Howard Dean Hansen, A/K/A Dean Hansen v. United States

393 F.2d 763, 1968 U.S. App. LEXIS 7202
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedApril 25, 1968
Docket18922_1
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 393 F.2d 763 (Howard Dean Hansen, A/K/A Dean Hansen v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Howard Dean Hansen, A/K/A Dean Hansen v. United States, 393 F.2d 763, 1968 U.S. App. LEXIS 7202 (8th Cir. 1968).

Opinion

GIBSON, Circuit Judge.

Appellant Howard Dean Hansen was convicted of grand theft of 3 head of cattle from an Indian on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation in South Dakota in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1152 and 661; and was sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined $1,000.

On appeal Hansen claims error, (1) in the denial of Hansen’s motion to challenge the jury array, (2) in not sustaining Hansen’s objection to the introduction of exhibits that were not furnished to Hansen (in accordance with a pretrial order on discovery), and (3) on the basis of the accumulated effect of the Court’s ruling on the first two alleged errors, in the denial and receipt of evidence, and various miscellaneous complaints.

Hansen, a young man of 23, operated his mother’s ranch which was located in close proximity to the ranch of an Indian, Jerome Irving. Irving missed some of his cattle in October 1965, and in the spring of 1966 the Production Credit Corporation, which had a mortgage on Irving’s cattle, determined that 33 head were missing.

On October 5, 1965 Hansen sold 14 head of cattle at the Magness Faulkton *765 Livestock Exchange 1 and on October 26, 1965 sold 25 head of cattle at the same Exchange. Bill Henderson purchased 6 head of the cattle sold by Hansen on October 26, 1965. Henderson then on April 21, 1966 sold these 6 head of cattle, along with other cattle. Sylvester Schmidt purchased 1 head of the Hansen cattle. Three of the heifers and 2 of the steers purchased from Hansen were sold to Ray F. Anderson on April 21, 1966 for the account of Kenneth O’Hare, which cattle along with other cattle were shipped to O’Hare at Ainsworth, Nebraska. Also on October 26, 1965 Hansen sold 3 head of cattle to Gerald Boekelheide, which were shipped to Boekelheide’s son-in-law Dexter Gunder-son at Irene, South Dakota.

The animal purchased by Schmidt was found to have Jerome Irving’s Reverse RV brand on it, as did a cow found in the pasture of Gunderson, and as did 2 heifers found in the pastures of O’Hare. These cattle found in pastures near Highmore, South Dakota and Yankton, South Dakota were recognized by Irving as his cattle and were the subject of the indictment along with 1 of the 2 head of cattle observed in the pasture of O’Hare near Ainsworth, Nebraska.

In a pretrial order the Court ordered the Government to provide Hansen prior to May 1, 1967 with a copy of any books, papers or documents coming into the possession, custody or control of the Government, which the Government intended to utilize at the trial. Pursuant to this order the Government provided Hansen with several sellers’ sheets, some buyers’ sheets, the names and addresses of the present owners and possessors of the 3 cattle involved in the indictment and photographs of the 3 animals. It was necessary to use the livestock records to trace the 3 allegedly stolen cattle from the sale by Hansen on October 26, 1965 to the farms or ranches of Schmidt, Gunderson and O’Hare. The buyers’ sheets, which were to a substantial extent, supplementary of the sellers’ sheets, were examined by the Government on May 11, 1967 but were not furnished to, nor called to the attention of Hansen’s counsel or the court. The trial Court allowed some of these buyers’ sheets admitted into evidence over Hansen’s objection. Hansen claims this was a clear violation of Rule 16(g), Fed.R.Crim.P. and that the trial Court should have either denied the admission into evidence of these records or else granted a continuance. The other errors complained of will be discussed in a consideration of Hansen’s “catchall” objection of accumulated errors. Hansen did not take the stand but the record discloses that he had his own cattle brand and had about 35 head of cattle.

