Logan v. State

1972 OK CR 38, 493 P.2d 842, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 419
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 26, 1972
DocketA-16119
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 1972 OK CR 38 (Logan 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
Logan v. State, 1972 OK CR 38, 493 P.2d 842, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 419 (Okla. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION

SIMMS, Judge.

Plaintiff in Error, Jimmy Clifford Logan, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was convicted in the District Court of Bryan County, Oklahoma, of Embezzlement by Bailee, After Former Conviction of a Felony. A jury returned verdicts of guilty in both stages and the defendant, an indigent represented by court-appointed counsel, was sentenced to a term of Three and One-Half (3½) Years imprisonment, and from said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

The state’s evidence proved that the defendant was employed as a truck driver for the prosecuting witness for some ten days prior to the date in question and apparently familiar with the normal course of business since he discussed the loading and asked for a long distance route. A truck-trailer loaded with feed and assigned to the defendant for delivery to customers in Texas was driven away by the defendant, complete with proper invoices and was returned without invoices or any explanation as to the disposition of the feed. The feed was not delivered, a man wearing clothing and glasses like the defendant left the truck and drove away in a truck similar to defendant’s after the trailer was returned. No restitution or explanation was forthcoming after the defendant’s failure to return in the normal course of business *844 and the defendant apparently fled the state to Texas.

Russell Rogers was the only witness called for the defense and he testified he visited the mill office in April and talked with state’s witness Turner about seeing the trailer returned on December 17th. Rogers said the window Turner told him he looked through on the 17th was covered by screen similar to the defendant’s exhibit on the day of the April visit. He also testified as to taking measurements and photos at the scene and advanced his opinion that it would have been difficult for Turner to identify the driver of the returning truck.

The first of four propositions contends the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated in that he was not taken before a magistrate “without unnecessary delay” as provided in 22 O.S.1961, § 181 :

“The defendant must, in all cases, be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay.”

The original record indicates an arrest warrant was issued by the District Court of Bryan County, Oklahoma, on December 18, 1969, and executed on January 22, 1970. The sheriff’s return indicates the defendant was returned from Dallas and thereafter on the 26th day of January, the defend-nat was arraigned by a magistrate, counsel was appointed to represent him and bond was fixed — a lapse of four and perhaps part of a fifth day.

Counsel for the defendant, in his brief, alludes to matters which transpired in the State of Texas, but there is neither record nor transcript pertaining thereto before this Court for consideration.

The defendant does not allege anything other than the passage of time insofar as prejudice to his rights and this Court feels Brown v. State, Okl.Cr., 384 P.2d 54, cited both by the state and defendant as well as the more recent Dimsdle v. State, Okl.Cr., 456 P.2d 621, are completely dispositive of this proposition.

While this Court continues to frown upon delay, we are still committed to the proposition the burden is upon the defendant to establish prejudice by reason of the delay. In Dimsdle, supra, six days elapsed; while in Brown, supra, it was eight days; but, in neither case, nor here, did the defendant show deprivation or denial of any substantial right.

Additionally, as part of his first assertion of error, the defendant claims his constitutional right to due process under Article 2, § 7 of the Oklahoma Constitution, and § 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution were infringed upon by his incarceration awaiting arraignment.

The Attorney General’s brief succinctly covered the due process question, citing Orcutt v. Wyoming, 308 F.2d 61 (10th Cir. 1962), where the defendant claimed a delay in arraignment should vitiate the state court conviction. The court said :

“ * * * We find no decisions which sustain a collateral attack in federal courts upon a state court judgment and sentence because of * * * the fail-
ure of state officials to promptly arraign him before a proper magistrate.
It is well settled that ‘a criminal prosecution in the courts of a State, based upon a law not in itself repugnant to the Federal Constitution, and conducted according to the settled course of judicial proceedings as established by the law of the State, so long as it includes notice, and a hearing, or an opportunity to be heard, before a court of competent jurisdiction, according to established modes of procedure, is “due process” in the constitutional sense.’ ”

The Attorney General also points out the defendant placed no evidence in the record before or during trial tending to show what happened in Texas, or tending to show what prejudice, if any, resulted either from the arrest or the alleged delay. Thus, this Court finds the “due process” complaint to be without merit.

While the defendant does not directly cite it as error, his brief makes several *845 references to the fact the original charge, CRF-69-142 of Embezzlement, was dismissed following a preliminary hearing on February 24, 1970, but that the the defendant was ordered held pending the re-filing of the instant case, CRF-70-17, Embezzlement by Bailee, After Former Conviction of a Felony. The second information was filed the same day as the dismissal, a preliminary hearing was held March 6, 1970, and the defendant was bound over and ordered to stand trial.

We note from the original record no pleadings were filed on behalf of the defendant between the date when the first charge was dismissed and the preliminary hearing was had on the instant charge, a period of some ten (10) days. Another ten (10) days elapsed before the day set for the defendant’s arraignment in District Court. The defendant’s next appearance, according to the record, is some three weeks later or on April 10, 1970, three (3) days before trial, on a motion to dismiss. This motion was based primarily on the contention the arraignment delay was contrary to law.

The court minutes for the April 10th motion indicates the defendant appeared in person and by his appointed counsel and the motion to dismiss was overruled.

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Bluebook (online)
1972 OK CR 38, 493 P.2d 842, 1972 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 419, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/logan-v-state-oklacrimapp-1972.