Harold L. Peek, Jr., and Susanna E. Peek v. United States

321 F.2d 934
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 26, 1963
Docket17973
StatusPublished
Cited by124 cases

This text of 321 F.2d 934 (Harold L. Peek, Jr., and Susanna E. Peek v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harold L. Peek, Jr., and Susanna E. Peek v. United States, 321 F.2d 934 (9th Cir. 1963).

Opinions

BARNES, Circuit Judge.

Appellant Harold L. Peek, Jr. (hereinafter referred to as Peek) was tried and convicted by a jury in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington under Counts I, II and III of a five count indictment1 charging in part: In Count I, robbery of United States funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2112; and, in Counts II and III, assault with a dangerous weapon, and wounding in the commission of a robbery of money [936]*936of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2114.2

Appellant Susanna E. Peek (wife of Peek and hereinafter referred to as Susanna Peek) was tried and convicted in Count V of the same indictment charging her with receiving, concealing and converting stolen money of the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641.3

This court has jurisdiction on appeal under the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

I — JURISDICTION

Peek argues4 that the district court was without jurisdiction to try him upon the charges made against him, which we must first consider. Peek contends that Congress vested primary or “preferential” jurisdiction of the offenses charged in military tribunals, and that, unless it is made to appear on the record that the military authorities have waived jurisdiction, the civil court has no power to hear the case.

Since the offenses alleged in Counts I through IV of the indictment against Peek were committed on a military reservation, involved only military personnel, and were violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,5 a military tribunal would have jurisdiction. However, United States money was involved, and as indicated in Title 18 of the United States Code, these crimes were also offenses against the United States.6 The district courts have “original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.” 18 U.S.C. § 3231,

To resolve the question of jurisdiction in the instant case, this court need not determine whether a military tribunal has either exclusive, primary or “preferential” or concurrent jurisdiction.

Article 14(a) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (10 U.S.C. § 814) states:

“(a) Under such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, a member of the armed forces accused of an offense against civil authority may be delivered, upon request, to the civil authority for trial.”

Basically, Peek contends that a requisite of the “delivery” mentioned in § 814 (a) is that the record shows that the military authorities have waived jurisdiction. Reference is made to Ex Parte King, E.D.Ky.1917, 246 F. 868, in which the court was called upon to interpret certain articles of war. King, a private, was indicted for killing a civil policeman; at the time of the killing, the United States was at war with Germany. The court concluded that Article of War 92 (which provided that any person subject to military law who committed murder or rape would suffer death or life imprisonment as a court-martial should direct) would not apply to murder committed in the United States in time of peace, conferred prior, if not exclusive jurisdiction on military authorities. And, the court held that King should be delivered from civil custody back to the military authorities because there was no showing that the military personnel ^ho delivered King to civil custody had authority to waive the prior jurisdiction of the military authorities; and, in the absence of this, the prior jurisdiction had to be recognized. The statute in Ex Parte [937]*937King expressly conferred primary jurisdiction in the military in time of war but only as to certain named offenses. It is not analogous to Article 14(a).

Article 14(a) does not establish, or even indicate, a hierarchy of jurisdiction as between civil and military authorities. It merely provides, that, upon request, a member of the armed forces who is accused of an offense against civil authority may be delivered to the civil authority for trial. If the civil authority had jurisdiction and the member of the armed forces was delivered to that authority, jurisdiction in the civil authority is established.

In the instant case, both of these requisites have been met.

II — THE PRODUCTS OF AN ALLEGED ILLEGAL SEARCH AND SEIZURE

Peek and his wife next urge that the district court was in error in allowing F.B.I. Agent Elgin Olrogg to testify as to conversations had with Susanna Peek during an illegal search and seizure on January 14, 1961, and as to conversation subsequently had with her concerning information that was obtained as a result of an illegal search and seizure as to Susanna Peek (Valid as to Peek) made on January 14, 1961.

Appellants refer to the following portions of the record:

Olrogg testified that prior to January 14, 1961, Peek had executed a written consent to search his residence; and, that while he was in the Peek home on January 14, 1961, Susanna Peek said that in November and December of 1960 her husband brought home approximately $110 each month which he said he won gambling at Fort Lewis, the military reservation on which the robbery took place. At this point, appellants’ counsel objected, moved to strike all of Olrogg’s testimony, and asked to be heard; the court then excused the jury. (R. 625-30.) The court, in the absence of the jury, asked counsel to research the question of whether or not the consent of the husband to the search of the domicile of a married couple is sufficient to constitute consent by the wife, where the wife is codefendant and is charged with offenses connected with material discovered in the premises. (R. 635.) And, when the jury returned, the court advised them to disregard the testimony of Olrogg, and ordered it stricken. (R. 640.)

Later in the trial, before Olrogg was to testify again, and while the jury was absent, government counsel indicated that he proposed to question Olrogg about a second consent to search executed by Peek, and a search thereunder on January 17,1961. Counsel for appellants indicated that he would again raise the objection that was made as to the testimony relating to the January 14, 1961, search. To counsel for appellants, the court said:

“My feeling about it at the present time is this, that inasmuch as there is no specific and direct evidence of consent by Mrs. Peek to the entry of the home, although there is strong inference of consent and approval, still there is no direct expression of it, and also there might possibly be some question about it due to the principles applicable to a woman acting as result of actions or instructions, or the like, from her husband.

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Bluebook (online)
321 F.2d 934, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harold-l-peek-jr-and-susanna-e-peek-v-united-states-ca9-1963.