Herrin v. State

449 P.2d 674, 1969 Alas. LEXIS 168
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 20, 1969
Docket941
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 449 P.2d 674 (Herrin v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Herrin v. State, 449 P.2d 674, 1969 Alas. LEXIS 168 (Ala. 1969).

Opinion

*675 OPINION

RABINOWITZ, Justice.

Appellant appeals from his convictions of the crimes of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery. 1 We affirm the judgment and commitment which was entered by the superior court.

In his first specification of error, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in not granting his motions for judgment of acquittal.

It is well established that:

When presented with a specification of error of this nature, this court will consider ‘only those facts in the record most favorable to the state and such reasonable inferences as the jury may have drawn from them * * *.’ The record is reviewed in this light in order to ascertain whether ‘fair minded men in the exercise of reasonable judgment could have differed on the question of whether [appellant’s intent to steal] had been established beyond a reasonable doubt.’ 2

The prosecution’s evidence, when tested against these criteria, was sufficient to establish appellant’s guilt of each offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Review of the pertinent portions of the record concerning the assault and battery which was allegedly committed upon Craig L. Resser shows the following:

On February 28, 1967, between 10 p. m. and 10:30 p. m., Craig Resser, a city of Fairbanks policeman while on motor patrol, was dispatched to meet a Mrs. Mabel Woods at 2d and Lacey Streets in Fairbanks. As a result of conversing with Mrs. Woods, the officer and Mrs. Woods entered an establishment called Ruth’s Cafe where Mrs. Wood was then employed. From the record it is apparent that there had been a dispute between Mrs. Woods and appellant, who at the time was also an employee of Ruth’s Cafe, as to who was to lock up the restaurant for the evening. In an effort to settle the dispute Officer Resser suggested telephoning the owner. Upon talking to the owner, it was ascertained that Mrs. Woods was authorized to close the premises. Prior to and during this first telephone call, appellant “was very loud, and [made] many vulgar statements at both [Officer Resser] and Mrs. Woods.” At one point when the officer was conversing with the owner over the telephone, appellant yanked the telephone out of the officer’s hands and proceeded to tear the telephone from its wall connection. 3

Within minutes another telephone rang in the back of the establishment. Both Officer Resser and appellant again spoke with the owner of the restaurant. According to the officer’s uncontradicted testimony, the following events then occurred:

After he had put the phone down, he told me to get out of the establishment and he grabbed me by the lapel of my jacket and pushed me back.
*676 * * * * * ⅜
* * * shoved me back.
******
* * * he started to shake me and then he threw me back. 4

Officer Resser testified that at this point in time he became concerned about Mrs. Woods and he told her to go out to his patrol car. Officer Resser followed Mrs. Woods out and then radioed for assistance. Sergeant Virgil McConnell arrived within approximately two and one-half minutes of Officer Resser’s call.

Concerning the assault with a dangerous weapon charge, the record reveals that when Sergeant McConnell entered Ruth’s Cafe he observed appellant had two butcher knives in his hands. 5 Sergeant McConnell then requested appellant to put down the knives. After Sergeant McConnell had come within approximately six feet of appellant, the latter “made a thrust with the butcher knife he was holding in his right hand.” Sergeant McConnell then informed appellant he was under arrest for assault with a dangerous weapon. Officer McConnell then drew his revolver. This act was followed by a relatively prolonged confrontation between the two armed protagonists. According to Officer McConnell, appellant, from time to time

would make other thrusts * * * while I was standing much closer to him than I had been the first time. At one time he placed a knife against my jacket, the knife which he was holding in his right hand. This * * * knife was not thrust, he simply held the knife out. The point * * * was touching about my midsection slightly to the right of center, at that time. The point of it was resting against my jacket, but nothing further than that. 6

Several times throughout the duration •of "this'-confrontation appellant screamed, “You’re going to have to kill me, I’m not going to jail.” 7

On the basis of this evidence we hold the prosecution produced sufficient evidence of appellant’s guilt as to both charges, and that the trial court ruled correctly in denying appellant’s motions for judgment of acquittal. Our recent opinion in Thompson v. State 8 is dispositive of appellant’s arguments concerning the intent necessary to establish the crime of an assault with a dangerous weapon. In the Thompson case, we said:

Appellant contends that a specific intent to inflict injury on the particular victim is required before the jury would be warranted in returning a verdict of guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon. Appellant points out that the Alaska statute is silent with respect to the requirement ’ of intent and that therefore the common law requirement of an intention to do harm prevails. 9
*677 We do not agree. In Burke v. United States 10 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, relying upon the Oregon case of State v. Godfrey 11 and an earlier 9th Circuit case which construed Alaska law, 12 said:
‘We interpret these words of God-frey to mean that a general intent to do a harm is required and is necessarily included within the definition of the term “assault,” but not, a. specific..intent to do any particular kind or degree of injury to the victim. (Emphasis supplied by 9th CCA) ’
We adopt the above interpretation of AS 11.15.220 and hold that no error was committed.

Under the Thompson criterion, we hold the jury could have reasonably found that appellant possessed the requisite intent for conviction of the assault with a dangerous weapon charge. 13

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
449 P.2d 674, 1969 Alas. LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/herrin-v-state-alaska-1969.