Martin v. State

100 S.E.2d 645, 96 Ga. App. 557, 1957 Ga. App. LEXIS 636
Court of Appeals of Georgia·Decided October 24, 1957·No. 36893·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

*558 Carlisle, J.

The defendant demurred generally and specially to each count of the indictment. His demurrers to counts 1 and 3 were substantially the same, the grounds being: that it failed to charge the defendant with the violation of any of the laws of the State of Georgia; that it was not alleged therein whether the liquors were sold or merely offered for sale, whether they were tax-paid or non-tax-paid, nor what amount thereof was offered for sale or sold; and that said count failed to allege to whom said liquors were offered for sale. The demurrers to counts 2 and 4 were substantially the same and were as follows: that it failed to charge the defendant with the violation of any of the laws of the State of Georgia; that it was not alleged whether such liquors were tax-paid or non-tax-paid; that it failed to charge the defendant with the possession of any quantity of whisky; that it failed to set forth sufficient facts to place the defendant on notice of what crime he was charged with having committed and to enable him to prepare his defense.

Hall County is a “dry” county, a fact of which this court will take judicial cognizance. Capitol Distributing Co. v. State, 83 Ga. App. 303, 304 (63 S. E. 2d 451). In such county the provisions of the ^ so-called “bone dry law” (Code § 58-201) are still in force and effect except as modified by Code (Ann.) Ch. 58-10 (Reynolds v. State, 181 Ga. 547 (1), 182 S. E. 917; Cone v. State, 184 Ga. 316 (1a), 191 S. E. 250; Perry v. State, 54 Ga. App. 410 (1) 187 S. E. 895), and the sale of spirituous alcoholic beverages in any quantity to any person is strictly prohibited. Code § 58-201 (Ga. L. 1937-38, Ex. Sess., pp. 103, 123). It is immaterial in such circumstances whether the liquors are tax-paid or non-tax-paid or to whom they are offered for sale or to whom they are sold. For these reasons the demurrers to counts 1 and 3 are not well taken.

However, it is an elementary rule of criminal procedure that an indictment should contain a complete description of the offense charged, and that there can be no conviction unless every essential element thereof is both alleged in the indictment and proved by the evidence. O’Brien v. State, 109 Ga. 51, 52 (1) (35 S. E. 112). Counts 2 and 4 of the indictment in this case did not allege whether the defendant was charged with possessing tax-paid or non-tax-paid liquors and did not allege what *559 quantity of whisky the defendant was charged with possessing. There is no question as to this fact. Since the possession of one quart or less of tax-paid liquor for use and consumption and not for sale in a dry county is lawful, the allegation of one or more of these elements must be regarded as essential to the legality of the indictment. The demurrer raises the question whether the indictment was sufficient under the law to charge the defendant with the commission of a crime in possessing an unspecified quantity of alcoholic, spirituous, malt and intoxicating liquors in a dry county. Under the ruling of this court in Jenkins v. State, 93 Ga. App. 360, 363 (92 S. E. 2d 43), the indictment here was not legally sufficient. In that case, Judge Townsend, speaking for the unanimous court in a case considered by both divisions, enumerated the four ways in which the offenses of possessing and transporting whisky in a dry county may be committed. “(1) By the defendant having any amount of whisky on the containers of which there are no proper State revenue stamps; (2) having more than one quart of whisky upon which the tax has been paid and upon the container of which there are proper revenue stamps; (3) one quart or less of whisky upon which the tax has been paid and the containers of which bear proper revenue stamps but held by the defendant for the purpose of sale and not for use and consumption, and (4) one quart or less of whisky upon which the tax has been paid and the containers of which bear proper revenue stamps but which was not procured from an authorized retailer.” It was then held that a proper accusation or indictment should allege in which of these ways the offense was committed. Under the rules laid down in the Jenkins case and in Capitol Distributing Co. v. State, 83 Ga. App. 303, supra, the trial court erred in overruling the demurrers to counts 2 and 4 of the indictment.

It appears from the bill of exceptions that, before pleading to the case, the defendant informed the court that there was a special fund contributed to the State Department of Revenue by the citizens of Georgia and used for the enforcement of the liquor laws and for the apprehension of violators and the prosecution of persons charged with the violation of such laws. The defendant moved the court to furnish him with a list of contributors to this fund. The trial court denied this motion *560 and this ruling is assigned as error in the bill of exceptions. The motion was not that the court require the prosecution to furnish such a list, but it was addressed to the court and sought to require the court itself to furnish the list. This was an improper motion. There was no' obligation on the part of the court to assist counsel for the defendant in the preparation of their case, and for this reason the court did not err in denying this motion.

In special ground 4 of the motion for new trial, the defendant contends that the court erred in admitting in evidence two one-pint bottles containing a substance testified to as being whisky. It is contended that this evidence was not admissible because it was not connected with the defendant by the testimony of the witness. This contention is without merit. The evidence shows that the prosecuting witness went to the defendant’s house and purchased these bottles which he labeled immediately after purchasing them and which were turned over to a deputy sheriff for safe keeping until the trial. The prosecutor testified that the labels on the bottles introduced in evidence were the same labels which he had made and placed thereon immediately after purchasing the whisky, and the deputy sheriff to whom he handed them testified that they were in his custody in a safe in the courthouse until the time of the trial, and that while other persons had access to the safe, no changes were made in the contents of the bottles and that they were the same bottles which were handed to' him by the prosecutor and the same bottles which he brought to the courtroom for the trial of this case. Under these circumstances, this evidence was sufficiently connected with the defendant and was not inadmissible for any of the reasons assigned.

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Martin v. State, 100 S.E.2d 645, 96 Ga. App. 557, 1957 Ga. App. LEXIS 636 (Ga. Ct. App. 1957).

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