Hudgens v. State

1942 OK CR 31, 122 P.2d 815, 74 Okla. Crim. 56, 1942 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 205
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 18, 1942
DocketNo. A-9906.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1942 OK CR 31 (Hudgens v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hudgens v. State, 1942 OK CR 31, 122 P.2d 815, 74 Okla. Crim. 56, 1942 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 205 (Okla. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

BAREFOOT, P. J.

Defendant, Ben Hudgens, was charged in the county court of Pittsburg county with the crime of unlawful possession of intoxicating liquor, to wit: eight half-pints of Sunny South whisky, was tried, convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of $100, and serve 30 days in the county jail, and has appealed.

Defendant has assigned 12 errors, but in his brief has discussed them under five heads. The first three are that the court erred in overruling the motion to suppress the evidence and to quash the search warrant.

The search was based upon a search warrant issued to search the residence of defendant. It was issued on the first day of February, 1940. It is contended that the proof did not show that it was a place of “public resort” nor was it “a store, shop, hotel, boarding house, or place for storage” as provided by Oklahoma Statutes 1931, section 2639, O. S. A. Title 37, § 88. It is further contended that the affidavit upon which the search warrant was based was upon information and belief. The affidavit was as follows:

“State of Oklahoma, In the Justice of the Peace Court ss.
“Pittsburg County, Before Ernest W. Thomas Justice of the Peace in and for McAles-ter District, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma,
“The State of Oklahoma vs. “Ben Hudgens and Peggy Hudgens
“Comes now Walter Haggard and being duly sworn on oath states to the court that he has probable cause to believe and affiant does believe that intoxicating liquor is being manufactured, sold, bartered, given away and *59 otherwise furnished, by: Ben Hudgens and Peggy Hud-gens upon and about the following described premises to-wit: One five room stone veneer house a.t No. 1020 East Delaware Avenue in the City of McAlester, Oklahoma, and occupied by Ben Hudgens and Peggy Hudgens as a residence.
“That said premises are occupied as a residence and a part or all of said residence is used as a store, shop, hotel, boarding house or place of storage and said residence is a place of public resort: That the said Ben Hud-gens and Peggy Hudgens has1 the reputation in the community in which he resides and in which the above described premises are located of being a person who deals in intoxicating liquor in violation of law and that the above described premises have the reputation in the neighborhood in which they are situated of being a public nuisance and a place where intoxicating liquors can be and are bought and consumed by the public in general at any hour of the day or night; that this affiant has seen known users of intoxicating liquor, several at a time, coming from said premises in a state of intoxication and has seen liquor drinkers, several at a time, going into said premises at a late hour1 of the night; that it has been reported to this affiant by reputable citizens that intoxicating liquors are at the present time kept and sold upon said premises by the said Ben Hudgens and Peggy Hud-gens in violation of law. That affiant has personally seen large numbers of automobiles take personal property from said premises at all hours of the night. That the said Ben Hudgens has a United States liquor dealers license. The said Ben Hudgens and Peggy Hudgens have heretofore been convicted of possession of intoxicating liquor with intent to sell, give away or otherwise furnish the same.
“That said liquors are so kept, stored, sold, given away or manufactured and otherwise furnished in violation of law and against the peace and dignity of the state.
“Wherefore complainant prays that a search warrant issue and a search of said premises be made for all liq *60 uor, vessels in which, it is contained and all implements and utensils used in the unlawful manufacturing of said liquor.
“Walter Haggard
“Subscribed and sworn to before me this 1st day of February, 1940.
“Ernest W. Thomas
“Justice of the Peace.”

The question of the sufficiency of the affidavit to support the issuance of a search warrant must be determined from the terms of the affidavit. The argument that its terms should not be considered because a part of them were in printed form cannot be sustained. A reading of the affidavit reveals that the identical- words of the statute are used when it states “said residence is used as a store, shop, hotel, boarding house or place of storage, and said residence is a place of public resort.” It is true that in the first paragraph of the affidavit it is stated that affiant “has probable cause to believe and affiant does believe,” but in the following paragraph the facts are stated in positive terms upon which this belief is based. When these positive facts “which are personally known” are stated, it should not be held that this statement is dependent upon the first paragraph of the affidavit as above stated. Wagner v. State, 72 Okla. Cr. 393, 117 P. 2d 162; Hays v. State, 71 Okla. Cr. 62, 108 P. 2d 187.

These facts which were personally known to affiant are stated in the affidavit above quoted. It is unnecessary to repeat them. They were sufficient upon their face to- cause the magistrate to believe there was probable cause for the issuance of a search warrant to search the premises described therein. This is in harmony with the later decisions of this court. Wagner v. State, supra, and Hays v. State, supra.

*61 There was evidence introduced by the state to show* that defendant had obtained and was in possession of a federal liquor dealer’s license. It was contended by defendant that this license was for his restaurant or place of business which was situated about 12 blocks from where the liquor in question was found at his residence. However, his testimony shows that he had taken out a $25 stamp which was for the sale of both beer and intoxicating liquor. The price of a beer stamp was only $20. It is argued by defendant that the fact that the affidavit states the defendant “Ben Hudgens has a United States liquor dealers license” should not have been considered by the court in determining Avhether the search warrant should have been issued. In support of this contention the case of Robinson v. State, 66 Okla. Cr. 139, 90 P. 2d 54, is cited. This case does not support defendant’s position. In the Robinson Case there was no evidence to sIioav that defendant had possession of the liquor charged. In the instant case the liquor was found in the home or residence of defendant, and the question of possession was a question of fact for the jury to decide. We have held in the case of Peters v. State, 71 Okla. Cr. 175, 110 P. 2d 300, that an allegation such as above was proper1 for the consideration of the magistrate in determining whether or not a search Avarrant should be issued.

The evidence in this case revealed the defendant wasl the owner of a residence at “No. 1020 East Delaware Avenue in the City of McAlester, Oklahoma,” on the 1st day of February, 1940. That he and his family resided there. That he operated a restaurant about 12 blocks distant therefrom. That on February 1, 1940, the sheriff of Pittsburg county and two of his deputies procured a search Avarrant and searched the residence of defendant as above described.

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Related

Griffin v. State
1952 OK CR 74 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1952)
Jones v. State
1951 OK CR 95 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)
Row v. State
1947 OK CR 155 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1947)
Hughes v. State
1947 OK CR 94 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1947)
Workman v. State
1946 OK CR 117 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1946)
Medley v. State
1945 OK CR 113 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1945)
Young v. State
1942 OK CR 37 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1942 OK CR 31, 122 P.2d 815, 74 Okla. Crim. 56, 1942 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 205, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudgens-v-state-oklacrimapp-1942.