In re Mosier

394 N.E.2d 368, 59 Ohio Misc. 83, 13 Ohio Op. 3d 290, 1978 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 94
CourtVan Wert County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedNovember 17, 1978
DocketNo. 4129
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 394 N.E.2d 368 (In re Mosier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Van Wert County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Mosier, 394 N.E.2d 368, 59 Ohio Misc. 83, 13 Ohio Op. 3d 290, 1978 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 94 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1978).

Opinion

"Wise, J..

The minor cMld has been charged with being an unruly child by virtue of allegedly violating Ordinance 509.08 of the city of Van Wert commonly referred to as the! curfew ordinance.

■: The minor child filed a motion to dismiss based upon among other things, the constitutional invalidity of " the [84]*84ordinance. The court at the hearing overruled all branches of the motion except that of the linconstitutionality of the ordinance which the court took under advisement. The parties stipulated that the evidentiary hearing on the merits proceed, with same not to be considered if the court held the ordinance invalid on its face, and to be considered if the court held the ordinance constitutionally valid on its face.

The ordinance the child is charged with violating reads as follows:

“509.08 CURFEW FOR MINORS: EXCEPTIONS: ENFORCEMENT.
“(a) Curfew. No minor under eighteen (18) years of age shall remain in or upon any public place or establishment between the hours of 10:30 P. M. and 6:00 A. M. on any night preceding a school day, or between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 6:00 A. M. on all other nights; except that no minor under the age of fourteen (14) years shall remain in or upon any public place or establishment between the hours of 10:30 P. M. and 6:00 A. M. on any night. No graduate of an accredited high school, regardless of age, shall be subject to these regulations.
“The provisions of this section shall not apply to any minor accompanied by a parent, or to a minor upon an errand or other legitimate business directed by the minor’s parent or to any minor who is engaged in gainful lawful employment during tbe curfew hours.
“Any organization or group of persons sponsoring late or all night functions which minors under the age of eighteen (18) are invited to or expeeted to attend, shall first make application to the Chief of Police for permission to hold the function, stating the nature of the function, the hours during which the function will be held and the category or categories of minors expected to attend and the place or places where the function will be located. The granting of permission shall be within the exclusive discretion of the Chief of Police except that in no case shall permission be granted to the same organization or group of persons more than twice in any one (1) calendar year. [85]*85The application and permission shall he in writing, and notice thereof shall he given hy the Chief to all members of the Police Department, the Yan "Wert County Sheriff and the Yan "Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. No minor attending a function for which permission has been granted shall he subject to curfew regulations, provided he is in actual attendance at the function and conducts himself in a proper manner.
“ (h) Responsibility of Parents. No parent shall knowingly permit any minor to remain in or upon any public place or any establishment contrary to the provisions set forth in Section 509.08.
“ (c) Establishment Owners or Operators. No operator -of an establishment or his agent or employee shall knowingly permit any minor to remain upon the premises of -the establishment contrary to the provisions set forth in subsection (a) above.
“(d) Enforcement. Any police or law enforcement •officer who finds a minor apparently violating any provision of this section shall obtain from the minor information concerning his name, age, address and the name of his parent, parents, guardian or custodian. The minor shall be conducted to his home by the officer. Information ■obtained from the minor, together with any other pertinent facts, shall be forwarded by the Officer of the Yan "Wert County Juvenile Court within five (5) days, and if requested, the guardian or custodian or other person or persons involved.
“(e) Violation. Any adult, either a parent, guardian, •custodian or person responsible for a minor who violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.”

In order to determine whether or not the ordinance infringes upon the constitutional rights of the child the ■court must first determine the meaning of the ordinance and what conduct is prohibited and what is permitted. This legislation not having a preamble setting forth its purpose nor having a definitions section defining the terms used therein, the court must therefore rely on the standard dictionary definitions of the words used therein in construing the ordinance.

[86]*86All dictionary definitions used herein are taken from Webster Universal Dictionary, Unabridged International Edition, 1970, Harver Educational Services, Inc., New York, New York.

The first term we come to in the Ordinance that must be defined is “remain.” The dictionary gives this definition of the verb intransitive form of the word: to stay, to remain behind, to be left, to continue, endure, to stop, to last, continue, to abide, stay, linger, a staying, tarrying, to hesitate, stand still.

The next thing that must be defined is the phrase “public place or establishment. ’ ’ Here there is no dictionary ■ definition of the phrase “public place” or the phrase “public establishment.” Ohio Jurisprudence 2d, Words and Phrases, gives no definition for either phrase. 35 Words and Phrases, West Publishing Company, contains 20 pages of definitions and limitations on the meaning of the words “public place.”

Many of the definitions given obviously d'o not apply and choosing the ones that would give some guidance one must look to the way the words are used in the ordinance. Within the context of our ordinance the following general definitions- at pages 433-434, would seem -to fit:

“A public place, is a place where the public has a right to go. and; be. State v. Welch, 88 Ind. 308, 310.”
. “Public place is one attended by public for business, entertainment or similar reasons. State v. Robinson, Conn. Cir. A. D., 184 A. 2d 188, 189, 23 Conn. Sup. 430.”
“A ‘public place’ which is a place where the public generally.are permitted to assemble. Zimmerman v. State, 141 P. 2d 809, 811, 77 Okl. Cr. 374.”
“In,a prosecution for disturbing a public assemblage, an instruction-was given that a public place is any place at which.people assemble, or to which people commonly resort for the purposes of business, amusement, recreation, or other iawful purpose. Young v. State, Tex., 44 S. W. 507."
“The-words ‘public place’ d,enote. any place which a municipality, or State maintains for the use of: the public and includes not only public highways but parks and publip [87]*87buildings and other places. Restatement, Torts, Sec. 417b.”'
“A ‘public place,’ within prohibition of solicitation in public place without license, is one which members of the public, by general invitation, attend for reasons of entertainment, business, instruction, or the like. People ex rel. Friedman v. Framer, 139 N. Y. S. 2d 331, 337.”

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Bluebook (online)
394 N.E.2d 368, 59 Ohio Misc. 83, 13 Ohio Op. 3d 290, 1978 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-mosier-ohctcomplvanwe-1978.