May v. State

474 S.W.2d 172, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 555, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 418
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 16, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 474 S.W.2d 172 (May v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
May v. State, 474 S.W.2d 172, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 555, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 418 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

OPINION

MITCHELL, Judge.

Jimmy S. May and Paul R. May who will be referred to as the defendants or by name, were tried and convicted of Grand Larceny of an automobile on October 1, 1970 in the Circuit Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. The trial jury fixed the punishment of each of the defendants at three years confinement in the State Penitentiary upon which the Trial Judge Honorable Thomas Boyers pronounced judgment and sentence. After the defendants’ motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment were heard and overruled they appealed and assigned errors.

The facts of the case which were evidently accepted by the trial jury and the court are summarized as follows:

On or about March 20 and 21, 1970 a green 1968 model Chevrolet Camaro automobile license number JL 6032, serial number 124378N4113896 of the value of $1800.00 was stolen from the place where it was parked in front of the house of the owner Donald Monday at 534 South Fifth Street, Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Monday reported the loss to the police. Later the same day Mr. Monday saw his stolen automobile at Holt’s Garage in Springfield, Tennessee. It had been stripped of all the parts, engine, transmission, hubcaps, all the lugs except one on each wheel, the tachometer and [174]*174instrument panel also were gone. The engine was lying on the back of a wrecker in the garage. Some of the parts were in a box in Holt’s Garage in Robertson County, Tennessee.

The owner had parked this car in front of his house about seven or eight o’clock on March 20 and the next morning when he got up he discovered it was gone.

On the night of March 20-21, 1970 Richard Sutton the Sheriff of Sumner County had received information that there would be automobiles stripped in the White House area. He had, with other officers of Sumner and Robertson Counties organized a patrol and was on the look-out for this kind of activity. He had gone over into Robertson County and was on his way back when he met three cars together almost bumper to bumper. There was a 1968 Plymouth GTX, a 1956 Chevrolet, and a 1968 Camaro.

The Sheriff turned and followed these cars and came back into Robertson County. It was 1:30 or 2:00 A. M. These cars were about 4 miles into Robertson County and stopped at the Kimble residence where there was an outside light and an attached garage facing the highway. He could see the Plymouth and the Camaro under the light. He went back to White House and radioed the Springfield Police to contact their Sheriff. The Sheriff of Robertson County and his officers joined the Sheriff of Sumner County so that an officer from each county would be with those who formed the patrol. At the break of day Sheriff Sutton and his companions heard a noise and saw two automobiles coming down the road. The back car had its lights on and was pushing the front car. These were the same vehicles the Sheriff had observed earlier in the night. Other patrols were stationed at strategic points in the area. The Sheriff was on what is known as the Distillery Road near the Kimble house. One of the defendants was riding in the ’56 Chevrolet, the motor was missing from it and the other defendant was riding in the GTX car with another man. The GTX was pushing the Chevrolet. They were taken into custody and advised of their rights and were taken to the Robertson County jail. Sheriff Richard Sutton of Sumner County and Sheriff Alley of Robertson County then went to the Kimble house where they found a 1968 Camaro automobile stripped in the garage. The engine, transmission and smaller items had been taken from this automobile in the garage. This automobile was a 1968 Ca-maro license No. JL 6032. This was in Robertson County, Tennessee. The defendants were not drunk but had been drinking.

The defendants Paul and Jim May after being fully advised of their rights under the Miranda Rule confessed their guilt of participating in the taking of the stolen automobiles in question from Nashville to Robertson County and participated in stripping the parts from the Camaro. They were not drunk, but were probably drinking.

The defendants did not testify in their own behalf in the presence of the jury. They did testify in the absence of the jury on the question of the admissibility of their confessions. The trial judge heard the matter in the absence of the jury and found that the defendants were not drunk at the time they gave their confession and ruled that the confessions were properly and lawfully obtained, overruled the defendants’ objection and received the confessions in evidence.

The wives of the two defendants testified in their behalf that their husbands were good husbands and good fathers and that they worked and supported their families. That they do not drink very often. That they had never been in trouble before. Paul’s wife testified that when he gets a little to drink he gets sleepy.

At the close of the State’s proof the defendants made a motion for a directed verdict of not guilty, which was overruled.

[175]*175The defendants have made the following assignments of error:

1. The evidence preponderates against the verdict and in favor of the innocence of the defendants.
2. The defendants were not furnished the names of witnesses present when the defendants made statements to the police officers as required by Section 40-2441, Tennessee Code Annotated.
3. The venue was Davidson County rather than Robertson County.

To the first assignment which challenges the sufficiency and legality of the evidence we say that it is settled law in this State that “ ‘the verdict of the jury, when approved by the Trial Judge, accredits the testimony for the State and resolves all conflicts in favor of the theory of the State. Such a verdict has displaced the presumption of innocence and has created a presumption of guilt. Here the accused had the burden of showing that the evidence preponderates against the verdict and in favor of his innocence.’ See White v. State, [210 Tenn. 78, 356 S.W.2d 411 (1962)].”

“It is a well settled rule in this State a conviction in a criminal case will not be reversed on the facts unless it is shown by the defendant the evidence preponderates against the verdict and in favor of his innocence. White v. State, [supra]; McBee v. State, 213 Tenn. 15, 372 S.W.2d 173 (1963).

⅜ i}c ⅜ ⅜ ⅝ ⅝

“This Court, in reviewing the record on appeal from a conviction,. is bound by the rule, ‘that the credibility of the witnesses and the conflicts in their testimony have been settled by the verdict of the jury which has been approved by the trial court.’ Holt v. State, [210 Tenn. 188, 357 S.W.2d 57]; McBee v. State, supra.” Arterburn v. State, 216 Tenn. 240, 391 S.W.2d 648.

By their second assignment of error the defendants contend the State did not furnish the names of witnesses who were present when the defendants made statements to police officers, as required by T. C.A. 40-2441.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
474 S.W.2d 172, 4 Tenn. Crim. App. 555, 1971 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 418, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/may-v-state-tenncrimapp-1971.