Hoyle v. State

650 S.W.2d 97
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 6, 1983
DocketA14-81-664CR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 650 S.W.2d 97 (Hoyle v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hoyle v. State, 650 S.W.2d 97 (Tex. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

J. CURTISS BROWN, Chief Justice.

Appeal is taken from a conviction for promotion of obscenity. The jury found Michael Wayne Hoyle (Hoyle or appellant) guilty as charged in the information. Punishment was assessed by the court at twenty days in jail and a $1,500.00 fine. Hoyle challenges the sufficiency of the charging instrument, the constitutionality of Tex.Penal Code Ann. §§ 43.21, 43.23 (Vernon Supp.1982-1983), and the adequacy of the court’s charge to the jury. We affirm.

Two Houston police vice officers entered the Adonis News Stand at 4009 Hollister, Houston, Harris County, Texas, on May 5, 1981. 'One of the officers subsequently selected a magazine off the rack. The officer took the magazine to the appellant, who was working the counter, and paid him for it. The officer then left the store and went to his vehicle to wait for his partner. When his partner returned to the vehicle, the two officers viewed the magazine and determined that it was obscene. The officers then returned to the store to learn the identity of the appellant.

In his fifth and sixth grounds of error, appellant contends the trial court erred in failing to quash the information. Specifically, he argues the information failed to charge him with an offense because it alleged that the magazine in question “depicts patently offensive representation of actual and simulated sexual intercourse and sodomy,” while the statute speaks in terms of “patently offensive representations.” Further, he urges the word “sodomy”, as used in the information, was insufficient to put him on notice of the charges against him.

*99 The information charges the appellant did “unlawfully and knowing the content and character of the material, intentionally sell to J.W. PRICE obscene material, namely, a magazine entitled, SWEET AND SOUR, which depicts patently offensive representation of actual and simulated sexual intercourse and sodomy.”

The test for granting a motion to quash is whether the charging instrument fairly informs the accused of the charges against him and enables him to plead an acquittal or conviction in bar of future prosecutions for the same offense. See Ferguson v. State, 622 S.W.2d 846 (Tex.Cr.App.1981).

The information charges the appellant with promotion of obscenity through the sale of a magazine. Whether the magazine depicts one or more obscene representations is an evidentiary matter which does not go to the appellant’s act of promoting the material. Further, use of the term “sodomy” in an information is sufficient to put the accused on notice of the acts alleged to be obscene. See Taylor v. State, 625 S.W.2d 839 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, no pet.). Additionally, the information in the present case would serve as an adequate bar to future prosecutions. The statute provides for several different “promotion” offenses. The information alleges only one of the ways obscene material may be promoted, i.e., by sale. Therefore, only one offense has been alleged, and an acquittal or conviction in the case would adequately serve as a bar to future prosecutions for promotion of this particular magazine. Appellant’s fifth and sixth grounds of error are overruled.

In his second ground of error, appellant contends the trial court erred in overruling his motion to quash the information because the underlying statute, Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 43.21 (Vernon Supp.1982-1983), is unconstitutional. He argues the statute is unconstitutional because the term “patently offensive” is defined in terms of community standards of “decency.”

This court has previously addressed this issue and has held § 43.21 to be constitutional. Shelton v. State, 640 S.W.2d 649 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, no pet.). We recognize that a conflict does exist in this State on this issue. See Sanders v. State, 649 S.W.2d 59 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1982, pet. granted); Stonelake v. State, 638 S.W.2d 619 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1982, pet. granted); Andrews v. State, 639 S.W.2d 4 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1982, pet. granted). However, we adhere to our decision in Shelton. Appellant’s second ground of error is overruled.

In his fourth ground of error, appellant attacks the constitutionality of Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 43.23 (Vernon Supp.1982-1983). Specifically, he argues § 43.23(e) infringes on constitutionally protected rights of free expression.

This court has previously upheld the constitutionality of § 43.23(e). Moses v. State, 633 S.W.2d 585 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, no pet.); See also Sanders, 649 S.W.2d 59 (First Court of Appeals decision upholding the constitutionality of § 43.-23(e)). We are therefore limited to determining the validity of the statute as applied to the record before us.

The validity of a permissive presumption is called into question if, under the facts of the case, there is no rational way the trier of fact could make the connection permitted by the inference. See Moses, 633 S.W.2d at 586. As applied to the facts of this case, the presumption that appellant had knowledge of the content and character of the material in question is entirely rational. The basic facts giving rise to the presumption are: (1) a person promotes, (2) obscene material, (3) in the course of business. The evidence shows the appellant was working in an “adult” bookstore at the time he sold the magazine in question to an undercover police officer. The front and back covers of the magazine, which was wrapped in clear cellophane, depict acts of oral sodomy. The magazine was admitted into evidence. A jury certainly could determine the appellant knew *100 the content and character of the magazine even without the aid of the presumption. See McMahon v. State, 630 S.W.2d 730 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, pet. ref’d). Appellant’s fourth ground of error is overruled.

In appellant’s first ground of error, he contends the trial court erred in refusing a requested instruction expressly excluding children from the jury’s determination of the average person of the community. Specifically, he argues the jury should have been instructed that only adults were to be considered in determining the average person in the community.

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

Related

Regalado v. State
872 S.W.2d 7 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1994)
Smith v. State
811 S.W.2d 665 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Ford v. State
753 S.W.2d 451 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Drummond v. State
752 S.W.2d 181 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Hoyle v. State
672 S.W.2d 233 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Gill v. State
675 S.W.2d 549 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Gholson v. State
667 S.W.2d 168 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
650 S.W.2d 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoyle-v-state-texapp-1983.