Matthews v. State

1975 OK CR 4, 530 P.2d 1044
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 8, 1975
DocketF-74-543
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1975 OK CR 4 (Matthews 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
Matthews v. State, 1975 OK CR 4, 530 P.2d 1044 (Okla. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSSEY, Judge:

Appellants Frank Lewis Matthews and Virgil M. Phillips, hereinafter referred to as defendants, were charged, tried and convicted in the District Court, Woods County, Case No. CRF-74-1, for the offense of Burglary, Second Degree, in violation of 21 O.S., § 1435. Their punishment was fixed at five (5) years imprisonment and from said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

The facts briefly stated are that on the evening of February 7, 1974, Pat Rodgers Canaday, Alva police dispatcher, received a radioed description from the Buffalo, Oklahoma, Police Department. At trial Mrs. Canaday testifed that she broadcast a description to Alva patrolmen to be on the lookout for two white bearded males, one with red hair, the other with dark hair, wearing eyeglasses and.thought to be driving a white Chevrolet with an out-of-state black and white license plate. She testified that she warned local officers that the men were suspected of laundromat robberies and were thought to be heading toward Alva.

Alva Patrolman John Sims testified that at approximately 6:55 p. m. on February 7, as he was driving past the Wash House Laundromat, he saw two men fitting the description of the men in the radio alert looking out the window of the laundromat. He said that he turned the car around and by the time he got back to the building the men, whom he identified at trial as the defendants, had emerged, carrying a laundry bag with them. Officer Sims testified that he radioed for other policemen and that he detained the defendants for the purpose of questioning them. At the trial, Officer Sims identified State’s Exhibit No. 1 as the laundry bag full of miscellaneous dirty clothes the defendants had with them when stopped, Exhibits Nos. 2-4, as keys found behind the back seat of his patrol car, Unit 11, a short time after he delivered the defendants to jail and Exhibit No. 6 as a money pouch containing coin wrappers and coins which was discovered in the glove compartment of defendants’ car during a post-custody inventory. The witness further testified that after finding the keys, he and another officer took them to the Wash House Laundromat where one of the keys opened the coin box, which was empty, on the washing machine designated as “No. 2.”

On cross-examination, Officer Sims explained that he had cleaned out his patrol car a day or two before the defendants were arrested, but he admitted that other persons had used the car and that he could not say positively that the keys belonged to the defendants.

Mrs. Pat Neel, an employee of the Wash House, testified that she had put two dimes into washing machine No. 2 a day or two before the alleged burglary and that she had cleaned soap and water from the machine on the morning of February 7, indicating that it had been used that day. The witness also described the physical location of the “No. 2” washing machine in the laundromat.

The manager of the laundromat, Wen-dall Morrison, testified that he and his wife had the only key to the washing machine coin boxes and that they had emptied the coins on February 1 or 2. He also testified that he was with the police when they checked the coin box on the machine February 7 and that it was empty. On cross-examination the witness testified that on the morning of February 7, he had seen a woman using the No. 2 washing machine.

Mrs. Wendall Morrison, the manager’s wife, testified to substantially the same facts as her husband regarding their practices in collecting the coins from the ma *1046 chines and the fact that the No. 2 machine was empty on February 7, after the alleged burglary.

Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Terry Nutter, after identifying the defendants at trial, testified that he first saw them on the evening of February 7, as they were seated in the back of Officer Sims patrol Unit 11. Officer Nutter said that after the defendants were placed in custody he took charge of their car, had it impounded, and during a routine inventory discovered the items introduced in State’s Exhibit No. 6. Trooper Nutter said that after the defendants were removed from Unit 11 he ran his hand behind the seat and felt something metal. Unable to reach it, he said he removed the back seat and found the keys which he identified as State’s Exhibits Nos. 2-4.

The final-testimony at trial was given by Woods County Undersheriff Don Bolar who testified that on February 7, he received a description from police dispatcher Canaday and that later while he was on patrol received a call from Officer Sims concerning the possible apprehension of the men for whom they were looking. He testified that when he arrived at the laundromat he saw Officer Sims talking to the defendants whom he identified at trial. The Undersheriff identified State’s Exhibits Nos. 1-4 and also identified State’s Exhibit No. 5, the 196 dimes, three quarters and two nickels found in defendant Matthews’ pocket after he was arrested. At this point, the six exhibits were admitted into evidence without objection.

With this testimony the State concluded its case. Neither defendant took the stand or presented any evidence in his own behalf.

In their first proposition of error, the defendants allege that due to a remark by the Assistant District Attorney in his opening statement and several comments made by State’s witnesses the jury was prejudiced thus denying the defendants a fair trial. .

We would first note that no objection was made by the defendants in regard to the alleged prejudicial comment by the prosecutor in the opening statement. In Newton v. State, Okl.Cr., 516 P.2d 827 (1973), this Court held that failure to object to claimed improper statements made by the prosecutor waived the reviewing court’s consideration of claimed error relating thereto. Accordingly, we find it unnecessary to consider this part of defendants’ allegation.

Defendants next contend that comments made by police dispatcher Canaday in describing the radioed report she received from the Buffalo Police Department and comments by Officer Sims in relation to this report constituted evidentiary harpoons. Examples of the complained of testimony are:

“Q. Okay, for what reason did you go by there, if any?
“A. I was looking for two burglars from Buffalo, sir.
“MR. BAYS: Your Honor, we are going to object to the classification of burglars.
“THE COURT: Sustained, the jury will disregard that statement.” (Tr. 13)

and again at page 35 of the trial transcript :

“Q. And at the time that you went to the laundry relative to these two individuals, did you have, at that time, knowledge of a situation that had occurred in Buffalo ?
“MR. BAYS: Now, Your Honor, going to object to that as hearsay?
“THE COURT: Sustained.
“MR. WISE: Exception.
“Q. Okay, but you went for a specific purporse (sic), to the laundry?
“A. Yes, sir, I did.
“Q. And you were specifically looking for two individuals that fit a certain description ?
“MR.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

IN RE ADOPTION OF 2019 REVISIONS TO OKLAHOMA JURY INSTRUCTIONS-CRIMINAL (2D)
2019 OK CR 28 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2019)
Carder v. State
1979 OK CR 124 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1979)
Agee v. State
1977 OK CR 139 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1977)
Cervantes v. State
1976 OK CR 278 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Lancaster v. State
1976 OK CR 191 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Fain v. State
1976 OK CR 157 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Luker v. State
1976 OK CR 135 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Shelton v. State
1976 OK CR 60 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1975 OK CR 4, 530 P.2d 1044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matthews-v-state-oklacrimapp-1975.