. That gin was placed in the record room at the county jail. It was Avrapped in brown paper with a string tied around it four times, laying on the washing machine in the bathroom. That four bottles of gin was all that we found at the defendant’s residence on the 12th day of August, 1937. I found a board of some character with the list of names of various kinds of whisky.”

This was objected to; objection overruled; and exception saved.

“The board was hanging on the Avail. I had been to the defendant’s home about 30 days prior to the time, but I didn’t find any liquor. I also went out there some time in the latter part of the Avinter.”

This was objected to on the ground that it did not fix the time.

“By the Court: State the time as near as you can, Mr. Fariss. A. Well, it seems to me that it was in January, or I believe that I am wrong about that; I think that Avas in 1936 — and in the early Avinter along about December, that Ave found about one hundred and fifty-six or sixty pints of liquor under the floor; I don’t recall the exact quantity. Q. In other words, you found that, if I understand you correctly, as being just before last Christmas? A. That’s right.”

*186 The witness stated: “I am not sure just what date.”

A motion was made to strike the testimony as being too remote and was overruled and exception saved.

“The whisky was found underneath the floor of the dining room.”

This was objected to by Mr. Harrod on the grounds that the defendant has already been tried and convicted, and alleges and pleads his conviction in its entirety.

The objection was overruled.

The witness continued:

“This liquor was found underneath the floor of the dining room, pretty well towards the center of the building itself, Avhich was found by raising about four or five boards to locate it, so that a man could crawl down under the building; and the liquor was in bundles, and was brought from under the floor in bundles. Q. Do you recall if there was one kind of liquor, or liquor of different kinds?”

An objection Avas interposed, overruled, and exceptions.

“A. No, there were various brands of whisky found. That was in the room about the last of December, 1936. Q. Now, did you ever search the place and find liquor there any other time, or see liquor there? A. Approximately two months before when the large amount was found, I had occasion to search the place twice in one day — .”

Mr. Harrod objected to that as being incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial, and as being too remote, and not tending to prove or disprove any fact in this case. It was overruled, and exception taken.

“The liquor Avas thrown in the toilet stool and broken both times in one day. It was Avarm weather when I saw the whisky that had been broken in the toilet. Q. I will *187 ask you to examine State’s Exhibit ‘1’. What is that Mr. Fariss, if you know? A. That is the wholesale price list of liquor. I found it hanging on the wall in Mr. Handley’s home on the 12th day of August, 1937.”

This board was introduced in evidence over the objections of defendant. The objection was overruled; and the defendant excepted.

“The defendant lived in Canadian county at the time this search was made.”

On cross-examination witness Fariss stated that Mr. Handley had lived at the place the witness had described about two years. “I was deputy sheriff all this time. I found whisky there one time under the floor about a year ago.”

The witness did not give the exact date.

“On August 12, 1937, I found four pints of gin in the washing machine in the bathroom. It was on top of the washing machine. There was nothing laying over the four pints. It was wrapped in a brown paper. I don’t recall seeing a bathtub; I don’t think there is one in.the room. There is a toilet stool. It is a little room off of the kitchen. Mr. Handley was not there when I got there. He came later.

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Related

Peters v. State
1943 OK CR 37 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1943)
Handley v. State
1940 OK CR 67 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1939 OK CR 154, 96 P.2d 546, 68 Okla. Crim. 183, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/handley-v-state-oklacrimapp-1939.