CHALLENGE TO THE ARRAY

Hansen contends that the jury was not representative of the community because an eligible group had been excluded in its selection; that he was individually prejudiced by the exclusion of farm laborers and by the inclusion of an inordinately large proportion of jurors from the upper economic and social classes. The hearing on the challenge to the array showed some 22,000 employed persons in the Central Division of the Court, which were further broken down into approximately 16,000 males and 6,000 females. Of the employed males 6,000 were employed as farmers or farm managers, almost 1700 as farm laborers or farm foremen and 741 employed as laborers; of the total employed population 9.1 per cent were employed *766 as farm laborers or farm foremen and 3.5 per cent employed as laborers.

The affidavit in support of the challenge to the array related in the opinion of counsel for Hansen there were no persons on the jury with a family income of less than $5,000 and some testimony was adduced that there were few, if any, farm laborers on this or prior jury lists. There was also testimony that less than 5 per cent of the jurors, year in and year out, were under the age of 30. The record is not adequate to show how the jurors actually were selected, although apparently the key man system was used in securing names for the jury wheel. Neither the Clerk of the District Court nor the Jury Commissioner was called to testify. A typist for the Clerk testified she sent out the letters requesting the names of persons who might be qualified to serve as federal jurors. Approximately 50 per cent of the names were selected by the Clerk and 50 per cent by the Jury Commissioner. There was no evidence whatsoever of how the Jury Commissioner selected the names. Hansen sought to position himself as a young farm laborer and complains in particular of the exclusion from the jury lists of any farm laborers. The Government concedes that farm laborers and farm foremen are a separate economic class but contends that there was no systematic exclusion of any economic or social class in the selection of names for the master jury wheel.

Any litigant is entitled to a jury list selected from a cross-section of the eligible persons without discrimination as to race, religion, politics, economic, or social status. Under the existing federal system, the law having been changed 'in 1957 2 from an inclusion of state standard qualifications to a uniform federal standard of qualifications, any citizen who has attained the age of 21 years and resided within the judicial district for one year is competent to serve as a juror, unless he has been convicted of a felony or is unable to read, write, speak and understand the English language or unless he is mentally or physically incapable of rendering efficient jury service. Title 28 U.S.C. § 1861. The precise method of selection is not detailed by law, 3 and the courts and appropriate officials are invested with discretion and considerable latitude in the selection of jurors. The officials, however, are under a duty to provide a fair and impartial jury list selected from the many eligible citizens residing in the district.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Scott v. State
163 So. 3d 389 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2012)
United States v. Norita
708 F. Supp. 2d 1056 (Northern Mariana Islands, 2010)
Jackson v. State
969 So. 2d 930 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2007)
State v. Tremblay, 97-1816 (2003)
Superior Court of Rhode Island, 2003
Wilson v. State
874 So. 2d 1131 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2002)
United States v. Brian John Tibesar
894 F.2d 317 (Eighth Circuit, 1990)
Clifton v. State
545 So. 2d 173 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1989)
United States v. Johnson St. Clair
855 F.2d 518 (Eighth Circuit, 1988)
McCrory v. State
505 So. 2d 1272 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1986)
State v. Winter
712 P.2d 1228 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1986)
James Barber v. James Ponte
772 F.2d 982 (First Circuit, 1985)
United States v. Joseph Paul Franklin
704 F.2d 1183 (Tenth Circuit, 1983)
United States v. Joy Jimmy Neal
692 F.2d 1296 (Tenth Circuit, 1982)
State v. Marchellino
304 N.W.2d 252 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1981)
United States v. Larry Glaze and Robert Loyd
643 F.2d 549 (Eighth Circuit, 1981)
Lee v. United States
385 A.2d 159 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1978)
United States v. Robert Bockius
564 F.2d 1193 (Fifth Circuit, 1977)
Commonwealth v. Medina
364 N.E.2d 203 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
393 F.2d 763, 1968 U.S. App. LEXIS 7202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/howard-dean-hansen-aka-dean-hansen-v-united-states-ca8-1968.