Ingram v. State

224 S.E.2d 527, 137 Ga. App. 412, 1976 Ga. App. LEXIS 2467
Court of Appeals of Georgia·Decided January 29, 1976·No. 51426·Published·Cited by 46 cases

Opinions

Stolz, Judge.

The defendant appeals from his conviction and sentence on two counts of burglary.

1. It was not error for the trial judge to admit in evidence incriminating statements made by the defendant.

The record reveals that, on November 17, 1973, at about 10:30 p. m., a guest of the Davis Bros. Cafeteria and Motor Lodge, Highway 54, in Clayton County, reported that "something looked suspicious down on the ground.” With the manager at the time was Mr. B. L. Northcutt, a reserve officer of the Lake City Police Department. While Mr. Northcutt checked on the suspicious activity, the manager called the Morrow, Georgia, police. When Mr. Northcutt arrived at the area of the premises in question, he found the defendant and the co-defendant outside Rooms 125 and 127, and two color television sets in the back of a white Chevrolet automobile which evidence showed had been loaned to one of the defendants. Believing the TV sets to have been taken from the two rooms, he apprehended the defendant and the co-defendant. Shortly thereafter, officers Phillip Stewart Howard and J. T. Holton of the Morrow, Georgia, Police Department arrived on the scene. The two subjects were then placed in the rear of officer Howard’s police car and advised of their rights. The officers then inspected the [413] scene, noting, among other things, that Rooms 125 and 127 were adjoining and that the interlocking door between the two rooms was locked closed. The serial numbers of the television sets assigned to the two rooms were checked and found to be identical with those on the sets in the Chevrolet automobile previously referred to. In the meantime, the two defendants were again advised of their rights by Lt. R. C. Aeree of the Morrow Police Department, who had arrived on the scene. The appellant-defendant was then transported to the police station, en route to which he made an incriminating statement. At the police station, after signing a "Proof of Waiver of Constitutional Rights,” the defendant made another self-incriminating statement.

The defendant’s contention that the statements were not admissible, is not meritorious. The fact that the credibility of one of the officers may have been successfully attacked, would not make the incriminating statements inadmissible, but only affects their weight. Moreover, the statements were made to other officers whose credibility was not attacked. The appellant did not contend that he was not given the "Miranda warnings” or dispute his signature on the waiver of rights.

In a Jackson v. Denno (378 U. S. 368 (1964)) type hearing the presiding judge acts as the trier of fact and resolves the issues of truthfulness, credibility, etc. Johnson v. State, 233 Ga. 58 (209 SE2d 629). His decision will not be disturbed in the absence of obvious error, which does not exist in this case.

2. The defendant cannot successfully complain of the trial judge’s refusal to grant the state’s motion for severance where the defendant did not join in such motion or object thereto in the lower court. It has long been the rule that a party cannot raise an issue of this nature for the first time on appeal. See Anderson v. State, 129 Ga. App. 1 (2) (198 SE2d 329) and cits.

3. There was no error in overruling the defendant’s motion for directed verdict of acquittal for any of the grounds alleged as error.

(a) As previously shown, evidence showed that a television set had been removed from each of two separate rooms. The appellant argues that under the evidence only [414] one burglary is shown, and makes analogy to articles being taken from several different rooms in the same house. This is a logical and effective argument, but one which we do not accept. The gravamen of the offense is the breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony or theft. The evidence showed that each of the two rooms was broken into. Each of the two rooms had a television set taken therefrom. In the example of a house, there is only one breaking of one identifiable unit. In the case at bar, there were two breakings of two identifiable units, Rooms 125 and 127. For example, assume a newly constructed but unoccupied apartment house with each of the separate units containing certain household appliances. Each apartment has the same owner. Each apartment has a distinct, identifiable number for identification. The breaking and entering and theft of household appliances from one apartment is one completed offense. The subsequent breaking and entering and theft of other apartments within the house, although done in succession, would each constitute a separate offense. As such, it would be permissible to prosecute via a multiple-count indictment, charging in separate counts the burglary of each apartment unit.

Moreover, while the defendant was convicted on both counts of the indictment, the sentences imposed by the court ran concurrently. Thus, the defendant was not harmed.

(b) The defendant was indicted for the burglary of "Davis Bros. Cafeteria & Moror [sic] Lodge, Room 125” (Count 1) and "Davis Bros. Cafeteria & Motor Lodge, Room 127” (Count 2). The defendant introduced evidence showing (1) that the property in question was leased to "Davis Brothers, Incorporated,” (2) a statement of search by the Secretary of State indicating that there is no corporation in Georgia by the name of "Davis Bros. Cafeteria & Motor Lodge,” and (3) the fact that no trade name registration for "Davis Bros. Cafeteria & Motor Lodge” existed in Clayton County. In support of the defendant’s position, his counsel cites Moore v. State, 130 Ga. App. 186 (202 SE2d 556), Livingston v. State, 122 Ga. App. 152 (2) (176 SE2d 520) and other cases cited in Moore and Livingston.

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Ingram v. State, 224 S.E.2d 527, 137 Ga. App. 412, 1976 Ga. App. LEXIS 2467 (Ga. Ct. App. 1976).

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