Ohrazada v. Turner

190 P.2d 413, 164 Kan. 581, 1948 Kan. LEXIS 432
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMarch 6, 1948
DocketNo. 37,174
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 190 P.2d 413 (Ohrazada v. Turner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ohrazada v. Turner, 190 P.2d 413, 164 Kan. 581, 1948 Kan. LEXIS 432 (kan 1948).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Wedell, J.:

This is an appeal from the judgment of the district [582]*582court of Leavenworth county denying a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

The respondents named were the sheriff of Leavenworth county, and one John Doe, agent of the state of Missouri.

The case involves, extradition proceedings instituted by the state of Missouri for the return of Albert Ohrazada, hereinafter called the petitioner.

The chronological order of events was: In November, 1941, petitioner was convicted of larceny of a motor vehicle in the state of Missouri and was sentenced to serve a two-year term in the penitentiary of that state; in September, 1942, petitioner was granted what is denominated in the record as a “conditional commutation parole” upon the express conditions therein set forth (we shall refer to it as a parole); in December, 1942, police officers of Kansas City, Mo., arrested the petitioner and another person and interrogated them concerning various law violations; petitioner claimed no knowledge thereof; the police officers delivered him to the federal authorities; in the district court of the United States for the western district of Missouri petitioner entered his plea of guilty to the charge of transporting stolen clothing across the .state line; he was sentenced to serve a term of seven years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan.; after the plea of guilty and sentence and by reason thereof the governor of Missouri revoked the state parole; in December, 1947, the petitioner obtained a conditional release from the federal penitentiary; no copy of the conditional release or parole from the federal penitentiary was introduced; petitioner stated that under his conditional release he was required to report and was made responsible to the federal probation agent until the full term of his federal sentence expired.

A detainer had been lodged for the petitioner by the state of Missouri with the officials of the federal penitentiary. On his release from that institution a warrant of the governor of Kansas, issued pursuant to the request of the governor of Missouri for petitioner’s requisition, was served on the petitioner by the sheriff .of Leavenworth county. The instant proceeding was promptly instituted for petitioner’s release.

No question is raised concerning the regularity or sufficiency of the proceedings for extradition.

The petitioner first contends that while on parole in the state of Missouri that state voluntarily surrendered its custody to the fed[583]*583eral authorities and therefore that state cannot now regain custody for the purpose of compelling him to serve the unexpired term of the state sentence.

Had petitioner been pardoned or had his state sentence been commuted by the governor of Missouri this state would not have recognized the request for requisition. (In re Jones, 154 Kan. 589, 121 P. 2d 219.) In the instant case there is no showing the governor of Missouri pardoned petitioner or commuted his sentence. The proof is petitioner had not fully served his state sentence and was only at liberty on parole. While on parole he was constructively a prisoner of the state of Missouri and in the legal custody of its duly authorized officials. (Anderson v. Corall, 263 U. S. 193, 196, 68 L. Ed 247; United States v. Dillard, 102 F. 2d 94, 96.)

The petitioner does not rely on any theory of presumptive relinquishment of custody by Missouri but rests his case on the ground that state actually and voluntarily surrendered its custody to the federal authorities. This contention is based on his own testimony, as follows: While on parole in Missouri the police officers of Kansas City, Mo., picked him up for questioning concerning various crimes that allegedly had been committed; he knew nothing concerning them; the police officers told him if he would confess to the commission of those offenses they would return him to the state penitentiary, but if he did not do so they would deliver him to the federal authorities and he would be obliged to serve far more time; the police officers said they had contacted the parole officers of Missouri and that the latter said they did not want him; the police officers delivered him to the federal authorities; he did not know to what state officers the police officers of Kansas City, Mo., had talked or what state officers said they did not want him; he did not know whether the governor released him and he had seen no written release from the governor of Missouri.

The record further discloses: The police officers delivered petitioner to the federal officers for trial of the alleged federal offense; petitioner entered his plea of guilty to the federal charge, previously mentioned; the governor thereafter, by reason of such plea and sentence, revoked petitioner’s parole and subsequently the state of Missoui’i lodged a detainer for the petitioner with the officers of the federal penitentiary.

Petitioner’s testimony fails to show the right to custody was actually surrendered by any competent authority of the state of Mis[584]*584souri. (In re Martin, 142 Kan. 907, 52 P. 2d 1196; Perry v. Gwartney, 162 Kan. 607, 610, 178 P. 2d 185.) On the other hand the record tends to show that state intended to retain and to later reassert its right to custody. Otherwise there would have been no occasion to revoke his parole and to lodge a detainer for his return at the federal penitentiary. These facts are related only to indicate the trial court was not compelled to believe Missouri had voluntarily and permanently relinquished custody to the federal authorities. This case presents no controversy between that state and the federal government over the subject of custody and the petitioner cannot challenge it under the facts of the instant case. (Perry v. Gwartney, supra, p. 612.)

It also may be well to observe this case does not involve the perplexing question of the right to custody presented in Johnston v. Wright, 137 F. 2d 914, and in United States v. McDonnell, 153 F. 2d 919. In those cases the seventh and ninth circuit courts of appeals differ somewhat with respect to the right of custody, but the conflict of views appears to be predicated upon the proper interpretation of sentence provisions contained in the respective journal entries of judgment.

A petitioner for habeas corpus seeking to defeat extradition has the burden of establishing that he is not a fugitive from justice. (Moreaux v. Ferrin, 98 Utah 450, 100 P. 2d 560.)

In Perry v. Gwartney, supra, we held:

“In a petition for writ of habeas corpus the fact that petitioner was delivered by the state authorities of Missouri to federal authorities in Missouri to be taken to Kansas for confinement in the federal penitentiary pursuant to a sentence of a federal court, does not prevent the petitioner from being a fugitive from justice so as to be liable for extradition on request therefor by the governor of Missouri.” (Syl. II1.)

The facts in the case of In re Martin, supra, are fully set out in the opinion of the case and need not be restated here. It was there said:

“Unless he was released from further prosecution by pardon of the governor of that state, or as a necessary consequence of some requirement of law,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
190 P.2d 413, 164 Kan. 581, 1948 Kan. LEXIS 432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohrazada-v-turner-kan-1948.