Hitch v. State

284 N.E.2d 783, 259 Ind. 1, 1972 Ind. LEXIS 440
Indiana Supreme Court·Decided July 7, 1972·No. 1270S312·Published·Cited by 71 cases

Opinion

Prentice, J.

The defendant (appellant) was charged by affidavit in two counts of Robbery by Putting in Fear (1956 Repl. Burns Ind. Stat. Ann. § 10-4101, IC 1971, 35-13-4-6, Acts of 1941, ch. 148, § 6) and Robbery While Armed (1968 Supp. Burns Ind. Stat. Ann. § 10-4709, Acts of 1929, ch. 55, § 1 as amended by Acts of 1965, ch. 298, § 1). He was convicted of a lesser included offense of Theft From the Person under 1969 Supp. Burns Ind. Stat. Ann § 10-3030, IC 1971, 35-17-5-3, Acts of 1963 [Spec. Sess.] ch. 10, § 3) and he was fined $1,000.00 and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years. His motion to correct errors assigns four general errors pursued by this appeal: (1) Sufficiency of the charging affidavit to withstand his motion to quash, (2) sufficiency of the evidence to withstand his motion for a directed verdict at the conclusion of the State’s evidence, (3) the court’s refusal to give certain instructions hereinafter set forth, and (4) the verdict was a compromise, the offense of which he was convicted not being a lesser included offense of the one for which he was charged.

*4 (1) The charging affidavit, in pertinent parts, was as follows:

“COUNT I
“That on or about the 19th day of March, 1969, at and in the County of St. Joseph, State of Indiana, at 111 West Ewing Street, South Bend, County and State aforesaid, one JAMES C. HITCH did then and there unlawfully, feloniously and forcibly and by violence and putting one Roger Finley in fear, rob, take and steal from the person of said Roger Finley, Five Hundred and Two Dollars ($502.00) in good and lawful currency of the United States of America, then and there belonging to the Ewing Cafe, 111 West Ewing Street, South Bend, County and State aforesaid, contrary to the form of Statute in such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana.
“COUNT II
“That on or about the 19th day of March, 1969, at and in the County of St. Joseph, State of Indiana, at 111 West Ewing Street, South Bend, County and State aforesaid, one JAMES C. HITCH, being then and there over the age of sixteen (16) years, to-wit: twenty six (26) years of age, did then and there unlawfully, feloniously and forcibly while armed with a certain gun, to-wit: a 380 cal. Colt automatic gun, Serial No. 74264, rob, take and steal and carry away the personal goods and chattels of the Ewing Cafe, 111 West Ewing Street, South Bend, County and State aforesaid, to-wit: Five Hundred and Two Dollars ($502.00), in lawful and current money of the United States of America, contrary to the form of Statute in such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana.”

The motion to quash and supporting memorandum, in pertinent parts, was as follows:

“MOTION TO QUASH
“Comes now the defendant in the above entitled cause of action and respectfully requests the court to quash Counts I and II of the affidavit hereinbefore filed for the following reason, to-wit:
*5 “-1-
The affidavit does not state facts sufficient to constitute a public offense.
“-2-
The affidavit does not state the offense charged with sufficient certainty.
WHEREFORE, defendant respectfully prays that both Counts I and II of the affidavit be quashed.
/s/ Patrick Brennan Patrick Brennan Attorney for Defendant
“MEMORANDUM
No cause of action is shown in either Count I or Count II of the affidavit.”

The rule in effect at the time of the filing of the motion to quash was Rule 1-3B, adopted June 28, 1960, effective September 1, 1960, which is the same as the current Criminal Rule 3 (A) and is as follows:

“Rule 1-3B. Memorandum to be Filed with Motion to Quash. In all cases where a motion is made to quash an indictment or affidavit, a memorandum shall be filed therewith stating specifically wherein such indictment or affidavit does not state the offense with sufficient certainty (fourth) or wherein the facts stated in the indictment or affidavit do not constitute a public offense (second) ; or if the motion is based upon the ground (first or third) that the grand jury which found the indictment had no legal authority to inquire into the offense charged, or that the indictment or or affidavit contained any matter which, if true, would constitute a legal justification of the offense charged, or other legal bar to the prosecution, such matter and such lack of authority shall be specifically set forth in the memorandum.
The party so filing such motion shall be deemed to have waived his right thereafter to question the indictment or affidavit on any ground not so specified in the memorandum.”

*6 *5 The purpose of the memorandum rule is to enlighten the Court. A memorandum which, as here, merely repeats the *6 conclusions of the motion does not fulfill such purpose and therefore does not meet the requirements of the rule. It is unrealistic to think that counsel may, by a mere suggestion of error, thrust upon the court the burden of independently exhausting the possibilities that he may correct. Reasons and authorities are the lawyers’ work product and become the tools of the court, without which it cannot function. There was no error in the overruling of the motion to quash.

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Hitch v. State, 284 N.E.2d 783, 259 Ind. 1, 1972 Ind. LEXIS 440 (Ind. 1972).

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