Minor v. State

219 S.W.2d 467, 153 Tex. Crim. 242, 1949 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1143
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 23, 1949
DocketNo. 24257
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 219 S.W.2d 467 (Minor v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Minor v. State, 219 S.W.2d 467, 153 Tex. Crim. 242, 1949 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1143 (Tex. 1949).

Opinions

GRAVES, Judge.

The offense is burglary. The punishment assessed is confinement in the state penitentiary for a term of two years.

The record reflects that on the night of November 14, 1948, between the hours of 1:30 and 3:00 a. m., the cafe of David Bower, located near Love Field in the city of Dallas, was burglarized and a slot machine was taken therefrom. About the time of the burglary, two city policemen were patrolling that area. When they passed along the street near the cafe, they noticed an automobile parked in the driveway of the cafe. They drove a short distance to an intersection of another street, turned off the lights on their car, and then turned around, at which time they noticed a man run from the cafe, enter the parked car and hurriedly drive away. They pursued the fleeing automobile which, according to the speedometer of the police car, was at one time traveling 80 miles per hour. They finally overtook the fleeing automobile after it had slipped into a ditch along the side of the highway. They arrested appellant and his companion, Wesley Bentley, outside of the city limits fo Dallas and searched their car without a warrant of arrest or a search warrant. The search of the car revealed a slot machine, a hammer, a bolt cutter, a tire tool, and an electrical conduit.

The owner of the cafe was notified of the burglary, and he immediately went to his cafe and found that the padlock on the front door had been cut; that the building had been entered, and that a slot machine was missing. He identified the slot ma[244]*244chine found by the policemen in the car in which appellant and his companion fled from the cafe in question.

Appellant did not testify but proved by one, Clifton Barlow, that he (Barlow) loaned his car to appellant on the night in question; that the tools found by the policemen in the automobile belonged to him; that they had been in the car for some time.

Appellant brings forward two complaints by separate bills of exceptions. These bills may well be considered and disposed of together because they involve the same legal questions, that is, whether or not the policemen had a legal right to arrest him outside the city limits without a warrant and search his automobile.

Appellant does not claim that he did not violate the speed law by driving the automobile on the streets of the city and on the highway at night at a rate of speed in excess of 55 miles per hour, to-wit: 80 miles per hour. His contention seems to be that although he violated the speed law, the city policemen were not authorized by law to arrest him outside the city limits, notwithstanding Sec. 153, Art. 6701d, Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St., expressly authorizes the arrest without warrant of any person found committing a violation of any provision of this act. Art. 803, P. C., also authorizes the arrest without warrant of any person found committing a violation of any provision of the preceding articles of this chapter. Therefore, under the facts of this case, the officers had ample authority to arrest appellant for a violation of the speed law without Warrant within the city, but the paramount and controlling issue is, did the city policemen have a legal right to arrest him beyond the city limits and search his automobile? If so, then the evidence found in the automobile as a result of a search thereof became admissible on his trial for burglary, otherwise not, since Art. 727a, C. C. P., prohibits the use of any evidence obtained in violation of any provision of the constitution or laws of the State of Texas, or of the Constitution of the United States.

Article 999, R. C. S., 1925, defines and sets forth the duties of the chief of police of a city and therein gives him “like power with the sheriff of the county to execute warrants * * *. It shall be his duty to arrest, without warrant, all violators of the public peace * * *. In the prevention and suppression of crime and arrest of offenders, he shall have, possess and execute like power, authority, and jurisdiction as the sheriff.”

[245]*245The question then arises, what is the jurisdiction of the sheriff? He is a peace officer and is in the same category as a city marshal and a policeman. Art. 36, C. C. P. It is his duty to preserve the peace and arrest all offenders, and when authorized by the Code, he shall interfere, without warrant, to prevent and suppress crime.

It is shown that under a city ordinance of Dallas, evidently passed under authority of Art. 214, C. C. P., appellant was found in a suspicious place and under circumstances rendering him susceptible to arrest without the presence of a warrant therefor.

The facts show that two city policemen of Dallas, while cruising through the city at about 3:00 o’clock in the morning, passed a cafe at 5108 Maple Street. They noticed a car parked in close proximity to this cafe which was closed at such time. Becoming suspicious thereof, they turned off their lights and turned around at the end of the block, whereupon a man came out of the cafe, got in the car and started rapidly away, skidding the tires. The policemen started after such car and followed the same at a high rate of speed through many streets of the city, sometimes reaching a speed of 80 miles per hour. Eventually, appellant and his companion skidded their car into a ditch and were then apprehended by the officers. Upon a search of the car, the officers found certain tools that could be useful in a forced entry to a building, as well as a certain slot machine, numbered 317,117, which it was later shown to have come out of this cafe in a burglarious entry. The point at which this chase terminated was about one mile outside of the city limits of Dallas, the race having continued for some twelve miles.

That the action of such officers was legal when they endeavored to arrest without warrant these men at the cafe will doubtless be conceded by virtue of the city ordinance; and again, when appellant took off in his car and increased his speed to an unlawful one; and again, these officers had a further right to arrest him without a warrant. Art. 803, P. C. See Scott v. State, 134 Tex. Cr. R. 193, 114 S. W. (2d) 565; Linthicum v. State, 134 Tex. Cr. R. 608, 116 S. W. (2d) 714, and many cases there cited.

The crucial point herein is, did the arresting peace officer, being policemen, have authority to finally complete the arrest at a point where the fleeing parties had passed out of the city and over its boundary, or, in other words, does the ancient [246]*246ecclesiastical doctrine of sanctuary apply to such action upon their part?

It should be remembered that after the flight began, appellant and his companion were never out of the sight of the pursuing officers; that their arrest without warrant was lawfully initiated on the ground of suspicion; that upon their precipitate flight an additional right arose to arrest without warrant on account of their excessive speed which continued until it resulted in their apprehension and the finding of this recently stolen property outside the city limits. Or, in other words, when in legal and immediate pursuit of one suspected of and actually in violation of the law, shall a policeman in pursuit of such evildoer, stop in such immediate pursuit and allow the suspected one to pass over the line and defy such peace officers to take him into custody, and in the event of such malefactor being reduced to arrest, was such detention illegal and any evidence obtained therefrom illegally obtained and violative of the statute ?

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

Related

Garry Otis Harden v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004
Yeager v. State
104 S.W.3d 103 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 2002
Opinion No.
Texas Attorney General Reports, 2002
Juan Jesse Martinez v. State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001
Yeager v. State
23 S.W.3d 566 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Michael John Yeager v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000
Jimenez v. State
750 S.W.2d 798 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Angel v. State
740 S.W.2d 727 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Duenez v. State
735 S.W.2d 563 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Preston v. State
700 S.W.2d 227 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Love v. State
687 S.W.2d 469 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Christopher v. State
639 S.W.2d 932 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1982)
Francis v. State
498 S.W.2d 107 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Green v. State
490 S.W.2d 826 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
State v. Curtis
190 N.W.2d 631 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1971)
Watson v. State
466 S.W.2d 783 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1971)
Wallace v. State
467 S.W.2d 608 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1971)
Buse v. State
435 S.W.2d 530 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1968)
Lane v. State
424 S.W.2d 925 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 S.W.2d 467, 153 Tex. Crim. 242, 1949 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minor-v-state-texcrimapp-1949.